Vietnam is a long, thin country with few places too far from the sea, making it potentially ideal for exports. However, the Vietnam Seaports Association confirms that none of the 100-plus seaports along the 3,200km coastline can receive ships as large 50,000dwt or 2,000teu at present. For this reason dramatic port construction is taking place in the far south of the nation, with just about every major international container terminal operator keen to get a look-in. Some $4.5bn is earmarked to be spent on ports nationwide in the coming five years, with the south taking the lion's share. The grand plan is to relocate Ho Chi Minh City's ports downriver to two areas - Cat Lai and Hiep Phuoc as well as Cai Mep in neighbouring Ba Ria -Vung Tau province. Potentially in Cai Mep there could be 26 berths from nine terminals by 2012. As many as 30 quay cranes will be ordered from the area, hence Doosan Heavy Industry's decision to build a crane factory within 100km of Danang.
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