Nguyen Tin Dan (2nd, first row) shows the high-ranking Lao officials round Quy Nhon seaport. Photo: Van Lưu

As a son of a “Heroic Vietnamese Mother” and a revolutionary martyr father, Nguyen Tin Dan himself joined local guerrillas when he was just 16.

2 years later, he worked as a teacher at liberation area of My Tho commune, Phu My district. He rejoined the local guerrillas as a public militant one year later. After being injured in the war, he was sent to Military Zone V’s school of essential official training.

He then took part in the troops who liberated Binh Dinh in 1975 and started to work for Quy Nhon seaport in 1976 and has shown strong commitment to the company since then.

* Have an inquiring mind, know how to listen and love the job

You were involved in the revolutionary war at your very early age and worked in different realms. Yet, you show your highest competence in field of the seaport management, don’t you?

I started to work at Quy Nhon seaport as I was assigned to the job. I gradually get interested in it, love it and become committed to it. I don’t have an inborn talent in this field.

After the war, I had to make laborious efforts in learning professional knowledge as the job required. I took part in a 5-year (1980-1985) bachelor in-service training course and graduated from Industrial Economics Department at Da Nang University of Technology.

In 1989, I learnt about port management in the Soviet Union. Because I took pains to study, I gained much contemporary knowledge and efficiently applied to real business of the port.

I was appointed as Quy Nhon seaport’s Vice Director in 1992 and Acting Director in 1999. I think my little success much depends on my willingness to learn, to listen and my love for the job.

Not everybody can imagine that the throughput of cargoes at Quy Nhon seaport is the highest in the central region…

The Quy Nhon seaport enjoys favourable natural conditions and geographic location but is far from the 2 key economic zones of Vietnam (Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City). Its infrastructure at first was very unsystematic and its cargo sources were poor.

In the master plan on the development of Vietnam’s seaport system till 2010 which was approved by the Prime Minister, Quy Nhon seaport is expected to hit over 1 million tonnes of cargoes per year by 2010.

However, in one of his visit to Binh Dinh in December 2003, former State President Tran Duc Luong said, “The throughput of cargos at Quy Nhon seaport hit over 2 million tonnes. This is a breakthrough, far meeting the expectations.” The breakthrough helped Quy Nhon seaport to reach its planned targets 2 years earlier than what was proposed in the 16th Binh Dinh Province Party Congress.

Starting as a small port with low throughput and turnover, the seaport has gradually improved its capacity of loading and unloading, aggressively looking for sources of cargos, improving its services and considering this factor as the key of growth.

The recent integration trend, particularly in the 5 last years, has been fast becoming a necessity. Despite severe competitiveness, Quy Nhon seaport still stands firm on its feet and is reinforcing its leading role in term of throughput in the central region.

Starting as a small dot on the map, Quy Nhon seaport now is popularly known nationwide and its services is highly valued by shipping lines and goods owners.

* Prestige is the most valuable asset

Dan always emphasized that Quy Nhon seaport is much inferior to other seaports in terms of infrastructure and asset value. Although it hits the highest cargo throughput in the central region in the 5th consecutive year, its turnover and profit aren’t high enough…

Could you explain why the shipping lines and the goods owners prefer Quy Nhon seaport to other ports?

We have the right development strategies and are flexible in its implementation. We closely follow the market and actively exploit the goods resources. Thus, we can minimize the negative impact of the global economic-financial crisis on its operation.

The port achieved the throughput of 4 million tonnes per year last year, 87 percent beyond its designed capacity.

We gain the success as we deadly treasure business credit. Customer- satisfaction- oriented service is our utmost effort. To me, the prestige of the seaport is the biggest achievement and the most valuable asset.

It is said that the Quy Nhon seaport’s aggressive growth in the past five year with inner strength and self motivation will take long pages in history of the port if it is written in the future. What do you think about the comment?

The government budget is very tight and can’t satisfy all of our development needs. If we sit and wait passively for the governmental fund of investment, we will lose many opportunities. Being preoccupied by the financial straits for a while, I bravely suggested that the higher authorities should let the port summon its own strength and mobilize fund for new building of its warehouses, storage facilities and berths, for improvement of its main internal roads, for purchase of modern technical equipments and loading/unloading facilities.

I dare say the self-summoning inner strength is the most convincing answer to investment for development problem in the financial straits.

In 2000, the Ministry of Transportation approved a project on upgrading Quy Nhon seaport with the total investment of more than VND250 billion.

The project aimed to increase the port’s cargo throughput to 2.2 million tonnes per year. Yet, the port had just received over VND72 billion by 2007 because of the government tight budget.

At that time, the port’s strategic predictions came true. Its plan to attract and exploit the good resources was reaping encouraging results. Cargo throughput of Quy Nhon port in 2007 hit over 3.2 million tonnes, 45 percent beyond the project’s expected capacity. Meanwhile, the port was facing an increasing pressure of quicker cargo handling which forced it to urgently improve its production capacity.

In such situation, Quy Nhon port bravely suggested that the higher authorities should end the project on upgrading the port with the government budget. It would continue the infrastructure building with its self-mobilized fund. After getting the higher authorities’ approval, the port successfully carried out its plan. Its cargo handling increased, timely satisfying the customers’ expanding needs of cargo import and export.

Between 2005 and 2009, among the port’s total 225-billion-VND worth investment capital, the self-mobilized capital made up over VND165 billion, accounting for 78 percent of the total capital. The figure was small in compared to other ports but in the central region, the relatively poor region, it was significant.

The Quy Nhon seaport is building one more 30,000-DWT container wharf and a 12-hectare backyard area of anchorage with its share capital, increasing its total area to 40 hectares.

This project’s cost is mainly covered by self-mobilized capital (over 60 percent of the registered charter capital). Some components of the project have been already put into operation, partly easing the pressure of narrow area. The cargo throughput is expected to up 3 million tonnes per year higher as the project ends by early 2011.

On which basis is the inner strength being built?

It is firstly built on the basis of transparency. We make clear reports to the local authorities and the industry authorities, to our staffs and workers on everything we do. Thus, we win support of the authorities and trust of the workers. Our achievements result from internal unanimousness.

* Reach out open waters

During its development, the Quy Nhon seaport has increased its production capacity, aggressively exploiting its cargo resources while improving its human resources performance and quality.

You focus on the inner strength enhancement, on the investment for cargo source diversification, on cargo handling capacity, on human resource improvement while investment and business operating environments are changing fast. How can you adjust the principle to adapt the new changing situations?

The above-mentioned strategy is regularly updated and reviewed every period of time. We adjust it to the new situations, flexibly adapt to the reality and make it work at our best.  Because we are able to get used to the new situations quickly, we significantly alleviate the negative impacts of the crisis.

Could you forecast the future?

In the ongoing trend of global integration, the whole world is a big market. The lower Laos, South-East Thailand and Cambodia have to give priority to sea-oriented economic activities for their sake of growth.

In their aid programmes for the regional socio-economic development, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Asia Development Bank (ADB), World Bank (WB), and International Monetary Fund (IMF) pay high attention to Quy Nhon seaport’s role.

Thus, besides its traditional markets in the central and Central Highlands regions, the port can find new potential customers and cargo resources from the economic region. We see many development opportunities there.

• B.P