At the Da Nang International Logistics Forum 2026 on August 13, VLA Chairman Dao Trong Khoa presented a proposal for the Da Nang Indo-Pacific Logistics Corridor Initiative. It was part of a presentation on expanding the East–West Economic Corridor (EWEC) into an Indo-Pacific link.
Why shippers should care
The presentation stressed that global supply chains are shifting from cost optimization to resilience. Companies no longer ask only "which route is cheapest" but also "which route is more resilient, predictable, and better connected." If Da Nang becomes a gateway linking India–Mekong–ASEAN–Pacific, Vietnamese exporters could gain an alternative corridor, reducing dependence on current routes.
The proposal
VLA proposes five priority action groups: mapping cargo flows, identifying two-way cargo sources and key shippers; building cost and time indices to compare routes and spot bottlenecks; piloting a digital corridor with eFBL, API, data, and electronic documents; piloting a green corridor, measuring carbon, optimizing transport modes, and cutting emissions; and forming a business and investment alliance connecting shippers, logistics firms, ports, carriers, investors, and international partners.
VLA also suggests Da Nang start with a public-private corridor working group, a dashboard measuring cost and time, and a pilot of digital documents with specific cargo flows.
Lessons from the Middle Corridor
As an example, the presentation cited the Middle Corridor, the trans-Caspian international transport route. In 2024, this corridor moved about 4.8 million tons of cargo, up 63% from the same period. The Middle Corridor is not just an alternative route but is developing into a multimodal transport ecosystem, with trade facilitation, cross-border governance, electronic documents, and data connectivity.
The lesson: a corridor must operate as a system, not just a line on a map. A new-generation corridor needs to be physical + legal + digital + commercial simultaneously.
Conditions for shifting cargo
VLA stressed: "Infrastructure creates capacity. Cargo creates corridors." Infrastructure builds capacity, but cargo flows create corridors. Shippers will shift cargo only when a corridor meets six conditions (6C): cost, time, competitiveness, simple customs, sufficient transport capacity, and certainty/predictability.
Open questions
The presentation is only a research proposal. It does not say when the Da Nang Logistics Corridor Initiative will be implemented, or what concrete steps have been taken. There is also no information on which specific cargo flows will use the corridor, or which shippers will join. Shippers should watch closely, but not expect a new operational route in the near future.