Denmark’s APM Terminals and Vietnam’s Hateco Group have signed a non-binding agreement to explore rail freight terminals in northern Vietnam.
The agreement covers studies into the development and operation of a terminal in Hai Phong, including cargo-handling and storage facilities. The partners will also explore three other rail freight locations in the region.
APM Terminals is the ports business of A.P. Moller-Maersk. The companies signed the agreement in Copenhagen on 20 October during the Vietnam–Denmark Business Forum.
According to the Vietnamese government, the proposed network would connect industrial parks, manufacturing centres and logistics hubs with seaports. The aim is to improve freight transport and reduce pressure on roads.
The agreement commits the partners to studying the opportunities. It does not represent a final decision to invest in or build the terminals.
Building on existing port cooperation
The rail plans build on the companies’ existing partnership at Hateco Hai Phong International Container Terminal, which opened in 2025.
In April 2026, APM Terminals and Hateco also announced an agreement to develop and operate the Lien Chieu Container Port in Da Nang.
The new rail studies would extend their cooperation beyond seaports, exploring connections between inland production centres and Vietnam’s international shipping routes.
Dansk Industri listed the Hateco–APM Terminals agreement among 15 cooperation agreements signed during the business forum, held as part of Vietnamese President To Lam’s state visit to Denmark.
Sources: Reuters via CNA, Vietnam Government News, APM Terminals & Dansk Industri
