The Colon Free Zone is being promoted as a strategic hub for Vietnamese companies that want to sell in Latin America and the Caribbean. Understanding how the zone works can help exporters expand their reach while keeping costs under control.

According to figures released by Panama, the zone currently hosts around 2,650 businesses and its total trade volume reached nearly 22.62 billion USD in 2025. It also provides import, warehousing, packaging, sorting, distribution and re‑export services for products such as electronics, clothing, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, automobiles and construction materials.

Phan Thi Nga, first secretary at the Vietnam Trade Office in Mexico, said Vietnamese firms can use the zone as a base to expand exports to Latin America and the Caribbean, but they should assess market demand, operating costs and sales potential before investing. She added that the hub could help businesses reach customers more easily.

VietPa, founded by Le The Tam, began operating in Colon in 2007. The company trades Vietnamese construction stone, cut stone and sanitary ware to customers in Bolivia, Costa Rica, Venezuela and Cuba, showing how a local warehouse can support regional sales.

Using a warehouse in Colon lets VietPa control delivery schedules and adapt stone colours, sizes and finishes, while sea shipping from Vietnam to Central America normally takes 35–45 days. The key takeaway is that the Colon Free Zone can shorten lead times and give exporters more flexibility, provided they first evaluate market demand and costs.