Guide · Customs · Documents · Costs
To export from Vietnam, the exporter or its customs agent files an electronic declaration, gets a green, yellow or red channel, clears customs and delivers the cargo to the port before cut-off. You need an invoice, packing list, booking and, for duty savings at destination, the right C/O.
Written by our licensed customs desk in Ho Chi Minh City. · Skip to the document list
This guide is for overseas buyers, freight agents and EPC contractors who need to export from Vietnam on a fixed date. It follows the order the work actually happens in our office, and it points out where shipments usually lose days. If you only need one thing from it: get the HS code and the C/O form agreed before the booking, not after.
Most container exports leave from three areas. The right port depends on where the factory is and which line calls there.
| Port area | UN/LOCODE | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Cat Lai, Ho Chi Minh City | VNCLI | Busiest container terminal; intra-Asia services; factories in HCMC, Binh Duong, Dong Nai |
| Cai Mep–Thi Vai, Ba Ria–Vung Tau | VNCMT | Deep-sea services to the US and Europe; breakbulk and heavy lifts at several terminals |
| Hai Phong and Lach Huyen | VNHPH | Northern factories in Hai Phong, Bac Ninh, Hanoi area |
| Da Nang | VNDAD | Central Vietnam; smaller volumes, fewer direct services |
For terminal details, depth and road access, see our Vietnam ports guide.
Customs will not accept a declaration until these papers agree with each other. Mismatched weights or descriptions are the most common reason a file is stopped.
| Document | Prepared by | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial invoice | Exporter | Goods description, unit price, total value, Incoterm |
| Packing list | Exporter | Number of packages, gross and net weight, CBM, packaging type |
| Booking confirmation | Shipping line or forwarder | Vessel, ETD, ports, cut-off times |
| Shipping instruction (SI) | Exporter | Shipper, consignee and notify party exactly as the buyer requires |
| Export declaration | Customs agent | HS code, value, quantity matching invoice and packing list |
| Export licence or permit | Exporter | Only for controlled goods, for example timber, minerals, dual-use items |
| Certificate of origin (C/O) | Exporter, via the government portal | Form matching the destination market (table below) |
| Phytosanitary or fumigation certificate | Exporter and inspection body | Agricultural goods and wooden packaging where the buyer’s country requires it |
Export customs clearance in Vietnam is electronic, through the national VNACCS/VCIS system, signed with the declarant’s digital signature. This is the sequence our customs team follows on every export file.
What the channels mean for your timeline:
Vietnam uses an 8-digit tariff nomenclature built on the ASEAN Harmonised Tariff Nomenclature, which follows the international HS code. The HS code on the export declaration controls three things: whether export duty applies, whether the goods need a licence or specialized inspection, and which origin rule the C/O must meet.
Most manufactured goods carry no export duty. Export duty applies mainly to natural resources and some raw materials, and controlled items such as timber and minerals need permits. Check the policy for your HS code at the start, not at the port. The official source is Vietnam Customs; our 2026 import-export tariff file (Vietnamese, Excel) lists rates by HS code.
For oversized or heavy pieces, add L×W×H and weight per piece.
The certificate of origin lets the buyer claim a lower duty under a trade agreement. The form depends on the destination market.
| Destination | C/O form | Issued through |
|---|---|---|
| ASEAN countries | Form D | ecosys.gov.vn |
| China | Form E | co.moit.gov.vn |
| Korea | Form AK or VK | ecosys.gov.vn |
| Japan | Form AJ or VJ | co.moit.gov.vn |
| India | Form AI | co.moit.gov.vn |
| European Union | EUR.1 | co.moit.gov.vn |
| United Kingdom | EUR.1 (UK) | co.moit.gov.vn |
| Australia, New Zealand | Form AANZ | co.moit.gov.vn |
| No trade agreement (for example the US) | Form B | co.moit.gov.vn |
Timing for sea freight: ask the exporter for origin documents seven days before ETD, collect them by ETD-5, file at ETD-4 and receive the C/O around ETD-1. The C/O date cannot be earlier than the export declaration. Goods that are only repacked, cut to size or painted before export usually do not qualify, even if the percentage looks right on paper.
Counted back from the vessel’s ETD. Cut-off times come from the booking confirmation and differ by line and terminal.
| When | What happens | Who |
|---|---|---|
| ETD-7 | Booking confirmed; checklist of C/O origin documents sent to the exporter | Forwarder |
| ETD-5 | Deadline for C/O documents; draft export declaration approved by the exporter | Exporter |
| ETD-4 | C/O application filed on the portal | Exporter or agent |
| Before SI cut-off | Shipping instruction sent to the line | Exporter or forwarder |
| Before CY cut-off | Declaration cleared, VGM submitted, container gated in | Customs agent and trucker |
| ETD-1 | C/O issued and checked against invoice and declaration | Forwarder |
| After sailing | B/L issued; original, telex release or sea waybill as agreed | Line or forwarder |
Before you book, confirm four things with the seller: the HS code, the C/O form, who pays origin charges under the Incoterm, and whether any piece is oversized. Those four answers decide most of the cost and almost all of the risk when you export from Vietnam.
There is no single price list, because each line item comes from a different party. These are the components to budget for on a sea export.
| Cost item | Charged by | How it is priced |
|---|---|---|
| Origin local charges (THC, B/L fee, seal, telex, manifest) | Shipping line | Per container and per B/L; published tariffs |
| Trucking to port | Trucking company | Per trip; distance, container type, oversize permits |
| Customs clearance service | Customs agent | Per declaration; extra for inspection |
| C/O | Exporter or agent | Per certificate |
| Lifting, lashing, packing | Forwarder or contractor | Per job; heavy and OOG cargo only |
| Ocean freight | Shipping line | Per container or per freight ton |
As a reference, one 40′ dry container to Japan with ONE carries 7,370,000 VND of origin local charges before VAT: THC, B/L fee, seal, advance manifest and telex release. Compare 24 carriers on our local charges in Vietnam table.
Oversized and heavy exports add steps that a standard container file does not have: a road permit for the truck, a route check to the terminal, lifting plans and, often, a breakbulk or heavy-lift vessel instead of a container.
For heavy pieces, plan the road permit before the export booking, because the permit names the truck and the route. Our breakbulk and heavy lift service and project cargo team handle the permit, trucking, port and customs as one job.
THC, B/L fees and flat rack rates for 24 carriers in Vietnam.
Local charges →Units too large for containers, loaded direct from truck where possible.
Breakbulk →Licensed customs agent, own heavy-haul fleet, WCA and OPCA member.
Company overview →Tony Tuan, CEO: WhatsApp +84 909 411 668 · ceo@projectshipping.vn
Nura Tu, Overseas Department: WhatsApp +84 906 770 650 · overseas@projectshipping.vn
Calling from Vietnam: 0909 411 668
Last updated: October 2026 · Tony Tuan, CEO, Project Shipping
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