Two new cement plants in Vietnam will go into operation this year, according to Nguyen Quang Cung, president of the Vietnam Cement Association. The first is in Tan Thang commune, the central province of Nghe An, with a capacity of 2-2.5Mta, while a second new plant is being built in Bim Son commune, Thanh Hoa province, with a capacity of 4.6Mta.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction forecast that cement sales would increase by around five per cent to reach 103Mt in 2020, around 70Mt of which would be sold to the domestic market. The association also predicted a five per cent growth rate for the cement industry in 2020.

Regarding exports, Nguyen Quang Cung said that cement export volume would be around 34Mt this year but fall to 25Mt in 2021 when domestic consumption is forecast to rise.