M/V HAIAN BETA made its maiden call at Chennai Port on 3 October 2026, launching Hai An's direct CVI service between Vietnam and India on a trade lane growing at 25% a year.

The vessel is the first ship deployed on the new service by Hai An Container Transport Company Limited (HACT), a subsidiary of Hai An Transport and Stevedoring Joint Stock Company (HATS). Port officials and carrier executives marked the arrival with a welcome ceremony at Chennai Container Terminal, the DP World-operated facility that will handle the loop's Indian calls.

Chennai Port Authority Chairperson Sachin S. Kurve attended the event, alongside Vu Thanh Hai, Chairman of HACT and HATS. Representatives from DP World Chennai and Samsara Shipping, Hai An's general agent in India, also participated.

What does the CVI rotation cover?

The CVI service operates monthly with a four-port rotation:

• Nansha
• Hai Phong
• Port Klang West
• Chennai

That routing gives shippers a direct container connection between Vietnam and India while also tying both markets into major transshipment and trading hubs in southern China and Malaysia. For cargo owners currently moving freight indirectly between Ho Chi Minh City-area origins and India's east coast, the loop removes a transshipment leg and shortens transit on a lane that has lacked dense direct coverage.

For Hai An, the deployment extends a fleet strategy built around intra-Asia north–south corridors. Adding India to a network already anchored in Vietnam and southern China gives the carrier exposure to one of Asia's fastest-growing bilateral trade pairs, with monthly frequency for now and an implicit option to upgrade capacity if demand holds.

Why Vietnam–India, and why now?

The commercial case rests on trade growth. Bilateral trade between Vietnam and India reached US$13.4 billion in the first eight months of 2026, a 25% increase year on year. Manufacturing shift into Vietnam and rising Indian import demand for components, chemicals and consumer goods have widened the cargo base on the lane, and carriers have responded with additional direct capacity rather than relying on Singapore or Port Klang relays.

Chennai Port Authority noted that continued expansion of trade between India and Vietnam is creating further opportunities for container shipping connections between the two markets. Hai An said the CVI service is designed to support growing shipping requirements between Vietnam and India.

What are the consequences for shippers and forwarders?

Indian importers and exporters gain a second direct Vietnam option at Chennai, which should put competitive pressure on incumbent intra-Asia carriers on the lane and give forwarders an alternative routing through Nansha or Port Klang West for China and Malaysia connectivity.

The monthly frequency limits the service's initial appeal for time-sensitive supply chains, but it establishes a foothold that Hai An can scale. The company framed the HAIAN BETA Chennai call as another step in its expansion into international container shipping services, signalling further deployments beyond its Vietnamese home base.

With bilateral trade compounding at double-digit rates and Chennai positioned as the natural east-coast gateway for Vietnamese cargo, the CVI loop's capacity and frequency decisions over the coming quarters will indicate whether this niche trade lane can support a second direct string.