A view of Gemalink International Port in the southern province of Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu. VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Đạt

HÀ NỘI — Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hồng Diên has suggested the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) provide practical solutions to assist Vietnamese businesses in overcoming challenges caused by the increased shipping freight rates, port congestion and shortage of empty containers.

In his letter sent to FIATA President Turgut Erkeskin, Diên stressed that these problems were having serious impacts on and affected the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods on the international market.

Việt Nam hoped to learn from experiences and solutions that FIATA member countries and associations had applied, especially in handling port surcharges, Diên said.

He asked the federation, within its influence on other international organisations in the import-export, logistics and supply chain management sectors, to emphasise Việt Nam's position in the global value chain to prioritise appropriate means of transport and equipment for the market.

He also proposed FIATA support the Vietnamese Government in its strategy to position Việt Nam as a hub for manufacturing goods and a new international transhipment location in Asia within the global logistics business community and to allow Vietnamese organisations to participate in the federation’s training and certification programmes.

Diên stressed that his ministry would direct export industries, logistics associations and enterprises to connect and cooperate closely and have timely response plans to minimise risks and losses from complex developments in the future.

The ministry believed that cooperation with FIATA would continue to develop, he said, adding that Việt Nam would make a worthy contribution to enhancing the federation’s role and status and its effective support would help the Southeast Asian country integrate into the global logistics market.

FIATA is a global organisation representing the freight forwarding and logistics industry. It has 114 national logistics associations, with activities spanning 150 countries and territories and connecting approximately 40,000 businesses worldwide.

Việt Nam will host the FIATA World Congress in October 2025 in Hà Nội. —VNS