In logistics, a company can invest in the most modern warehouses, fleets, or management platforms money can buy. But there is one asset that can never be purchased: customer trust.
Trust isn’t built through marketing claims — it’s built shipment by shipment, on-time delivery by delivery, commitment by commitment, by a team that understands a single weak link can disrupt an entire supply chain.
As one of the core member companies of SOTRANS Group, Southern Waterway Transport Joint Stock Corporation (SOWATCO) brings more than 50 years of experience in inland waterway transport, port operations, and shipbuilding, with a network of ports, vessels, and waterway routes connecting Vietnam from north to south.
What has allowed SOWATCO to sustain customer trust for decades? We sat down with Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Minh Tam, Head of Sales & Marketing at SOWATCO, to find out.
Click here to watch the full interview with English subtitles.
Who Are SOWATCO’s Customers?
Interviewer: Hi Ms. Minh Tam, thank you for joining us today.
Ms. Minh Tam: Hello everyone. I’m Nguyen Ngoc Minh Tam, Head of Sales & Marketing at SOWATCO. I’m glad to be here to share some real perspectives and stories from the logistics industry.
Interviewer: SOWATCO offers a fairly diverse range of services. Who are the key customer groups you serve?
Ms. Minh Tam: Today, SOWATCO partners with a number of major global shipping lines. We also serve large-scale FDI enterprises operating in Vietnam across sectors such as electrical equipment, electronic components, interior and exterior wood products, garments, and footwear.
For these industries, a stable logistics chain is a precondition for keeping their exports running.
Beyond that, our customers also include freight forwarders, inland waterway ports, and deep-sea ports, all essential links in getting Vietnamese goods to international markets.
A Factory’s Biggest Concern Isn’t Cost – It’s Stability
Interviewer: For shipping lines, the top priority is transport and handling capacity. For manufacturing plants, what matters most when choosing a logistics partner?
Ms. Minh Tam: For manufacturing businesses, especially FDI companies, stability is the most important factor.
When one link in the supply chain fails, a company doesn’t just incur extra costs, it risks damaging its reputation with customers and its parent company, and may even lose orders or export market share. These are losses that are very hard to recover from in today’s competitive environment.
In a volatile market, a local container shortage or port congestion, for example, what customers care about most is whether their logistics partner has the capacity to handle the situation.
That’s why they want a partner capable of solving problems on its own, rather than depending on multiple intermediaries.
Building in 30% Spare Capacity — An Investment in Trust
Interviewer: What has SOWATCO done, in terms of operational capacity, to deliver that stability to customers?
Ms. Minh Tam: SOWATCO consistently maintains operating capacity roughly 30% above actual demand.
That gives us the ability to respond quickly when customer demand spikes or when the market shifts unexpectedly.
Interviewer: Maintaining that kind of spare capacity must require significant investment and preparation?
Ms. Minh Tam: That’s right. SOWATCO doesn’t leave customers to fend for themselves when the market shifts, we proactively prepare the right contingencies. For us, investing beyond current demand isn’t just about operational capacity; it’s an investment in our credibility and our long-term commitment to customers.
Choosing to Keep a Promise First, Profit Second
Interviewer: Looking back at your time working with customers, which situations stand out most to you?
Ms. Minh Tam: The ability to handle unexpected situations effectively is the real measure of a logistics company’s value.
If you only look at short-term gains, it becomes very hard to make the right decisions for the long run.
SOWATCO always puts credibility and commitment to customers first. That’s what allows us to make strategic decisions when it matters.
For example, in the northern market, during a period when customers were still unfamiliar with using barges instead of road transport, SOWATCO kept its operating schedule stable — even when container volumes per trip were very low, in order to honor our commitment to customers.
Meanwhile, in the southern market, when a factory urgently needed to unload containers in time for a vessel at Cai Mep Port, our barge fleet was able to adjust its schedule flexibly, helping the customer keep its export timeline on track.
We’re always ready to build a solution tailored to each customer’s specific needs. That’s one of SOWATCO’s key strengths.
Why Do Customers Choose SOWATCO?
Interviewer: In your view, what’s the most important factor that keeps customers choosing and staying with SOWATCO year after year?
Ms. Minh Tam: Customers don’t choose SOWATCO simply for price or scale.
What they’re looking for is a partner that can maintain stable service and consistently honor its commitments.
Over time, as our customers have grown, SOWATCO has continued expanding its own capacity to grow alongside them. That long-term partnership is what has built a lasting relationship between us.
Always Delivering on What We Promise
Interviewer: To remain a trusted partner for customers in the years ahead, what direction will SOWATCO take?
Ms. Minh Tam: Going forward, SOWATCO remains committed to its guiding principle: “Always deliver on what we promise.”
We’ll continue to stand alongside our customers through stability, a strong sense of responsibility, and ever-improving service capability.
Over more than 50 years, SOWATCO has continued to expand its market presence and grow together with its customers. That will remain our direction going forward.
Interviewer: With more than 50 years of experience in inland waterway transport, port operations, and logistics, SOWATCO continues to expand its capabilities to meet the rising demands of the supply chain.
Beyond connecting the flow of goods, SOWATCO has become a trusted partner to shipping lines, manufacturers, and the broader logistics ecosystem.
Thank you, Ms. Minh Tam, for joining us and sharing these practical insights.
What this conversation makes clear is that customer trust isn’t built on promises, it’s built on service stability and commitments kept consistently over time.
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Produced and edited by SOTRANS Group.
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The ‘Logistics Anchor’ podcast series, a place to share real-world stories from the SOTRANS Group team, a corporation with over 50 years of experience in the logistics sector in Vietnam. Here, every supply chain challenge is viewed through the lens of a practical problem, where solutions are directly tied to operations and the actual needs of businesses. Watch the full series here. |
(SOTRANS Group News)
