Vietnam's Ministry of Transport has completed a feasibility study of the Lach Huyen deep water port in Hai Phong in the north of the country.

Minister of Transport Ho Nghia Dung said that the completed study would be submitted to the government in some days.

The Vietnamese government is modernising the country's infrastructure and the Lach Huyen deep water port is one of 30 key national projects for development in the 2006-10 period.

Industry sources expect approval for the project to be given in the next few months.

Vietnam Shipping Lines (Vinalines) is expected to spearhead the development while Hai Phong city authorities have called for domestic and foreign investment.

According to the feasibility study, the port could handle 50-60 million metric tonnes (mt) of cargo per year .

Vinalines chief executive officer Duong Chi Dung said Lach Huyen port would help Hai Phong become a key hub for transshipment. Goods from some western areas of China would have an 800 kilometre (km) shorter itinerary if they transited at Lach Huyen instead of the nearest Chinese port.