Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that the most decisive task is to integrate Vietnam’s logistics system with regional and global networks through a strategic vision, concrete actions, and stronger linkages that create synergy and shared benefits.

Setting double-digit growth targets

On November 29 in Da Nang city, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended and delivered remarks at the Vietnam Logistics Forum 2025, themed “Vietnam logistics - advancing into a new era.”

The Prime Minister affirmed that logistics plays a pivotal role in national development as the backbone enabling the storage, preservation, and circulation of goods, and one of the pillars boosting economic growth and national competitiveness. He called on the logistics sector to aim for sustained double-digit growth.

According to the World Bank, Vietnam ranked 43rd of 139 countries in the 2023 Logistics Performance Index (LPI), and is among the ASEAN top 5 alongside Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Republic of Korea.

Vietnam’s logistics infrastructure has been increasingly synchronized, with significant investment in seaports, airports, expressways and logistics centers in major economic hubs such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Da Nang and Can Tho.

The sector has recorded stable expansion of 14-16 percent annually, contributing 4.5-5 percent to GDP. Logistics costs have fallen to around 16 percent of GDP, down from over 20 percent in 2014, saving exporters and importers billions of USD each year.

Vietnam is now home to more than 34,000 logistics enterprises, many of which have engaged deeply in global supply chains and adopted advanced technologies in management and operations.

These achievements have directly enhanced the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods, reduced import-export costs, and supported the country’s international trade volume, which is expected to reach around USD 900 billion in 2025.

To support Vietnam’s goal of maintaining average GDP growth of over 10 percent per year in the next five years, the Prime Minister assigned each sector and locality to strive for double-digit growth. In particular, logistics must expand at 1.5 times the national GDP growth rate.

The Prime Minister specified that logistics value-added should account for 6-7 percent of GDP, annual growth should reach 15-16 percent, and logistics costs should fall to the global average of around 11-12 percent of GDP.

Identifying several bottlenecks, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized the need to shift from fragmented, small-scale logistical support to modern, smart logistics as an essential economic sector. He urged localities to fully leverage their potential, strengthen regional and international linkages, and view logistics services as a driving force for socio-economic development.

Addressing obstacles to accelerate development

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reaffirmed that the Party and State attach great importance to logistics development, reflected in major orientations issued by the Politburo, as well as laws, mechanisms and policies from the National Assembly and the Government on regional development.

To unlock the sector’s potential, the Prime Minister ordered the improvement of legal frameworks and policy mechanisms to ensure consistency, transparency, and feasibility; significant reductions in administrative procedures; and the removal of barriers that increase compliance costs for people and businesses.

He stressed the need to develop green, digital and smart logistics infrastructure, build high-quality human resources, and support the growth of large-scale, multinational logistics enterprises capable of joining global value chains.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the importance of mobilizing diverse resources through public-private partnerships, combining state and private investment, domestic and foreign capital, and both direct and indirect financing. He underscored that the most crucial factor is connectivity, linking Vietnam’s logistics system with regional and global networks to create shared strength, mutual benefits and trust.

Accelerating digital transformation, innovation and the application of science and technology is, according to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, an inevitable trend and top priority. Agriculture has lifted Vietnam out of poverty; industry has made it a middle-income country; and science-technology, innovation and digital transformation will elevate Vietnam to a developed, high-income nation.

The Prime Minister tasked the Ministry of Industry and Trade with promptly guiding and coordinating with ministries, localities, associations and logistics enterprises to implement the Vietnam Logistics Development Strategy for 2025-2035 with a 2050 vision.

Upholding the principle of “a facilitating state, pioneering enterprises, public-private partnership, national development and people’s happiness,” the Prime Minister called for shifting the administration from controlling to serving and enabling development.

Reiterating the Government’s commitment to the “five transparencies” and “open institutions, seamless infrastructure, smart governance, standardized practices, and mutual understanding in cooperation,” the Prime Minister expressed confidence that logistics will become a major economic pillar, helping Vietnam join the world’s top 30 countries in the LPI by 2035.

At the forum, Prime Minister Chinh again urged the logistics sector to pursue double-digit growth and requested the Ministry of Industry and Trade to work closely with relevant ministries, localities, associations and enterprises to fully implement the national logistics development strategy for 2025-2035 with a vision to 2050.