The main entry point
Cat Lai Port in Ho Chi Minh City handles the large majority of Vietnam's containerised imports, with ocean transit from Foshan running roughly 3 to 5 days — one of the shortest routes in the region.
What's commonly imported
Hospitality casegoods for hotel and resort projects, outdoor and rattan furniture for coastal developments in Da Nang and Phu Quoc, and furniture and fixtures for Vietnam's fast-growing café and restaurant sector are the categories we see ordered most often.
What to plan around
Cat Lai can experience berth congestion during peak shipping season, which is worth building buffer time around if your project has a fixed handover date. Confirming your customs broker's familiarity with furniture HS codes ahead of the first shipment also helps avoid clearance delays.
Working with a local broker
Most buyers use a Vietnam-based customs broker to handle import declarations and duty payment on arrival — we can recommend a broker if you don't already have a relationship with one.
How to import furniture to Vietnam: the steps
(1) confirm your importer of record in Vietnam; (2) lock HS codes per line item with your broker before production ends; (3) get matching commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading from the supplier; (4) secure a valid Form E certificate of origin to claim ASEAN–China preferential rates; (5) clear at Cat Lai, pay duty per HS code plus 10% VAT, and arrange inland delivery — onward to Da Nang or Phu Quoc by road where needed.
What documents you need
Commercial invoice, packing list classified by HS code, bill of lading, Form E certificate of origin, and any product-specific certificates (e.g. fumigation for wood packaging). Your broker must see the set before the container sails — a Form E that does not reconcile with the invoice is the #1 avoidable delay.
How much it costs: duty, tax and a worked view
Duty depends on the HS code each item is classified under, with 10% VAT applied on top (calculator pre-fills 10% as an example only — confirm with your broker). An upholstered sofa and a wooden frame are different codes with different rates, so mixed containers need classification for every line. See the Southeast Asia duties guide and model it in the landed-cost calculator.
Terminals and inland delivery
Cat Lai sits upriver on the Saigon River and is the terminal most Ho Chi Minh City buyers nominate, but it is not the only option. Cai Mep, further down the coast, takes the largest vessels and is often faster on the ocean leg — the trade-off is extra barge or road movement before the container reaches the city. If your project sits outside HCMC, ask whether routing through Cai Mep shortens total door-to-door time rather than just the sea passage.
Budget two to four working days after discharge for clearance and inland delivery. If your site is in Da Nang, Nha Trang or Phu Quoc, the container usually moves onward by feeder or road from the south, which adds time worth building into a fixed handover date.
Duty, VAT and the Form E route
Vietnam assesses import duty by HS code on the CIF value, then applies VAT to the duty-paid total. Almost all furniture sits in HS Chapter 94 — 9401 for seats, 9403 for other furniture, 9404 for mattresses and bedding — but the sub-heading decides the rate, and a classification error is expensive to unwind once the container has cleared.
As an ASEAN member, Vietnam accepts a Form E certificate of origin under the ASEAN–China Free Trade Area, which can reduce or remove duty on Chinese-origin goods. The certificate has to reconcile exactly with the commercial invoice and the bill of lading and be issued within its validity window. A mismatch is the most common reason a preferential rate is refused at the border.
Who can act as importer of record
Vietnam requires the importer of record to hold a valid business registration and tax code, and the name on the customs declaration must match the company receiving payment. Buyers without a Vietnamese entity often route the shipment through a licensed local importer — workable, but it puts a third party's name on the paperwork, which complicates warranty claims, returns and any later dispute with the factory. Decide which structure you are using before the first order, not at the port.
What we prepare before the container sails
Commercial invoice and packing list with HS codes stated per line, a bill of lading consigned correctly, the Form E, and ISPM 15 treatment marks on any solid-wood packaging or dunnage. Vietnam, like most of the region, will quarantine or re-treat untreated wood packaging at the importer's cost — and that delay lands on your schedule, not ours.
Where first shipments usually slip
Three things account for most of the delay we see on Vietnam-bound orders: a Form E that does not reconcile with the invoice, packing lists that describe goods in commercial language rather than by HS code, and berth congestion at Cat Lai during peak season. None of these are exotic, and all of them are avoidable with a paperwork check before the container leaves Foshan.
Working with a local broker
Most buyers use a Vietnam-based customs broker to handle import declarations and duty payment on arrival — we can recommend a broker if you don't already have a relationship with one. What matters is that your broker sees the document set before the container sails, not after it lands, because that is the only point at which a Form E or classification problem can still be fixed cheaply.