China → Vietnam · Flat rack · Open top · Breakbulk · Import customs

Shipping China to Vietnam: Project and OOG Cargo

Shipping China to Vietnam for plant equipment, steel structures and oversized machinery: we take over at Cat Lai, Cai Mep or Hai Phong, clear import customs and truck the cargo to site.

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For Chinese forwarders, EPC contractors and equipment suppliers delivering to projects in Vietnam. · Import document checklist

China is the largest source of plant equipment arriving in Vietnam. Transformers, boiler parts, crushers, steel frames and production lines come from Chinese factories and Chinese EPC contractors every week.

The sea leg from China to Vietnam is short. Most of the risk sits on the Vietnam side: the import declaration, the road permit for a 3.5 m wide unit and the crane at a site with no hardstand.

This page covers the Vietnam side of shipping China to Vietnam for project and OOG cargo. Below you will find real transit times from our rate desk, the three mistakes that keep oversized imports at the port longest, and the documents customs will ask for.

Shipping China to Vietnam: which mode fits your cargo?

In shipping China to Vietnam, choose the mode from the largest single piece, not the total volume. One crate that is 3.2 m wide moves the whole lot from dry boxes to flat racks, and changes the truck and the permit in Vietnam.

For rack sizes and payloads see flat rack container dimensions and the open top container guide. Pieces that fit no rack are covered in what breakbulk cargo means.

Which ports handle shipping China to Vietnam, and how long does it take?

Almost every main Chinese port has weekly sailings to Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong. The table shows the transit days that agents quoted to our rate desk, port to port, as the median per lane.

Source: 7,600+ ocean rate lines for shipping China to Vietnam, received from agents by our pricing desk; median quoted transit per lane. Direct and transshipment services are mixed, so a single sailing can be faster or slower.

On the Vietnam side, the port you choose matters more than the sailing time:

• Cat Lai (Ho Chi Minh City). The busiest container terminal for factories around Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai. Flat racks and open tops are common here. See our Cat Lai port guide.
• Cai Mep–Thi Vai. Deep-water terminals and general cargo berths for breakbulk and heavy lifts in the south. See the Cai Mep port guide.
• Hai Phong and Lach Huyen. The gateway for northern industrial zones, from Bac Ninh to Quang Ninh.
• Da Nang and Quy Nhon. Closer to central Vietnam projects, with fewer sailings from China.

Our Vietnam ports overview compares all main gateways for OOG cargo.

Road freight: when shipping China to Vietnam by truck beats the sea

Trucks cross between southern China and northern Vietnam every day. The main gates are Huu Nghi (Lang Son) opposite Youyiguan near Pingxiang, Lao Cai opposite Hekou, and Mong Cai opposite Dongxing.

Road makes sense when the factory is in Guangxi, Guangdong or Yunnan and the site is in the north. It skips the port, the vessel cut-off and the terminal queue.

For oversized cargo the picture changes. An OOG load needs a permit on each side, and it often changes trucks at the border yard. For heavy units bound for southern Vietnam, a short sailing to Cat Lai or Cai Mep is usually simpler. Send us the cargo size and both addresses and we will tell you which route we would choose, and why.

Flat rack and open top from China: what to settle before the cargo sails

A flat rack from Qingdao or Shanghai is routine for the carrier. The delays start at discharge, when the cargo meets the Vietnamese terminal and the road.

• Packed dimensions, not catalogue sizes. Skids and crates add 50 to 150 mm per side. The truck and the permit in Vietnam are based on the packed size.
• Lifting points and the centre of gravity. Mark them on the cargo and on the drawing. The terminal and our crew lift from the marks.
• Lashing that survives the trip. We check the lashing on arrival and photograph it before the cargo leaves the terminal.
• One drawing per piece. The port, the permit office and the crane plan all use the same drawing. Send it with the booking.

At Cat Lai, every flat rack and open top passes a customs supervision step at the terminal, even when the cargo is within gauge. It adds a fixed charge per container, so we include it in the quote from the start.

