The World Bank and Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport hosted a workshop recently to launch the Vietnam Logistics Statistical System Project. This project highlights the importance of strengthening the transport and logistics sectors to boost trade competitiveness.
The project aims to establish a national system for collecting, processing and publishing transport and trade logistics statistics annually. It is part of the World Bank’s support to the Government of Vietnam’s integrated program for trade facilitation and logistics development.
Trade infrastructure has not maintained pace with growth of exports
Despite substantial increases in public investment in infrastructure, trade-related infrastructure has not maintained pace with the growth of exports.
Weak infrastructure and transport links – especially weak corridors connecting key value chains to main international gateways – as well as high transport costs, poor quality of transport, and logistics services, are constraining trade potential.
“Developing a robust logistics data system is crucial for designing and implementing effective policies to enhance Vietnam’s logistics performance and competitiveness,” said Sebastian Eckardt, lead economist for the World Bank in Vietnam.
The multi-donor Trust Fund for Statistical Capacity Building (TFSCB) financed the project. The World Bank manages it.
Additionally, the project also provides technical support for project implementation. This is through a partnership among the following organisations. World Bank, International Transport Forum, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and Australia-World Bank Partnership Program.
The workshop showcased international practices and key components of a good logistics statistical system. It also discussed the importance of reliable transport and logistics data.
The data is important to the following functions. Strategic planning purposes, formulate and monitor implementation of policies related to transport infrastructure, and trade and logistics development.
Finally, the project also helps logistics firms to access reliable data for their business development.
