Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà signed Decision No. 1593/QĐ-TTg on July 24, 2025, on the establishment of a State Appraisal Council to review the investment policy dossier for the downstream Cái Mép Hạ Port Complex project, including a logistics center and zones for industrial, urban, and service functions in Ho Chi Minh City (the Council).
According to the decision, the Council is chaired by the Minister of Finance, with the Ministry of Finance also serving as the standing agency.
Council members include leaders from the ministries of Construction; National Defense; Public Security; Industry and Trade; Agriculture and Environment; Science and Technology; Culture, Sports and Tourism; Justice; and the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City.
The responsibilities and authority of the Council, the Chairperson, Vice-Chairpersons, and members are defined under Decree No. 29/2021/NĐ-CP dated March 26, 2021, on the procedures for appraising nationally important projects and monitoring and evaluating investment activities.
The decision clearly states that Council members are responsible for providing timely feedback. If a member fails to respond by the deadline, it will be considered as agreement with the consulted content, and the member will bear full responsibility.
Relevant agencies with representatives on the Council are requested to send official nominations to the standing agency (Ministry of Finance) by July 26, 2025.
The downstream Cái Mép Hạ Port Complex project is considered essential as the Cái Mép – Thị Vải port system continues to assert its strategic role.
Currently, this is the most developed port network in Vietnam, hosting major international container terminals such as Gemalink, CMIT, TCIT, SP-PSA, and SITV, with modern, synchronized infrastructure. Notably, the complex can accommodate mother vessels of up to 250,000 DWT.
The deep-water Cái Mép – Thị Vải port cluster serves as a strategic export gateway for both the Southeast region and the entire country.
According to the 2024 report by the World Bank (WB) and S&P Global, the cluster ranked 7th globally in the Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), surpassing major transshipment hubs such as Yokohama (Japan), Hong Kong (China), and Singapore.
Since early 2025, the cluster's status has continued to rise. On May 17, the SSIT port welcomed the Zim Wilmington vessel, officially launching a direct maritime route connecting Vietnam to the U.S. East Coast, jointly operated by Zim (Israel) and MSC (the world’s largest shipping company).
Notably, in the newly formed Gemini Alliance between shipping giants Maersk (Denmark) and Hapag Lloyd (Germany), Cái Mép – Thị Vải has been designated as the sole main port in southern Vietnam. Currently, the complex receives 48 international container ship calls per week—an increase of 11 compared to the previous year.
Source: vneconomy.vn