Oversized trucking in Vietnam: permits, limits and our fleet

Once the cargo is off the vessel, the Vietnamese road rules apply. Under Circular 12/2025/TT-BXD, as amended by Circular 19/2026/TT-BXD, a load needs a road permit when the loaded vehicle exceeds any of these limits.

Read the official text of Circular 12/2025/TT-BXD for the full rules. Two points matter most for imports from China:

• Ports allow no tolerance. Terminals will not release cargo that is taller than the permit by even 1 cm, or heavier by even 1 kg. Measure after packing.
• Our permits are ready faster. Our trucks hold a standing permit for loads up to 4.5 m wide. A new permit takes about 2 working days once the documents are complete.

Our heaviest single piece so far is 135 t. More detail on routes, escorts and surveys is on our heavy haulage in Vietnam page.

Import customs for equipment shipped from China to Vietnam

We clear imports under our own customs agent licence, recognised by the General Department of Vietnam Customs (Decision 247/QĐ-TCHQ, 26 February 2025). Clearance runs on the VNACCS system, and each declaration lands in the green, yellow or red channel.

When shipping China to Vietnam project cargo, these are the documents we ask for before the vessel arrives:

• Get the C/O Form E right. A wrong HS code, a missing invoice number or a date mismatch can cost the preferential rate. We check the draft against the invoice before the cargo sails.
• Project duty exemption. Machinery that forms fixed assets of an investment project with incentives can be exempt from import duty. The investor registers the list of exempted goods with customs before the first shipment.
• Used machinery. Vietnam limits imports of used equipment by age and condition, and some items need an inspection certificate. Check the year of manufacture before you buy.
• Contractor equipment. Cranes and tools that a Chinese contractor brings in for the job and takes home later can enter under temporary import for re-export.

The same documents logic applies in the other direction; our export from Vietnam guide covers HS codes and C/O forms for outbound cargo. The Vietnam Customs portal publishes the current tariff and procedures.

Project cargo from China to Vietnam for EPC contractors

Many Vietnamese power, cement and steel projects use Chinese EPC contractors or Chinese equipment packages. The cargo then arrives in many lots, from several factories, over months.

What usually helps on these jobs:

• One master packing list. Package numbers, sizes and weights for every lot in one file, in English. It keeps customs, the port and the site on the same numbers.
• Heavy pieces flagged early. We plan the lowbed or modular trailer, the permit and the crane for each heavy piece before it leaves China.
• Site readiness check. Access road, turning space, ground bearing and crane position, checked before the first heavy lot arrives.
• Delivery windows. Many sites receive only on set days. We hold cargo at the port or at a yard until the site is ready.

Our project cargo logistics in Vietnam page shows the full door-to-site scope, and the power transformer transport page covers one of the most common heavy imports from China.

What drives the cost of shipping China to Vietnam?

Ocean rates on the main lanes change every week, so we quote them per enquiry rather than publish them. For project and OOG cargo, the ocean rate is often the smaller part of the cost of shipping China to Vietnam.

The fastest way to a firm number is a drawing with the packed size and weight of every piece, plus the site address.

Three mistakes that keep OOG imports from China at the port

• Booking the truck after the vessel arrives. An oversized load needs a permit before it can leave the terminal. Storage and DEM/DET run while the permit is prepared.
• Documents that do not match. When the invoice, packing list and B/L show different weights or piece counts, the declaration stops. Fixing a B/L after arrival costs days.
• No plan for the site. The cargo reaches the factory gate and the crane cannot reach the unloading point. Check the site before the vessel sails.

How we work with Chinese forwarders and contractors

China-based forwarders are the largest group in our agent network. Most of them own the shipper and the ocean leg of shipping China to Vietnam; we act as their Vietnam desk for import, customs and delivery.

• We never contact your customer. Updates, photos and documents go to you unless you ask otherwise.
• Net rates for network members. We are in WCA (including WCA Projects) and OPCA; members get net rates on the Vietnam side.
• One desk in Vietnam. Customs, trucking, permits and lifting sit with one team, so nothing falls between sub-contractors.

Partners can read our short page at projectshipping.vn/agents or download the company profile (PDF).

FAQ: shipping China to Vietnam

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Last updated: October 2026