Evaluating container transport policy support at Chan May Port, Hue city, using the OECD framework

Abstract

This study evaluates the implementation of a pilot policy supporting shipping lines in establishing container services and cargo owners using container transport to and from Chan May Port during 2022–2025. It applies the six evaluation criteria of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability. A mixed-methods design combines port-operation data, budget and tax-revenue data, a survey of 34 respondents from Enterprises and Shipping Lines AND Experts & Leader-Managers groups and qualitative analysis of open-ended responses. The findings show that the policy clearly stimulated the local container market, receiving 184 vessel calls and 24,133 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) during the pilot period. However, sustainability remained limited, as container activity declined after the policy ended. Fiscal analysis indicates that actual support expenditure of VND 26.054 billion was associated with approximately VND 1.140 trillion in observed tax revenue in the local customs area. This observed revenue cannot, however, be equated with the policy’s causal impact because tax receipts were also influenced by production, imports, business activity, and firms’ customs-clearance choices. The study recommends shifting from direct cash subsidies towards strengthening the competitiveness and shared capacity of the local logistics ecosystem.