Last year, its total cargo handling rose to 114,400 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit), up 28 percent from a year earlier. In January alone, the port handled 336,443 tonnes of cargo and received 11 cruise ships with more than 11,700 passengers on board.

With the opening of additional routes, the port expects to handle 60 percent of Vietnam’s total container cargo by 2015 and 80-85 percent by 2020, thus turning itself into a modern cargo port in the future.

In its socio-economic development plan, Danang aims to build a regional centre for logistical services in Danang by connecting transport links to distribute transit goods to the north, the south, and the Central Highlands of Vietnam, the southern region of Laos, and the northeastern region of Thailand.

The transportation of goods from the southern region of Lao to the northeastern region of Thailand through the port increased by 4-5 percent and is expected to make up 10 percent of the total volume in the 2012-2015 period and then 20 percent after 2015.

In 2012, the port will mobilize all resources to push through administrative reform and improve management skills and services. It aims to handle 4.1 million tonnes of cargo, and receive 50 cruise liners to become an attractive destination for cruise ships around the globe.