HCM City (VNS/VNA)- Developing Ho Chi Minh City into a supplier of high-quality human andtechnological resources for the logistics industry was the subject of a recentconference held in the city by the HCM City Department of Industry and Trade incoordination with the Vietnam Logistics Research and Development Institute.

Speaking at the event titled“Project for Development of the Logistics Sector in HCM City until 2025, with avision to 2030”, Hoang Minh Tri, a former head of the HCM City Institute forResearch and Development, said the city should also become a hub for logisticsworkforce training for the Southern Focal Economic Zone since it has many topuniversities, hi-tech parks and research laboratories. 

To turn the city into a logisticshub would require a lot of land and a large workforce, which would worsen thecongestion plaguing it, he said.

Besides, this was not envisagedin its master plan for economic development approved by the Government in 2010,he pointed out.

The city planned to develop cleanindustries which do not harm the environment, and use advanced technologieswhich do not requires a large workforce, he said.

HCM City has two majorinfrastructure facilities, Tan Son Nhat International Airport and Cat Lai port,both overstretched.

Tan Son Nhat is crowded bothinside and outside and any increase in goods transport or logistics serviceswould make these traffic problems even worse, raising transportation costs.

Construction of a flyover to easetraffic outside the airport cost over 10 million USD but it would require 10times that amount to clear the congestion at Cat Lai.

Furthermore, traffic congestionand pollution affect people’s lives and have a negative impact on the effortsto attract foreign investment.

For these reasons, HCM Cityshould be developed into a human resource hub for the Southern Focal EconomicZone, supplying labour for the Cai Mep – Thi Vai Port Complex (in Ba Ria – VungTau province) and preparing to do the same for the proposed Long Thanh InternationalAirport in Dong Nai province, Tri said.

Once construction of Beltway Nos3 and 4 and the Ben Luc – Long Thanh – Dau Giay Highway is completed, goodsfrom the Mekong Delta could be directly transported to the Long ThanhInternational Airport and the Cai Mep – Thi Vai Port Complex bypassing HCMCity, he added./.