Longing for a trading port

This place used to be the central commercial port of Nghe An, the trading hub of the whole country and there were many foreign enterprises trading goods through the port. In the new period, Ben Thuy Port still operates with its own worries about a commercial port area.

PRIDE

Every day, Ben Thuy port still welcomes many cargo ships. The goods passing through the port are mainly coal. If we consider the diversity of goods passing through the port, there are not as many types of goods as before, but in terms of loading and unloading output, it is hundreds of thousands of times higher than “in the past”.

Ben Thuy Port. Photo: Nguyen Nguyen

The business performance report of Nghe Tinh Port Joint Stock Company shows that the production and business results at Ben Thuy Port in 2021 reached a cargo throughput of 359,989 tons, an increase of 17.38% compared to 2020. Revenue reached 13,788 billion VND, an increase of 6.11% compared to 2020. It is expected that in 2022, the cargo throughput of Ben Thuy Port will be about 370,000 tons, with an estimated revenue of about 13,250 billion VND. Previously, in 1927, the cargo throughput of Ben Thuy Port was only about 4,000 tons and in 1938 it was 100,000 tons.

From 1920 to 1929 (more than 102 years ago), Ben Thuy Port was the largest commercial port in the North Central region, associated with a wood processing industrial cluster, match factory, electricity... At that time, goods passing through the port were always bustling, but according to many documents, the main goods were wood and coal. In Ben Thuy at the beginning of the 19th century, the Central Vietnam Commercial Forestry Association also established a purchasing station and many shops buying and selling forest products. At the port, there were also military posts and tax collection stations of the French...

Clearing goods at Ben Thuy Port. Photo: Nguyen Nguyen

Many documents confirm that Ben Thuy Port was built in 1888 and the French opened additional ports and warehouses in the years 1897 - 1900. Thus, up to now, the history is more than 134 years. After the North was completely liberated, on October 13, 1955, the Ministry of Transport signed Decision No. 141 "Temporarily establishing the Ben Thuy Port Management Agency". Ben Thuy Port was formed with a 150m long, 10m wide ironwood pier, 4 warehouses built with bricks and tiled roofs 400m wide.², a coal yard, a wood storage, an office building, a dining hall and a dormitory. Since then, October 13, 1955 has been considered the traditional day of Ben Thuy Port and Nghe Tinh Port. After the country was completely unified, on December 5, 1979, the Prime Minister allowed the construction of Cua Lo Port (International Port), this was an important event for the people of Nghe An province, a milestone on the development path of Nghe Tinh Port.

In the new period, Ben Thuy Port was built more solidly but gradually reduced its scale of exploitation and ceded its central position to Cua Lo Port (Nghe An), Vung Ang (Ha Tinh), Nghi Son (Thanh Hoa). However, its contribution to the development history of Nghe An province and the North Central region has been recorded in history. The representative of Ben Thuy Port's leadership said that in the new period, despite many difficulties, the port's officers and workers are always proud of the long history of the port area, thereby actively working, producing, contributing to the trade of goods in the North Central provinces and the socio-economic development of Nghe An.

Loading and unloading wood - a rare activity at Ben Thuy Port. Photo: Nguyen Nguyen

ANXIETY

Previously, Ben Thuy Port was connected to the city center by road, waterway via Vinh River and railway to Vinh Station connecting to the Indochina railway system. Ben Thuy Port used to be the center of connection and trade with the North Central provinces and Laos. Ben Thuy Port became the driving force for economic development of Nghe An and North Central. On that basis, it contributed to promoting the development of Vinh town (1898), establishing the urban area of ​​Ben Thuy (1914), Truong Thi (1917). Thereby, connecting and forming the largest industrial urban center, port, and urban area in North Central Vietnam during the French colonial period.

According to the assessment of the Ben Thuy Port leadership, with the current business situation, the port can still "support" its own operating apparatus as well as pay workers' salaries and contribute a small amount to the budget. However, the loading and unloading activities through the port in recent years have been isolated, with nearly 98% of the goods passing through the port being coal. At the same time, the already shallow waterway system (depth of minus 4 to 4.5m) has been silted up, affecting the docking of cargo ships. According to the design, with that depth, the largest ship of 2,500 tons can enter Ben Thuy Port. However, in recent years, due to many hydroelectric plants regulating the water source of Lam River, 2,000-ton ships entering the port have also encountered difficulties, having to choose the time when the tide is high to be able to dock.

"Temporary docks" at Ben Thuy Port. Photo: Nguyen Nguyen

With the isolation of goods passing through the port, combined with the rapid sedimentation of the downstream of Lam River, Ben Thuy Port is increasingly facing difficulties in production and business. Especially, since the Provincial People's Committee approved the planning of the Ben Thuy Urban Service and Tourism Complex Project with an area of ​​over 31 hectares, including the entire area of ​​Ben Thuy Port and the area of ​​13 units, agencies and more than hundreds of households in blocks 13 and 15 of Ben Thuy Ward, the determination of the "fate" of Ben Thuy Port is posing hypotheses. Maybe the port will move to Hung Hoa, near Hoi estuary, with better channel depth; or the Port will continue to exist in its current location but change its form of operation, simply being a port serving tourists; or maybe Ben Thuy Port will end its operational role, merging with Cua Lo Port for more effective operation (?).

Although it is currently operating "anxiously", Ben Thuy Port has long been recorded in history books as a bustling commercial port in Vietnam, soon appearing on the world commercial port map.

Ben Thuy Port is located on the Lam River. Photo: Nguyen Sach

Nguyen Nguyen