OriginShipping from China
Nine offices across every major port and manufacturing cluster, from Tianjin to Shenzhen.
Origins / Vietnam
Shipping from
Vietnam to the US.
Shipping from Vietnam with our own teams in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, north and south covered.
Vietnam
Vietnam has become the first stop for US importers moving beyond China, with deep-water ports and direct sailings to both US coasts. Growth that fast brings closer scrutiny, so origin paperwork matters as much as space.
Our teams in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi cover the furniture and footwear factories of the south and the electronics and metal goods plants of the north. They manage orders, suppliers, bookings and consolidation at the source, in Vietnamese and English.
Where speed matters, we book southern cargo on services that load at Cai Mep rather than feeder ports, and use direct Lach Huyen sailings in the north where they fit. Every PO, container and SKU shows in OWL Vision from PO issuance to final delivery.
At a glance
Vietnam at a glance.
Vietnam merged its 63 provinces into 34 in July 2025, so some familiar names, such as Binh Duong, now sit inside Ho Chi Minh City.
- [01] Our offices
- Ho Chi Minh City · Hanoi
- [02] Local time
- --:--
- 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] Main seaports
- Cai Mep–Thi Vai · Cat Lai · Haiphong (Lach Huyen)
- Cai Mep and Lach Huyen are deep-water, with direct US sailings. Cat Lai is mostly feeder.
- [04] Main air gateways
- Tan Son Nhat (SGN) · Noi Bai (HAN)
- [05] Currency
- Vietnamese dong (VND)
- [06] Business language
- Vietnamese
- English is widely used in export manufacturing.
- [07] Biggest holiday
- Tết (Lunar New Year)
- Late January to mid-February. Factories commonly close for one to three weeks.
- [08] US goods imports, 2025
- $193.9 billion
- US Census Bureau.
Transit times
How long it takes.
Indicative port-to-port days on the water. East Coast sailings go through the Panama Canal, and a missed feeder connection usually adds about a week.
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Cai Mep Los Angeles / Long Beach Direct
18–22 days
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Cai Mep New York / New Jersey Direct via Panama
30–36 days
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Cai Mep Savannah Direct via Panama
32–38 days
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Haiphong Los Angeles / Long Beach Direct or via a hub
20–26 days
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Haiphong New York / New Jersey Via Cai Mep or an Asian hub
32–40 days
Indicative port-to-port ranges from published carrier schedules. They shift with the season, the carrier and congestion, so ask us for current sailings on your lane.
What it makes
Furniture, electronics, footwear and more.
Vietnam’s manufacturing splits between north and south, and our two offices follow it.
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[01] South · Central
Furniture
Wood and upholstered furniture from the core cluster around Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai, plus solid-wood and outdoor furniture from Quy Nhon.
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[02] North
Electronics
Phones, circuit boards and components from Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen and the Hanoi area.
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[03] South
Footwear
Large-scale footwear factories across the south, shipping through Cai Mep.
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[04] North · South
Apparel and textiles
Cut-and-sew in the south, and knitting, dyeing and finishing in the north around Hai Phong.
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[05] North · South
Sporting goods and toys
Toys, games and sports equipment, a fast-growing line for US buyers, made in both regions.
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[06] North
Metal goods and plastics
Kitchenware, metal parts and injection-molded plastics from the industrial provinces around Hanoi and Hai Phong.
Know before you ship
What to plan for.
US trade measures on Vietnam have changed often. Check the current rules for your HTS code before you commit.
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[01] Origin
Transshipment scrutiny
US Customs decides origin by where goods are substantially transformed, not where they ship from. Chinese parts lightly assembled or repacked in Vietnam can be treated as Chinese, so keep bills of materials and production records on file.
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[02] Paperwork
One issuer for certificates of origin
Since May 2025, only Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade issues certificates of origin. The US doesn’t require one at entry, but a non-preferential C/O (Form B) is useful origin evidence.
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[03] Addresses
Merged provinces
Vietnam cut its provinces from 63 to 34 in July 2025. Supplier addresses on invoices, certificates and ISF filings may have changed, so keep your master data consistent.
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[04] Duties
AD/CVD and forced-labor rules
Anti-dumping and countervailing duties cover goods such as mattresses, tool chests, solar panels and paper plates. Goods finished in Vietnam can still be detained under the UFLPA if their inputs trace back to Xinjiang.
Our team in Vietnam
North and south, one team.
Our people in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi visit suppliers, chase production, book space and consolidate cargo before it sails. They plan around cut-offs and Tết, and flag problems in OWL Vision before they reach you.
- PO management
- Supplier follow-up
- Consolidation
- Origin documents
Plan around the holidays
When Vietnam stops.
Tết shuts most factories for one to three weeks between late January and February, Reunification Day and Labor Day are often bridged into a long break at the start of May, and National Day closes them again in early September. Our factory closure calendar has the dates for the next ten years, with book-by dates.
[01]How long does shipping from Vietnam to the US take?
Direct sailings from Cai Mep, near Ho Chi Minh City, to Los Angeles or Long Beach typically take about 18 to 22 days port to port. New York or Savannah take around 30 to 38 days via the Panama Canal. Add roughly one to two weeks for door to door, and more for LCL or transshipped cargo.
[02]Which Vietnamese port should I ship from?
For southern factories, Cai Mep–Thi Vai is the deep-water port with direct US sailings. In the north, Haiphong’s Lach Huyen terminal has some direct US West Coast services, and other cargo relays via a hub. The right choice depends on where your factory is, the cut-offs and how fast you need the goods.
[03]Do I need a certificate of origin to import from Vietnam to the US?
US Customs doesn’t require a Vietnamese certificate of origin at entry, because the US has no free trade agreement with Vietnam. Origin still matters for duties and enforcement, so many importers ask suppliers for a non-preferential C/O (Form B) and production records. Since May 2025, only Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade issues them.
[04]What is transshipment and why does it matter for Vietnam?
US Customs decides country of origin by where goods are substantially transformed, not where they ship from. Goods only lightly processed or repacked in Vietnam can be treated as Chinese origin, and that can bring penalties. Keep bills of materials, production records and supplier declarations on file.
[05]When do Vietnamese factories close for Tết?
Tết falls between late January and mid-February, and many factories close for one to three weeks. There is a rush to ship before it and a slow restart after, so book space and finish production well ahead of the holiday.
More origins
Where else we source.
Origin
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 Laos
Landlocked, not locked out: rail, road and river routes to the sea from Vientiane.
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 Vietnam to your door: every container, PO and SKU on one live picture, with alerts before a delay reaches you.