Evaluation of Logistics Infrastructure of Container Terminals in Northern Vietnam

The sea-port in Northern Vietnam accounts for around one third of the total country's cargo throughput and for many decades has been playing an important role in the logistics system of the country. 11 container terminals currently operate in Northern Vietnam, concentrating in Haiphong city and Quang Ninh province. Despite the increasing demand, the competition among these container terminals has become increasingly more critical. In recent years, massive investments from both government and operators have been made to improve the capability of the local sea-port's logistics infrastructure. This critically needed comprehensive research evaluates the impact of the current logistics infrastructure condition on the competitiveness of terminals and quantitatively compares the competencies of these terminals. In order to meet such requirements, the paper first summarizes the indicators of the logistics infrastructures of the sea ports before developing and testing hypotheses to reveal the correlation between the given factors and the annual throughput of container terminals in the region. Factor analysis will then be applied to score the logistics infrastructure competency of each container terminal. A significant gap between logistics infrastructures among all container terminals was not observed and the competitiveness between container terminals is mostly driven by traditional activities including cargo handling and storage. According to the results, strategic thinking will be needed to contribute to related organizations for better decisions in investment, management, and operation.