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Da Nang City, central Vietnam on Saturday broke ground on the Lien Chieu container terminal project, which carries a price tag of more than VND45 trillion (US$2 billion), marking a significant step in the city’s long-term economic and logistics strategy.

The project, invested by a consortium of Hateco Group, Hateco Seaport Company and APM Terminals B.V. of the Netherlands, will be executed over a 10-year period from 2026 to 2036, divided into three phases.

Designed to meet international standards, the Lien Chieu container terminal will feature eight berths spanning a total length of 2,750 meters.

The terminal is capable of accommodating vessels of up to 18,000 TEU and will have a projected annual capacity of 5.7 million TEU, equivalent to roughly 74 million metric tons of cargo.

Within three years of its initial operational phase, throughput is expected to reach some four million TEU annually.

Strategically located along international maritime routes, the mammoth terminal sits at the terminus of the East-West Economic Corridor, a critical trade axis linking Vietnam with Southeast Asia and the Mekong subregion.

Beyond its function as a seaport, Lien Chieu container terminal is envisioned as a comprehensive logistics ecosystem, including integrated barge terminals, warehousing, customs inspection facilities, and container handling services, all connected directly to the national railway network to facilitate multimodal transport.

Tran Van Ky, a representative from the consortium, said that the terminal will adopt a ‘green and smart port’ model, incorporating advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize operations.

Automation systems, clean energy usage, and ecofriendly equipment are expected to reduce emissions and align with both domestic and international environmental standards, positioning the terminal within global green supply chains.

​Chairman of the municipal administration Nguyen Manh Hung described the project as a strategic collaboration between public investment and private sector commitment, in line with national policies promoting private economic development.

He emphasized that the terminal would serve as a catalyst for the city’s growth, helping to complete a modern logistics network while reducing transportation costs for businesses.

Also, the project is expected to support sustainable urban expansion, separating cargo traffic from tourism flows and reinforcing Da Nang’s role as an international gateway.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc highlighted the project as a milestone in implementing Vietnam’s strategy for sustainable marine economic development.

He noted that the terminal would stimulate logistics services, industrial growth, and port-based urbanization, while also strengthening national defense and enhancing the country’s global standing.

VOV.VN - Vietnam’s imports of machinery and equipment rose sharply in early 2026, signalling robust investment activity and expanding production capacity.

Preliminary data from Vietnam Customs show that total imports of machinery and equipment reached US$18.56 billion as of April 15. In the first half of April alone, imports amounted to US$3.06 billion.

In March, the import value surged 37.3% compared to February and 14.6% year on year to over US$5.55 billion. For the first quarter of 2026, total imports of this category stood at nearly US$15.5 billion, up 22.7% from the same period last year.

China was the largest supplier, with shipments valued at nearly US$9.72 billion, up 25% year on year. Imports from this big market reached almost US$3.36 billion in March alone.

Other key suppliers included Japan, with nearly US$1.2 billion (down 2.3%), and Republic of Korea, with over US$1.15 billion (up 4.9%). Imports from ASEAN countries exceeded US$1 billion, rising 59.5%, while shipments from the EU generated US$862 million, up 19.3%. Imports from Taiwan (China) totalled US$407 million, an increase of 20%.

Machinery and equipment ranked as Vietnam’s second-largest import category, following computers, electronic products and components, which recorded nearly US$57 billion in import value as of mid-April.

The surge in machinery imports is largely driven by new investment projects and production expansion, particularly in the foreign-invested sector.

In 2025, total registered foreign direct investment (FDI) into Vietnam hit US$38.42 billion, up 0.5% year on year, marking the second-highest level on record. Notably, disbursed FDI rose 7.2% to a record US$25.35 billion, indicating strong investor commitment.

Rising machinery imports suggest that businesses are scaling up production, laying the groundwork for export growth in the coming quarters. Trade performance for the rest of the year is expected to remain positive as these investments begin to yield results.

South Korea’s SK Group is stepping up its presence in Vietnam with plans to develop an AI data center linked to the Quynh Lap LNG-to-power project in Nghe An province, as it pushes its “AI full-stack” strategy overseas.

The plan was unveiled at the Vietnam-Korea Business Forum held in Hanoi, where SK signed memoranda of understanding with Nghe An provincial authorities and the National Innovation Center (NIC).

Under the agreements, SK aims to position itself as a strategic partner in Vietnam’s national AI strategy, focusing on three pillars: digital infrastructure, energy and industrial applications.

A key component is the proposed development of an AI data center in Nghe An, a province seen as an emerging industrial and energy hub in north-central Vietnam.

Two SK subsidiaries, SK Innovation and SK Telecom, will jointly implement the project, with an emphasis on ensuring stable power supply, a critical factor for large-scale data centers.

The AI facility is expected to be integrated with the Quynh Lap LNG power project, in which SK Innovation is involved in developing a complex including a roughly 1.5-gigawatt LNG-fired power plant, an LNG import terminal and a dedicated port.

The model would directly link energy supply with data infrastructure, helping optimize costs and operational stability.

Under the division of roles, SK Innovation will handle energy solutions and power provision, while SK Telecom will oversee development, construction and operation of the data center, as well as global customer acquisition and AI service demand.

Boosting Vietnam’s AI ecosystem

Beyond Nghe An, SK Innovation and SK Telecom also signed cooperation agreements with NIC to support the development of Vietnam’s AI ecosystem.

The collaboration covers data center development, energy infrastructure, and policy recommendations for the AI industry.

SK Telecom is expected to contribute technological expertise and help attract international investment, while SK Innovation will provide energy solutions. NIC will act as a coordinator for domestic partners and support regulatory and policy frameworks.

NIC is a key institution in Vietnam’s AI, semiconductor and startup ecosystem. SK has been a long-term partner, contributing $30 million during the center’s early development phase.

The move marks one of the first times SK has deployed its “AI full-stack” model abroad, a strategy championed by chairman Chey Tae-won to integrate the entire AI value chain, from energy and semiconductors to data centers and AI services.

Previously, SK launched similar projects in South Korea, including a large-scale AI data center in Ulsan in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), expected to be completed by 2027. The group is also exploring cooperation with OpenAI in AI infrastructure.

"SK has capabilities across the full AI value chain, from energy and semiconductors to AI models and applications. We expect to contribute meaningfully to the development of Vietnam’s AI industry,” an SK representative said.

SK is South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate and ranks among the world’s top 100 corporations. In 2024, it had a market capitalization of about $270 billion and revenue of $150 billion.

The group’s operations span four strategic pillars: green energy, semiconductors and advanced materials, information technology and biotechnology.

In LNG, SK Innovation is South Korea’s largest private power producer, operating plants with total capacity of nearly 5 GW and posting stable operating profits exceeding $715 million over the past three years.

The group has also built a closed LNG value chain by importing more than 5 million tons annually, underpinning its cost competitiveness.