Route and Timing
Compare the proposed transport and estimated transit for your cargo.
Shipping Corridor
Vietnam to United States freight shipping.
We move ocean and air freight from Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong to all US ports. Vietnam pays no China-specific Section 301 tariffs, so it ranks as one of the best low-cost picks instead of China.
The Lane
One corridor, no carrier bias.
Suaid Global compares routing, mode, customs requirements and final delivery as one plan, so the quoted option is aligned to timing, documentation and landed cost.
Corridor at a glance
- Ocean FCL
- 28–38 days
- Ocean LCL
- 35–45 days
- Air Freight
- 5–8 days
- Origin gateways
- Cat Lai Port (Ho Chi Minh City) · Cai Mep International Terminal · Hai Phong Port (North Vietnam)
- Destination gateways
- Port of Los Angeles · Port of Long Beach · Port of Seattle
- Top cargo
- Footwear · Apparel & Textiles · Furniture & Wood Products · Electronics & Components · Seafood · Machinery & Parts
Transit Times
Mode by mode.
Use these as planning ranges. Door-to-door timing still depends on pickup, clearance, port dwell and final delivery.
| Mode | Transit | Best fit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean FCLVietnam to United States | 28–38 days | Footwear, apparel, furniture, electronics, and bulk manufactured goods | Quote this mode |
| Ocean LCLVietnam to United States | 35–45 days | Smaller commercial shipments, samples, and consolidated cargo | Quote this mode |
| Air FreightVietnam to United States | 5–8 days | High-value electronics, garments for fast fashion, and urgent orders | Quote this mode |
Ranges are planning estimates from the corridor profile. Dated quotes confirm sailing, uplift, drayage and clearance assumptions.
PlanningReview verified U.S. HTS duty components
Customs and landed-cost planning.
This corridor is not just a freight leg. Duties, agency reviews, document timing and mode selection all affect the real landed cost.
Ocean planning range28–38 days typical
Air planning range5–8 days typical
Quote modelAll-in routing review
Reviewed Before Booking
What changes the plan
Customs requirementsShipments from Vietnam to the USA need an ISF (Importer Security Filing) 24 hours before departure. You also need a commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, and CBP Form 7501 for formal entries. Textiles and apparel need a textile declaration that states origin and fiber content. CBP checks origin rules closely for Vietnam. This confirms goods are not Chinese goods routed through Vietnam. Wood products must meet LACEY Act rules — you must show wood species and source country. Seafood needs FDA Prior Notice plus NOAA papers. ISPM 15 covers wood packaging too.
Tariff and duty treatmentVietnamese goods pay US MFN (Most Favored Nation) tariff rates under WTO rules. The USA has no free trade deal with Vietnam — CPTPP does not include the USA. This matters: Vietnamese-origin goods do NOT pay China-specific Section 301 tariffs, since those apply only to Chinese-origin goods. MFN rates for Vietnamese goods: footwear 8–37.5%, apparel 10–32%, furniture 0–8%, electronics mostly 0%, seafood 0–7.5%. Anti-dumping duties apply to some goods too, including certain shrimp, catfish, steel, and solar cells. CBP also checks closely for Chinese goods routed through Vietnam. Vietnamese goods skip the China-specific Section 301 lists. Those apply only to China-origin products. Vietnam pays MFN rates plus the 12.5% forced-labor duty (a separate Section 301 action) in force since July 24, 2026. This duty applies only to covered HTS provisions; product exemptions must be checked.
Carrier-neutral routingOptions are compared by schedule, transshipment risk, customs exposure and final delivery, not by carrier preference.
Services
Services on this corridor.
Vietnam to USA: when air beats ocean on total cost
Air freight can beat ocean on total business cost in three cases. The shipment stops a stockout. It protects a launch date. Or it moves high-value cargo with a small cube. Ocean LCL or FCL usually wins when demand is planned. It also wins when your stock can absorb the longer, less steady restock cycle.
Compare the same factory pickup, US customs and final-delivery scope. Then price the hidden costs too. Add the value of stock time, safety stock, missed sales and split-shipment work. A practical plan can mix modes. Move the urgent share by air and restock the balance by ocean.
- The delivery date you need and the stockout cost
- Chargeable air weight versus ocean CBM
- Customs, destination and final-delivery scope
- Split-shipment or phased restocking option
FAQ
Vietnam to United States, answered.
Planning answers from the corridor profile. A dated quote confirms the route, carrier and customs assumptions for your shipment.
Ocean freight from Vietnam to the USA takes 28–38 days. From Ho Chi Minh City (Cat Lai/Cai Mep) to Los Angeles, it takes about 28–32 days on direct trans-Pacific routes. From Hai Phong in North Vietnam to LA, it takes 30–36 days. Air freight from Vietnam to US cities takes 5–8 days, door-to-door.
No. China-specific Section 301 tariffs apply only to goods made in China. Vietnamese-origin goods pay MFN rates plus, since July 24, 2026, a separate 12.5% Section 301 forced-labor duty on covered products. This is a big reason US importers have shifted work from China to Vietnam — it cuts the 7.5%–100% China-specific Section 301 surcharge. Still, CBP checks origin rules closely to stop Chinese goods from being routed through Vietnam. Other additional duties may also apply; check current measures and product exemptions.
In South Vietnam, Cat Lai Port and Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT), both near Ho Chi Minh City, handle most exports. Cai Mep can host huge ships with direct trans-Pacific routes. In North Vietnam, Hai Phong serves factories in the Red River Delta zones near Hanoi. Most direct US-bound sailings leave from South Vietnam.
CBP enforces strict origin rules. Goods claimed as Vietnamese-origin must go through 'substantial transformation' in Vietnam. This means factories must build or heavily process the goods there, not just label them. CBP runs factory audits, checks production records, and can block goods it suspects of origin fraud. We advise importers on the paperwork needed to pass CBP checks.
You need an ISF, commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, and CBP Form 7501. Apparel and textiles also need a textile declaration. Wood products need LACEY Act papers. Seafood needs FDA Prior Notice plus chain-of-custody records. If you claim any preferential program, you also need the right certificate of origin.
Vietnam's top exports to the USA include footwear (Nike and Adidas make heavily in Vietnam), apparel and textiles, furniture and wood products, and electronics parts (Samsung and Intel run big plants there). Other top goods are seafood like shrimp and catfish, plus machinery parts and rubber products. The USA is always Vietnam's largest export market.
Yes. Anti-dumping duty orders cover several Vietnamese export types, including some shrimp species, catfish/basa fish, some steel products, solar cells, and polyethylene bags. Check the ADD/CVD orders for your exact HTS code before you ship. Our customs broker partners keep current ADD/CVD data to advise clients.
Before You Book
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Charges and Scope
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