🚢 Sea Freight

Sea Freight from China to Bac Ninh

China → Bac Ninh · via HAN air / Hai Phong sea · clearance by General Department of Vietnam Customs (Tổng cục Hải quan)

Cargo handling on the China–Bac Ninh lane.

Bac Ninh is electronics assembly cluster north of Hanoi, and it is served through HAN air / Hai Phong sea. That combination is what actually sets your delivery date on this lane — allow +1 day for the inland leg on top of clearance.

The clearing authority is General Department of Vietnam Customs (Tổng cục Hải quan). Historical dwell on this gateway is around 2–5 days, and it lengthens in Sep–Nov.

How this lane actually runs

Vietnam is the shortest deep-sea lane out of South China — Shekou to Hai Phong is often 3–5 days. Northern Vietnam is also served overland through the Youyi Guan (Pingxiang) and Mong Cai crossings, which suits LCL and urgent replenishment for the Bac Ninh and Bac Giang electronics cluster.

Sea gateways used	Hai Phong, Cat Lai (Ho Chi Minh City), Cai Mep–Thi Vai
Sea transit, China to gateway	3–7 calendar days
Gateway serving Bac Ninh	HAN air / Hai Phong sea
Inland leg to Bac Ninh	+1 day from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell	2–5 days
Peak season to plan around	Sep–Nov

Import duty and tax position for Bac Ninh

General Department of Vietnam Customs (Tổng cục Hải quan) assesses duty and tax on cargo arriving for Bac Ninh consignees. Current regime: VAT 8–10%; duty 0–35%, with 0% available on most tariff lines under ACFTA/RCEP with a valid Form E, with a de-minimis position of VND 1,000,000 (roughly USD 40) on express parcels.

Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: Form E certificate of origin to claim ACFTA duty relief; MIC/Circular 04 type approval for radio equipment; energy-efficiency labeling for appliances. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.

Restrictions and known friction points for Vietnam: Used machinery is subject to Decision 18/2019 age limits. Cosmetics need a product announcement filed by the consignee. Duty relief under Form E is only granted if the origin document matches the invoice exactly — a very common cause of held shipments.

Container terminal operations used on the China to Bac Ninh (Vietnam) freight lane — Handling on the HAN air / Hai Phong sea routing serving Bac Ninh.

Pre-shipment checklist for Bac Ninh

Check the de-minimis position (VND 1,000,000 (roughly USD 40) on express parcels) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
Use ISPM-15 treated pallets. Untreated wood is the most common reason otherwise-clean cargo gets held.
Confirm the consignee in Bac Ninh can act as importer of record — General Department of Vietnam Customs (Tổng cục Hải quan) will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front — retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.
Compare gross weight against volumetric weight (L×W×H ÷ 6000) — the higher figure is what gets billed on air and express.
Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Sep–Nov, when space on this lane tightens.

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to Bac Ninh take?

China to the Vietnam gateway is 3–7 calendar days. On top of that, allow 2–5 days of clearance with General Department of Vietnam Customs (Tổng cục Hải quan) and a +1 day inland leg to Bac Ninh.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into Bac Ninh?

General Department of Vietnam Customs (Tổng cục Hải quan) applies: VAT 8–10%; duty 0–35%, with 0% available on most tariff lines under ACFTA/RCEP with a valid Form E. The de-minimis position is VND 1,000,000 (roughly USD 40) on express parcels. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Bac Ninh.

Can you deliver door-to-door in Bac Ninh?

Yes. Delivery to a Bac Ninh address is quoted as one figure covering freight, duty and tax owed to General Department of Vietnam Customs (Tổng cục Hải quan), and the +1 day inland leg. Confirm whether your consignee wants the goods at a warehouse, a marketplace fulfillment center or a shop front, because the last-mile requirement differs.

Which port or airport does cargo for Bac Ninh clear through?

Cargo for Bac Ninh is routed via HAN air / Hai Phong sea. Sea gateways for Vietnam are Hai Phong, Cat Lai (Ho Chi Minh City), Cai Mep–Thi Vai; air gateways are SGN (Ho Chi Minh City), HAN (Hanoi), DAD (Da Nang). We pick whichever gives the shortest total door time for your address.

When is the busiest time on the China–Vietnam lane?

Space and rates tighten around Sep–Nov, plus the China-side windows of Chinese New Year in January or February and Golden Week in early October. Book one to two weeks earlier in those periods.

How is the chargeable weight calculated for Bac Ninh?

We compare actual gross weight against volumetric weight — length × width × height in centimeters divided by 6000 for air — and bill the greater of the two, rounded up to the next kilogram. Light, bulky cargo is almost always billed on volume.

Other delivery cities in Vietnam

All Vietnam freight information →

References & official sources

Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Vietnam change by ministerial decision, sometimes mid-year. The figures on this page are buyer-planning references, not a customs ruling — confirm the current position for your own HS code with General Department of Vietnam Customs (Tổng cục Hải quan) or your broker before you ship.

Page data last reviewed: 8 月 2026.

Shipping by industry

This page covers the route and clearance picture for the destination. Packing, classification and the compliance step that actually holds a shipment depend on what you are sending — these guides cover that by commodity.

All 139 industry guides →

Checking the Vietnam duty position yourself

Every duty and tax figure quoted on this page is our working estimate for planning, not a ruling. The binding rate for your consignment is whatever General Department of Vietnam Customs applies against your declared HS code on the day of entry, and their published guidance is the source to check before you commit stock.

Most landed-cost surprises trace back to classification rather than freight. the WCO Harmonized System defines the heading structure every customs administration builds on, and ITC Market Access Map will show you the duty a given heading attracts in this destination.

For ocean cargo, restricted commodities move under the IMO's IMDG Code, and the container has to be declared and stowed accordingly. Batteries, flammables and corrosives all have a compliant ocean path; what causes rolled bookings is finding out about them after the container is packed.

If this is your first shipment into Vietnam, the Vietnam Country Commercial Guide covers the practical import environment in more depth than a rate page reasonably can, and it is written by a party with no stake in your booking.

Watch: the process behind this route

This guide covers routing and clearance for Bac Ninh. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.

Sea Freight Shipping Process for Beginners: Complete Factory-to-Door Guide (Every Step Explained) — Vixnk - English. Published on YouTube by a third party; we link it because it explains the process well, not because we produced it or endorse the provider.

Get a rate for Bac Ninh

This lane is quoted per shipment rather than from a published rate card, because the landed cost depends on the commodity, its density, the conformity requirements above and the delivery point. Send the cargo details and we will come back with a full DDP figure.

Request a quote → See the Vietnam route page →

Customs clearance in Vietnam

Duty and tax position, certification, typical port dwell and what actually holds shipments at this border — plus who files the entry.

Vietnam clearance requirements →