OriginShipping from China
Nine offices across every major port and manufacturing cluster, from Tianjin to Shenzhen.
Origins / Laos
Shipping from
Laos to the US.
Landlocked, not locked out. Shipping from Laos with our own team in Vientiane, planning every leg to the sea.
Laos
Laos has no seaport, but road, rail and dry-port links to Thailand and Vietnam make it a workable origin for optics, furniture, footwear and garments. What matters is getting the border and two customs regimes right before the ship.
Our Vientiane team coordinates suppliers, bookings and routings, working hand in hand with our teams in Thailand and Vietnam at the gateway ports. Most US cargo goes by road over the Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge to Laem Chabang, about 700 km and roughly a day’s drive.
Central and southern Laos can also route through Vietnamese ports such as Vung Ang and Da Nang. Every PO and container shows in OWL Vision from PO issuance to final delivery, so the extra legs never go dark.
At a glance
Laos at a glance.
- [01] Our office
- Vientiane
- [02] Local time
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- 12 hours ahead of New York and 15 ahead of Los Angeles on US standard time. One hour less while US daylight saving time is on.
- [03] Gateway seaports
- Laem Chabang (Thailand) · Vung Ang and Da Nang (Vietnam)
- Laos has no seaport. Most US cargo goes by road to Laem Chabang, about 700 km from Vientiane.
- [04] Inland hub
- Thanaleng Dry Port, Vientiane
- Where the Laos–Thailand and Laos–China railways meet, near the Friendship Bridge.
- [05] Main air gateway
- Wattay International (VTE)
- Air cargo connects via Bangkok, Hanoi or Chinese hubs.
- [06] Currency
- Lao kip (LAK)
- Thai baht and US dollars are widely used in trade.
- [07] Business language
- Lao
- Thai is widely understood. English is limited outside larger firms.
Transit times
How long it takes.
The first two routes run from Vientiane and include the road leg, the border and port handling. The last is the sea leg from Laem Chabang alone. Rail to Laem Chabang works for some loads, with similar overall timing.
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Vientiane Los Angeles / Long Beach By road via Laem Chabang
35–45 days
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Vientiane New York By road via Laem Chabang
42–58 days
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Laem Chabang Los Angeles / Long Beach Sea leg only
26–35 days
Indicative ranges: the Vientiane routes include the road leg, the border and port handling; the last is days on the water only. They shift with the season, the border and the carrier, so ask us for current timings on your lane.
What it makes
Optics, furniture, footwear and garments.
Outside solar, US imports from Laos are small but steady, with most export factories in Vientiane and the Savannakhet special economic zone.
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[01] Savannakhet
Optics and camera parts
Optical and photo equipment assembled in the Savan-Seno special economic zone, on the road corridor between Thailand and Vietnam.
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[02] Savannakhet
Auto parts
Auto parts and light assembly in the Savan-Seno zone.
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[03] Vientiane
Furniture and wood products
Furniture and wood products from the capital’s development zones.
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[04] Vientiane
Garments
Garments and light assembly in Vientiane’s Saysettha zone and VITA Park, and in Savannakhet.
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[05]
Footwear
Footwear, one of the steadier lines in US imports from Laos.
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[06]
Hats and headgear
Hats and headgear, a small but consistent export to the US.
Know before you ship
What to plan for.
The rules and rhythms that catch importers out. Rates and rules change fast, so check the latest before you commit.
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[01] Routing
Two customs regimes
Most US cargo clears Lao export and then Thai or Vietnamese transit. The invoice, packing list, weights and consignee must match across both, or the border holds it.
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[02] Equipment
Empty containers
Laos imports more than it exports by container, so empties have to be brought in to Vientiane. Book equipment early, especially before Pi Mai Lao and Songkran.
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[03] Origin
Solar and origin scrutiny
After a surge in shipments, solar cells and modules from Laos became the subject of US anti-dumping and countervailing duty cases. It shows how closely US Customs follows Chinese-invested production as it moves, so keep origin evidence for every product.
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[04] Payment
Agree the currency
The kip has weakened over several years and the central bank has tightened foreign exchange rules for exporters. Agree payment in US dollars or Thai baht clearly in the contract.
Our team in Laos
Every leg, coordinated from Vientiane.
Our Vientiane team coordinates your suppliers, bookings and routings, then hands off to our teams in Thailand and Vietnam at the gateway ports. They know the border paperwork and the road to the sea, so cargo doesn’t sit waiting at the bridge.
- Supplier coordination
- Bookings
- Border routings
- Thailand and Vietnam handover
Plan around the holidays
When Laos stops.
Pi Mai Lao stretches into a week-long slowdown in mid-April, alongside Thailand’s Songkran across the border, and the End of Buddhist Lent, That Luang and National Day on December 2 close offices again in the final quarter. Our factory closure calendar has the dates for the next ten years, with book-by dates.
[01]How do you ship from Laos to the US if Laos has no seaport?
Most US-bound cargo is trucked or railed from Vientiane across the Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge to Thailand’s Laem Chabang port, about 700 km and roughly a day’s drive, then sails to the US. Some cargo, especially from central and southern Laos, moves through Vietnamese ports such as Vung Ang or Da Nang.
[02]How long does shipping from Laos to the US take?
Allow roughly five to six and a half weeks from Vientiane to the US West Coast. That covers the road, border and port handling plus about four weeks at sea from Laem Chabang. East Coast destinations add about one to two more weeks.
[03]What is Thanaleng Dry Port?
Thanaleng Dry Port, with the adjoining Vientiane Logistics Park, is Laos’s main inland container and customs hub. It sits where the Laos–Thailand and Laos–China railways meet, near the Friendship Bridge.
[04]Can I use the Laos–China Railway for US shipments?
The railway is useful for moving goods between Laos and China, and for bringing Chinese components in. For US-bound cargo, the sea routes through Thailand or Vietnam are usually more practical.
[05]What does OWL do in Laos?
Our Vientiane office coordinates your suppliers, bookings and cross-border routings, and hands cargo over to our teams in Thailand and Vietnam at the gateway ports. Every shipment shows in OWL Vision from PO issuance to final delivery.
More origins
Where else we source.
Origin
OriginShipping from Vietnam
Our own teams in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, for the fastest-growing origin for US importers.
OriginShipping from Thailand
Laem Chabang, Bangkok and the manufacturing corridor of the Eastern Seaboard.
OriginShipping from Cambodia
Apparel, footwear and travel goods, shipped through Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh.
OriginShipping from Sri Lanka
Apparel, rubber and tea, with Colombo as one of South Asia’s great transshipment hubs.
OWL Vision
See every PO before it sails.
From the purchase order in Laos to your door: every container, PO and SKU on one live picture, with alerts before a delay reaches you.