Vietnam Freight Assessment: Guidance for Developing a National Green Freight Program

This report presents an analysis and evaluation of the current and prospective of freight sector in Viet Nam, focusing on heavy-duty trucks. It also proposes actions for the development of green freight program in Viet Nam.

Methods of assessment used in this report include administering survey questionnaires to carriers and shippers, interviewing managers, experts and scientists in transportation fields, and reviewing relevant documents and policies related to freight transportation.

According to the results, road transport has the largest share of Viet Nam freight transport performance among air, rail and water. In 2014, road transport accounted for over three-quarters (76.2%) of the total freight transport, based on ton-kilometers. It is however estimated by the government that the share of road in freight transport will decrease to 54.39% by 2020 as the volume will be distributed across other transport modes.

The report also found out that transport enterprises in Viet Nam are generally small and mediumsized, and that most of these enterprises own small number of vehicles, limiting their financial capacity and hampering their productivity. Likewise, a large number of owner-operators, who are not well managed and controlled by the government, dominate the freight industry of Viet Nam.