Vietnam could see its surging exports, running at 25%, throttled by poor infrastructure including roads, top officials have said in remarks then circulated by Vietnam´s official media. “Poor infrastructure is now Vietnam’s biggest weakness,” deputy industry and trade minister Nguyen Thanh Bien told a recent workshop on seaport services and trade logistics in Da Nang. With domestic and foreign investments on the rise, “we are facing power shortage, poor road systems, and, especially, a serious shortage of seaports, which is threatening to gridlock exports.”
 
Vietnam plans to invest US$4.5 billion in ports in the next five years. Speaking at the same workshop US counsellor  for economic affairs Alan Tousignant added it should pour a corresponding amount in land-based infrastructure, pointing out that only 19% of roads in Vietnam are asphalted while the railroad system also needs upgrading to meet increasing demand.