APM Terminals and Hateco Group have been confirmed as the preferred bidders for a long-term concession to develop the Lien Chieu container terminal in Da Nang.

The approval was issued by the People’s Committee of Da Nang, enabling both companies to proceed with plans for a facility valued at about USD 1.8 billion. The agreement includes operational rights for 50 years.

The planned terminal is designed with an annual capacity of 5.7 million TEUs. Construction is scheduled to begin later this year, with the first two berths targeted for opening in 2028. Full completion is expected by 2035.

The project scope includes eight container berths across a quay length of 9,022 feet (about 2.7 kilometres), equipped to handle vessels of up to 18,000 TEUs.

Alongside the main berths, the development incorporates a barge facility capable of accommodating vessels of up to 5,000 metric tonnes. This element is intended to support regional consolidation and distribution activities.

The location sits between Haiphong in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south, with the site positioned to serve central Vietnam, neighbouring Laos and transhipment flows.

The Da Nang project will become APM Terminals’ third operational site in Vietnam.

The company already runs the two‑berth Cai Mep International Terminal near Ho Chi Minh City, and it holds a minority stake in Cai Mep through its involvement in the Gemini network.

Last week, APM Terminals said it acquired a 49% share in the Hateco Haiphong International Container Terminal (HHIT) in northern Vietnam.

According to HHIT, the two-berth terminal, serving berths 5 and 6 at Haiphong’s Lach Huyen port, has already outperformed its early volume projections, handling 808,000 TEUs within the first 11 months of operations last year.