On September 29, 2011, at Vung Tau City, Vietnam Maritime Administration and People’s Committee of Ba Ria – Vung Tau province in collaboration with Portcoast Consultant Corporation (Portcoast) organized the conference “Improving the effectiveness of management and operation of international ports in Ba Ria – Vung Tau” to review the planning, management and operation of international ports in recent years and steady development in accordance with Vietnam's Marine Strategy in 2020.

Attending the meeting were Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hue, Director of Vietnam Maritime Administration, Mr. Tran Ngoc Thoi, Vice Chairman of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province and more than 120 guests from the port authorities, professional associations, representatives of international shipping companies and shipping agents, forwarding, pilotage, towage companies...

Mr. Tran Ngoc Thoi, Vice Chairman of People’s Committee of Ba Ria – Vung Tau province

At the conference, many participants identified that Cai Mep - Thi Vai area has a lot of opportunities to become an entrepôt of international stature. With twenty four ports which have been completed and put into operation, twenty seven ports are under construction and Cai Mep Ha port and logistics center have been invested, these structures will greatly contribute to the transport goods in the country as well as in the region to the United States and Europe. In 2009 the cargo volume throughput in Cai Mep Thi Vai area reached 31 million tons, the figure increased to 37.1 million tons in 2010. In the first eight months of 2011, output through the port was about 35 million tons. Especially, the ports in Cai Mep - Thi Vai area have been considered as a stop on the voyage by mother vessels.

However, many problems and weaknesses and shortcomings in planning, management and operation of seaports in Cai Mep - Thi Vai area were also dissected and analysed by participants at the conference. These were poor transport infrastructure linking the port with the sources of goods; incapable logistics services; unsafe maritime; and inappropriate port management.