Container handling operations at Gemalink Port, Cai Mep - Thi Vai port cluster, Tan Phuoc Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.
Tan Phuoc Ward was newly established based on the merger of Tan Phuoc and Phuoc Hoa wards (formerly in Phu My City, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province). After the merger, Tan Phuoc Ward under Ho Chi Minh City is emerging as a strategic area, gathering all the factors to become a leading logistics hub of the Southern Key Economic Zone. This is the locality with the largest and most modern deep-water seaport system and inland ports in Ho Chi Minh City today.
Tan Phuoc holds a strategic location as it lies along the Thi Vai River – one of the most important inland waterways in the southern region. At the same time, Tan Phuoc is connected to a series of arterial transport routes: National Highway 51, Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway, Cai Mep - Thi Vai inter-port road, Phuoc An Bridge – a key project being accelerated, and Road 991B. Not only convenient in terms of road and waterway transport, Tan Phuoc is also just over 40 km from Long Thanh International Airport, opening up a seamless multimodal transport network.
Thanks to its synchronous infrastructure, Tan Phuoc has become and is continuing to become a strategic transshipment point for goods, not only for Ho Chi Minh City but also for the entire Southeast region, while playing the role of an international trade gateway. Within the ward, there are currently 13 seaports and 16 inland ports in operation. The greatest highlight in Tan Phuoc is the Cai Mep - Thi Vai port cluster, evaluated as one of the deepest and most modern in Vietnam. With the capability of receiving container ships of over 230,000 DWT, this cluster is ranked among the world’s top 19 deep-water ports capable of handling ultra-large vessels.
From the Cai Mep - Thi Vai port cluster, Vietnamese goods can be shipped directly to the US, Europe, Africa, India… without needing transshipment through Singapore or Hong Kong (China), saving considerable logistics costs and reducing shipping time. Currently, the cluster has up to 22 shipping routes to the US, 2 to Europe, and 10 intra-Asia routes – nearly three times more than in 2018. This is clear evidence of the increasing importance of the Cai Mep - Thi Vai cluster in the global logistics chain.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Administration, since October 2023, more than 80 calls by “mega” container vessels over 200,000 DWT have safely docked at Cai Mep - Thi Vai. Not only that, the cluster has also attracted investment from many of the world’s leading shipping corporations, making Tan Phuoc an attractive destination on the international logistics map.
Among the ports of the Cai Mep - Thi Vai cluster, Gemalink Port is considered the “shining jewel” with an area of 72 ha, a total berth length of 1.5 km, and the ability to receive three large mother ships simultaneously. The port currently has a capacity of 2.4 million TEUs/year – the largest in the country. Especially, Gemalink also has a dedicated berth for feeder ships and barges, directly connecting Ho Chi Minh City with the Mekong Delta, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Quy Nhon as well as regional countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines… In July 2025, Gemalink was officially authorized by the Ministry of Construction to receive container ships with a tonnage of over 232,494 DWT after nearly two years of trial runs, marking an important step in elevating Vietnam’s position on the international port map.
According to Mr. Dinh The Anh, Head of Planning and Operations at Gemalink Port, the port’s development strategy aligns with the trend of “green ports – smart ports”. The port is investing in onshore power supply systems for vessels, applying digital technologies, and deploying the SmartPort platform, enhancing operational efficiency while reducing emissions and moving toward sustainable development.
Gemalink Port, Tan Phuoc Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.
Another important member of the Cai Mep - Thi Vai cluster is Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT), under Cai Mep International Port Co., Ltd. The port covers 48 ha, has a 600m-long berth, a capacity of more than 1.1 million TEUs/year, and an investment of USD 250 million. This port is strongly applying digital technologies, achieving a handling productivity of 130 containers/hour, among the highest in the world.
In May 2024, the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction) approved CMIT to receive container vessels of 214,121 DWT, making Tan Phuoc one of the few international transshipment hubs in the region capable of handling ultra-large ships. Mr. Cao Hong Phong, Chairman of the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Logistics and Port Association, affirmed: “With the presence of the world’s largest shipping lines at Cai Mep - Thi Vai, it confirms that Tan Phuoc is becoming a regional and global-scale transshipment port hub.”
Alongside seaports, Tan Phuoc also hosts large-scale industrial parks; most notably the Phu My 3 Specialized Industrial Park – Vietnam’s first specialized industrial park, spanning more than 1,046 ha. In addition, there are Phu My 2 Industrial Park and Cai Mep Industrial Park, forming a complete supply chain directly serving logistics and supporting industries.
The close integration of ports and industrial zones has formed a solid foundation, turning Tan Phuoc into an important logistics “rear base”, providing warehousing, distribution, and goods transshipment services for the entire Southern Key Economic Zone. Especially, the Cai Mep Ha Free Trade Zone (FTZ) is being studied for development under a new-generation FTZ model, combining “seaport – logistics – industry – service urban area – international airport”, to be implemented in Tan Phuoc. According to economic experts, this is expected to be a breakthrough for trade, boosting investment attraction and enhancing the international competitiveness of Ho Chi Minh City.
Mr. Huynh Trung Son, Chairman of Tan Phuoc Ward People’s Committee, said that Tan Phuoc has the advantage of direct connectivity with major industrial zones, the Cai Mep - Thi Vai port, and strategic transport corridors. This is a favorable condition for developing industry, commerce, and services in the coming period, contributing to realizing the aspiration of becoming an international logistics hub of Ho Chi Minh City. According to the development plan of Ho Chi Minh City for the period 2025 - 2030, with a vision to 2045, Tan Phuoc is identified as a core center within the marine economic zone – petrochemical refining – international transshipment, as well as the nucleus of a free economic zone linked with Can Gio.
It can be said that with its location and outstanding potential along the Thi Vai River with the Cai Mep - Thi Vai deep-water port cluster, Tan Phuoc Ward is one of the localities with great potential, making an important contribution to the overall development of Ho Chi Minh City. Therefore, the ward needs to promptly define a new development space with a long-term vision, meeting all conditions in terms of reasonable population scale, natural area, synchronous socio-economic infrastructure, high-quality human resources, along with its inherent strengths for a breakthrough.
Bringing together all the elements from international seaport infrastructure, large-scale industrial parks, an attractive investment environment, to a vision of building a smart city, Tan Phuoc is on its journey to becoming a leading sustainable logistics, industrial, and commercial hub in the region.