The initiative was introduced during a high-level forum jointly organised by the VIFC-HCMC Executive Agency, Gemadept Group and the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies.

The international maritime financial ecosystem is one of the four strategic pillars of VIFC-HCMC and is expected to play a key role in linking seaport infrastructure, logistics services, and international financial activities.

In his opening remarks, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Cong Vinh said the event marked not only a professional forum on maritime and financial sectors but also the starting point for building an international maritime financial ecosystem in Vietnam.

Vinh noted that southern Vietnam, particularly Ho Chi Minh City and the Cai Mep–Thi Vai port cluster, has emerged as one of Southeast Asia’s key logistics and seaport hubs. However, while Vietnam has become increasingly integrated into global goods flows, financial flows linked to maritime trade are still largely handled by international financial centres such as Singapore and Hong Kong.

“This shows that to develop the maritime economy sustainably and strengthen national competitiveness, Vietnam must gradually build a comprehensive maritime financial ecosystem. That is why Ho Chi Minh City is pursuing a model that directly links port infrastructure, logistics and the international financial ecosystem,” Vinh said.

At the forum, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Huu Huan, vice chairman of the VIFC-HCMC Executive Agency, stressed that the international maritime finance ecosystem is expected to drive economic restructuring in both Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam.

Representatives of VIFC-HCMC said that in 2025, the city’s seaport system handled more than 24 million TEUs, associated with import-export turnover of around US$200 billion, accounting for roughly 20% of Vietnam’s total trade value.

Around the seaport infrastructure, a broad range of operational services has flourished, including cargo handling, warehousing, storage yards, freight forwarding, customs clearance, supply chain transportation, and import-export support services. The total commercial transaction value passing through the region’s seaports, including goods, logistics services, and related financial demand, is estimated at more than US$1 trillion annually.

Yet, most high-value financial services with the largest profit margins, such as trade finance, ship financing, maritime insurance and reinsurance, international payments, and logistics risk management, are still routed through other maritime financial centres.

Against this backdrop, the International Maritime Finance Ecosystem initiative was established and officially launched as a core component of VIFC-HCMC, with Gemadept Corporation serving as the founding lead partner.

Pham Quoc Long, deputy CEO of Gemadept Group, proposed a three-phase roadmap for developing the international maritime finance ecosystem. The first phase, over one to two years, will focus on building the foundation. The second phase, spanning two to three years, will expand the ecosystem. The third phase, over the following three years, will focus on completion and upgrading, including the operation of a regional maritime arbitration body and a derivatives trading platform.

In the long term, the ecosystem aims to support cargo flows exceeding 25 million TEUs and attract an additional US$10-15 billion in new investment annually.

“In terms of economic contribution, the international maritime finance ecosystem could generate significant cumulative added value for the city’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) while also creating tens of thousands of high-quality jobs in finance, technology, legal services, logistics, insurance, and specialised professional services,” Long said.

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