Green logistics requires the integration of infrastructure, technology, and data, enabling businesses to reduce costs and emissions, meet international standards, and enhance their competitiveness.
Reforming Procedures and Synchronizing Logistics Infrastructure
On October 27, 2026, in Ho Chi Minh City, a discussion session titled “Sustainable Global Value Chains: Green Logistics”—held as part of the 2026 Autumn Economic Forum—highlighted the necessity of integrating infrastructure, technology, and data to reduce costs and emissions while enhancing competitiveness.
Speaking at the session, Hoang Nguyen Dinh, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, stated that the application of science and technology to production, agriculture, and logistics must be coupled with the alignment of standards, data, and human resources across the entire value chain—from factories and farmlands to seaports and consumer markets.
As global supply chains shift toward becoming greener, more transparent, and smarter, businesses must adapt to new standards. This requires coordination across institutional, technological, financial, human resource, and infrastructural domains—both locally and internationally.
Dr. Bui Ba Nghiem, a senior official at the Agency of Foreign Trade (Ministry of Industry and Trade), argued that green logistics must be integrated with digital transformation, using economic efficiency, environmental impact, and feasibility as key benchmarks. Solutions must be implemented throughout the entire supply chain, encompassing raw material procurement, transportation, warehousing, production, distribution, and recycling.
Regarding policy, Dr. Bui Ba Nghiem proposed reforming administrative procedures, customs clearance, and specialized inspections to minimize waiting times, storage costs, and transportation expenses. Furthermore, he emphasized the need to promote the National Single Window and the ASEAN Single Window mechanisms, alongside the adoption of electronic documentation and the standardization of logistics data.
In terms of infrastructure, it is essential to strengthen connectivity between raw material sourcing areas, logistics hubs, seaports, airports, and border crossings. ...effectively leveraging inland waterway, rail, and coastal transport. For Ho Chi Minh City and the southern economic region, he proposes linking production hubs, warehouses, and waterway transport networks with the Cai Mep - Thi Vai port cluster, while simultaneously addressing bottlenecks related to shipping channels, terminals, cargo consolidation points, and port-adjacent infrastructure.
According to Dr. Bui Ba Nghiem, businesses should integrate data on orders, cargo loads, transit routes, and energy consumption. Solutions such as route optimization, load consolidation, reducing "empty runs" (vehicles traveling without cargo), improving energy efficiency in warehouses, and monitoring temperatures in cold storage can help lower fuel consumption, operational costs, emissions, and cargo losses.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can begin by implementing solutions that align with their existing resources—for instance, through vehicle maintenance, energy-saving practices in warehouses, and the adoption of software for order management and transit tracking.
Dr. Bui Ba Nghiem also suggests piloting "green logistics" models that involve shippers, logistics service providers, and partners from the technology and financial sectors. These models should establish baseline metrics, evaluation timelines, and specific key performance indicators (KPIs)—including emission levels, energy consumption, costs per unit of cargo, on-time delivery rates, and the extent of cargo loss.
Connecting data to reduce costs and emissions