Combined option via Bangkok
A road-air solution linking Vietnam and Europe.
Vietnam, an important Southeast Asian production location that plays an ever larger global economic role, has not yet got a railway network that is well-connected to international systems. Now Bolloré Logistics has introduced a new intermodal solution there.
Vietnam is moving closer to the global economy’s centre stage, thanks to its nigh-on 100 million inhabitants, its growing external trade volumes and its recent rise by three ranks to eighth place in the Agility Emerging Markets Index. The country has defended its role as the index’s regional star, with fifth place in the category ‘international logistics opportunities’. Vietnam’s railway traffic, above all, with a network that dates largely from the French colonial period, has only been modernised at a rather slow pace. There’s still plenty of room for improvement. The rather long country’s only international connection crosses its border with China in the far north.
The roads help to make up for some of the lacunae. Now Bolloré Logistics Vietnam has started offering transport solutions for domestic goods consignments on the roads from the country’s two regional centres; the capital Hanoi in the north, and the economic and trade metropolis Ho Chi Minh City in the south.
A CBT solution that can compete
These first reach Bangkok by cross-border trucking solution (CBT) via the western neighbouring countries of Laos and Cambodia. From the Thai capital, flight connections take over the onward transport to European destinations. The transport time on the route Hanoi–Lao Bao/Dansavan–Savannakhet/Mukdahan–Bangkok is given as four days, three days are required for freight on the route Ho Chi Minh City–Bình Hiep/Prey vor–Poipet/Aranyaprathet–Bangkok. Both require an additional day for transfers in Bangkok.
In the first weeks of this truck-air solution’s existence, Bolloré Logistics Vietnam accepted goods without interruption (two days before ETD). “As the demand for exports from Hanoi to Europe continues to grow, we decided to launch this service as a backup solution for our customers when conventional capacities are fully booked. While transit times are slightly longer, customers benefit from lower costs, as airfreight rates in this offer are between 20 and 30% lower than usual,” explained Anne Ferteux, general manager for sales and development Vietnam.