Asia Pacific

Shipping from China to Hai Phong

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

Cargo handling on the China–Hai Phong lane.

For buyers shipping into Hai Phong, the practical question is not the ocean or flight time but what happens after arrival. Hai Phong is the north's main port city and industrial zone; cargo enters through HAN air / Hai Phong sea, and the inland leg is same-day, so the clearance date is effectively the delivery date.

Clearance itself is handled by General Department of Vietnam Customs (Tổng cục Hải quan), and typical dwell at the gateway runs 2–5 days.

Import duty and tax position for Hai Phong

General Department of Vietnam Customs (Tổng cục Hải quan) assesses duty and tax on cargo arriving for Hai Phong 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.

Routing and transit on this lane

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.

Air gateways used	SGN (Ho Chi Minh City), HAN (Hanoi), DAD (Da Nang)
Air transit, China to gateway	2–4 business days
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 Hai Phong	HAN air / Hai Phong sea
Inland leg to Hai Phong	Same day from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell	2–5 days
Peak season to plan around	Sep–Nov

Air cargo build-up used on the China to Hai Phong (Vietnam) freight lane — Handling on the HAN air / Hai Phong sea routing serving Hai Phong.

What to sort out before the cargo leaves China

Confirm the consignee in Hai Phong can act as importer of record — General Department of Vietnam Customs (Tổng cục Hải quan) will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
Use ISPM-15 treated pallets. Untreated wood is the most common reason otherwise-clean cargo gets held.
Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Sep–Nov, when space on this lane tightens.
Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front — retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.
Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the Vietnam duty rate against it yourself.
Photograph carton markings and seal numbers before departure — it makes any claim far easier to settle.

Air, sea or overland into Hai Phong?

Mode	Transit to gateway	Best suited to
✈️ Air Freight	2–4 business days	time-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo
🚢 Sea Freight	3–7 calendar days	volume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed

Transit shown is China departure to the Vietnam gateway and excludes the same-day inland leg to Hai Phong and 2–5 days of clearance.

Mode guides for Hai Phong

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to Hai Phong take?

China to the Vietnam gateway is 2–4 business days by air, 3–7 calendar days by sea. On top of that, allow 2–5 days of clearance with General Department of Vietnam Customs (Tổng cục Hải quan) and a same-day inland leg to Hai Phong.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into Hai Phong?

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 Hai Phong.

Which port or airport does cargo for Hai Phong clear through?

Cargo for Hai Phong 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.

Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Hai Phong?

Yes. Battery cargo by air follows IATA PI 965–970 depending on how the cells are packed, and moves on certified channels via SGN (Ho Chi Minh City), HAN (Hanoi), DAD (Da Nang). Surcharges apply and the declaration has to be made before booking.

Can you deliver door-to-door in Hai Phong?

Yes. Delivery to a Hai Phong address is quoted as one figure covering freight, duty and tax owed to General Department of Vietnam Customs (Tổng cục Hải quan), and the same-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.

How is the chargeable weight calculated for Hai Phong?

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

We publish these figures so you can budget, but the assessment that binds is the one General Department of Vietnam Customs makes on your declaration. Where a shipment is large enough that a percentage point matters, check their current tariff guidance rather than ours.

Classification drives everything downstream: the same carton can attract very different duty depending on the heading it lands in, and the structure those headings come from is the World Customs Organization Harmonized System. If your product sits near a boundary between two headings, resolve it before shipping rather than at the border.

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.

For a wider view of how importing into Vietnam actually works — documentation norms, inspection behavior, the paperwork that tends to hold shipments — the U.S. ITA guide to Vietnam customs regulations is a useful independent read alongside our own lane notes.

Watch: the process behind this route

This guide covers routing and clearance for Hai Phong. 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 Hai Phong

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 →