Furniture shipping to six Southeast Asian markets.
Each market has its own port, transit time and mix of what buyers typically order. Pick your market for freight timing, common product categories, and what to plan around.
Vietnam
Cat Lai Port, Ho Chi Minh City
Thailand
Laem Chabang Port, Bangkok
Indonesia
Tanjung Priok Port, Jakarta
Philippines
Manila International Container Port
Malaysia
Port Klang, Selangor
Singapore
PSA Singapore Terminal
The six markets at a glance.
| Market | Main port | Ocean transit | Destination tax (example) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | Cat Lai, Ho Chi Minh City | 3–5 days | VAT 10% |
| Thailand | Laem Chabang, Bangkok | 4–6 days | VAT 7% |
| Indonesia | Tanjung Priok, Jakarta | 7–10 days | PPN 11% |
| Philippines | Manila International Container Port | 5–7 days | VAT 12% |
| Malaysia | Port Klang, Selangor | 4–6 days | SST 10% |
| Singapore | PSA Singapore | 4–5 days | GST 9% |
The tax column repeats the examples the calculator pre-fills, and they are examples only. Rates change, they depend on the HS code each line is classified under, and Malaysia’s SST is a sales tax rather than a VAT. Confirm current figures with your own customs broker before quoting them onward.
Pick the entry point before you pick the price.
Transit time is the number buyers compare first, and it is the least useful one on its own. The port you clear at, and how far the goods then travel inland, usually determines your real delivery date — and your real cost — more than the ocean leg does. A shipment to Cebu clears at Manila and moves again. A shipment to Penang clears at Port Klang and moves again. Each of those second legs runs on its own schedule.
So the useful question is not which port is fastest, but where your cargo actually needs to end up. Delivering to one location near a major port makes the shortest transit genuinely the cheapest route. Distributing across a country, or furnishing a project away from the main port, makes the inland transfer a stage worth planning in its own right.
If your destination is not in this list, ask us anyway — we can quote freight to most ports in the region.
What does not change between markets.
- Preferential origin needs Form E. All six sit inside the ASEAN–China free trade area. Goods of Chinese origin can qualify for preferential duty rates when a valid Form E certificate of origin accompanies them and agrees with the commercial invoice and packing list.
- Classification decides the rate. Import duty follows the HS code declared for each line, not the category name on the order. Mixed containers need classification for every product in them.
- FOB is not landed cost. Whatever the market, the number that matters is what the goods cost once they are in your warehouse — duty, tax, freight, insurance, the sourcing fee and inland delivery included.
- Inspection happens before loading, everywhere. A defect corrected at the factory costs a day. The same defect found after arrival costs a return, a replacement and the margin on the order.
Questions about shipping furniture to Southeast Asia.
Which Southeast Asian markets do you ship furniture to?
Six: Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. Each has its own main port, ocean transit time and typical product mix, and we consolidate orders across factories into a single container for any of them.
How long does shipping from Foshan take to each market?
Vietnam 3-5 days to Cat Lai, Thailand 4-6 days to Laem Chabang, Malaysia 4-6 days to Port Klang, Singapore 4-5 days to PSA Singapore, the Philippines 5-7 days to Manila, and Indonesia 7-10 days to Tanjung Priok - the longest transit of the six.
Do all six markets charge import duty on furniture?
Duty follows the HS code declared for each item and differs by market, with destination tax on top - VAT in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, SST sales tax in Malaysia, and GST in Singapore. Singapore is effectively a free port for furniture, where most categories enter with no import duty. All six sit inside the ASEAN-China free trade area, so Chinese-origin goods can qualify for preferential rates with a certificate of origin.
Should I choose the port before choosing the price?
Yes. The entry point changes what the order costs once duty, tax, inland transport and clearance are counted, so picking on factory FOB price alone is misleading. Decide the entry point and whether you will ship to one port and distribute domestically, or split the freight across ports.
What is the fastest market to turn around?
Vietnam, at 3-5 days - the shortest transit we run - which suits buyers testing a specification with a smaller first order and then repeating it. Singapore is the most consistent rather than the fastest, at 4-5 days, which suits time-sensitive ordering.
Can you ship to ports other than the main one?
Often. Vietnam and Malaysia shipments commonly move onward from the main port to regional destinations such as Da Nang, Penang, Johor or East Malaysia. Cargo beyond Luzon in the Philippines moves twice, so those onward arrangements need confirming before the container sails.