The traffic infrastructure in Ba Ria – Vung Tau is inadequate to servethe network of ports that is being developed in the province, with justone highway serving 44 of them.

Nguyen Tuan Minh,secretary of the province's Party Committee, told Nguoi Lao dong (TheLabourer) newspaper that this is turning away businesses who are eyeinginvestments in sectors that require sound infrastructure.

According to Vu Ngoc Thao, director of the Department of Transport,eight ports are operational, 12 are under construction, and 24 are inthe planning stage, with Provincial Road 51 serving all of them.

Thao said it was a hurdle in attracting investors.

The Department of Planning and Investment blamed it on a lack offunds. The province has plans to build a 22km road to connect the portstogether but work has yet to start as a result.

The road will cost 6 trillion VND (308 million USD), according to the department.

The province had sought funds from the Government for roadconstruction, and the latter had agreed to raise the money by issuingbonds, Thao said.

National port design consultantPortCoast expects the Cai Mep – Thi Vai area, where many of the largedeep-water container terminals will be situated, to become the mostimportant maritime gateway to the country.

The 44ports have been or being built at a total cost of 4.5 billion USD on anarea of 3,000ha that has been earmarked for their development.

Many global shipping lines are investing in the area – includingSingapore's PSA, Hong Kong's Hutchison, Denmark's Maersk, the US's SSA Marine, France's CMA-CGM, and Taiwan's Yang Ming.

But experts warn that if traffic and other infrastructure does notkeep pace with the rapid development of the ports, there could be severecargo backup just like in HCM City and Hai Phong.

With trade usually increasing at the end of the year, the Phu My PortAuthority, which operates one of the province ports, has warned that anyaccident or blockage of the road at this time would be disastrous./.