The US$1 billion joint-venture project includes an international seaport, an industrial zone, an industrial logistics zone and an international seaport urban area. 

The 2,600 m-long international seaport, 14 km away from the East Sea mouth gate, has been designed to handle ships weighing between 30,000 and 70,000 DWT. Its loading and unloading capacity is expected to reach 2.5 million tonnes a year in 2013 when the first phase is to become commissioned. Its annual capacity is to increase to 9.3 million tonnes by 2015 and 15 million tonnes by 2020. 

Don Di Lam, Chief Executive Officer of VinaCapital, which covers half of the infrastructure investment, said at the ground-breaking ceremony that once completed, Long An international seaport will connect two major domestic water ways from the nation’s largest economic hub of HCM City, one to Kien Luong district in Long An and the other in the southernmost province of Ca Mau. 

The seaport will also help facilitate international transportation in the future, he added. 

Dong Tam Group President Vo Quoc Thang said the project is expected to “wake up Long An still sleeping” by busy Ho Chi Minh City for its vast area of saline uncultivated land, thus narrowing the huge gap of development with the southern economic hub. 

The Dong Tam Group chief added that the project has been designed to tap all waterways in the entire region and open up a shortest route from the Mekong Delta to the world, thus offering best prices for exporters and importers.