Overview of the working session
Logistics: A Critical Bottleneck to Competitiveness
Speaking at the working session, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai, Vice President of VITAS, underscored that logistics is no longer merely the transportation of goods, but has become a factor that directly determines costs, delivery time, and enterprise competitiveness. As the textile and garment industry becomes increasingly integrated into global supply chains, a smooth, stable logistics system with effective international connectivity is of particular importance.
In fact, Vietnam's textile and garment industry is facing significant challenges in terms of supply and costs. Fabric is the most important input material, yet domestic supply currently meets only 50% of demand. Fabric import values have consistently remained high, at USD 14.7 billion in 2022, USD 12.7 billion in 2023, and USD 14.9 billion in 2024, before surging to USD 17 billion in 2025. Notably, in the first seven months of 2026 alone, Vietnam spent USD 17 billion on imports of textile materials, with fabric imports from China accounting for the largest share, at USD 6.27 billion.
Beside that, logistics costs also remain a significant barrier. Although the Cai Mep area has a strong advantage in direct shipping routes to the United States and Europe, direct freight and handling costs there remain higher than those at Cat Lai and depots in the Ho Chi Minh City area. Enterprises in Dong Nai generally prefer port and depot locations close to their production facilities, meaning that the full transfer of export cargo to Cai Mep has yet to deliver a clear cost advantage.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Trang, Head of the Import-Export Department, Fashion Garments 2 Co., Ltd., shared her views at the working session
At the working session, representatives of two major brands, Adidas and Fashion Garments, candidly highlighted the situation: road transportation costs from factories to the Cai Mep deep-water port are currently significantly higher than the option of moving containers to yards in the Cat Lai area. To address this barrier, the two companies proposed that TCSG and transport providers promptly implement service bundling or cargo-consolidation solutions to share, optimize, and reduce road transportation costs for exporters.
Mr. Nguyen Khieu Anh, Deputy Director of Marketing at TCSG, speaks at the working session
Mr. Nguyen Khieu Anh, Deputy Director of Marketing at Saigon Newport Corporation, stated that, after 37 years of establishment and development, TCSG currently accounts for nearly 50% of Vietnam's port handling market.
Given the limitations of Cat Lai Port in terms of draft depth and bridge clearance, the trend of shifting cargo to deep-water port clusters such as Cai Mep is inevitable. At Cai Mep, TCSG has established a comprehensive ecosystem built on five principal pillars: port operations; logistics services; transport and the maritime economy; industrial park investment; and sea-island tourism services combined with clean energy.
To optimize the supply chain for the textile and garment industry, TCSG proposed the following strategic solution groups:
Accelerating the green transformation and digitalization of logistics: developing an electronic port system, covered warehouses using solar energy, and expanding barge transportation to reduce CO2 emissions by 70-80% compared with road transport. Notably, the ESG project at Cai Mep International Terminal (TCIT) will provide a Carbon Index Report, directly meeting the green criteria of international brands.
Storage and distribution of finished products: Leverage TCSG's ICD system and warehouses in the provinces to meet distribution requirements. Enterprises can reduce costs by using shared warehouses for commonly used material lines while expanding cooperation at Phuoc Thuan and Habitat ports.
Storage of raw materials and textile accessories: Use the Tan Cang - Song Than ICD (ICDST) and Tan Cang - Long Binh ICD (ICDLB) reserve warehouses for long-term storage of materials, ensuring a stable supply during the peak season from August to December.
Breakthrough Incentive Policy at TCIT Port
To encourage enterprises to shift operations and capitalize on the advantages of the deep-water port, TCIT announced a special support policy applicable from July 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.
For customers switching destination ports: Customers whose imported cargo arrives by vessel at TCIT but is currently received at Cat Lai (Cat Lai Giang Nam) will be granted a 100% exemption from container lifting fees when the cargo is delivered directly at TCIT by road. The port will also support coordination with Customs after the Manifest has been amended.
For new and small-scale customers: Customers that have never handled cargo directly at TCIT, or that are currently handling cargo directly at TCIT (during the period from March 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026, with a volume of nine containers or fewer), will receive a 100% exemption from lifting and lowering fees for import and export cargo containers transported by road, together with a 50% reduction in fees for empty containers.
The working session opened up a number of practical avenues for cooperation. VITAS leadership expects the two sides to pursue specific initiatives, including the sharing of market data and the study of specialized service models, thereby helping the textile and garment business community optimize its value chain and maintain sustainable competitiveness in the context of globalization.
Selected images from the delegation's field visit to Cai Mep Port
Article and photos: Hong Nguyen
