Importing from China to Vietnam: Duties, Rules and Steps

Start with the product and the importer

Check the requirements applicable when your goods are declared, especially before paying a production deposit. Carrier publications illustrate routing possibilities and do not confirm a current booking.

Whether you are arranging a personal purchase or buying stock for a business, first establish exactly what the goods are, who will import them into Vietnam and which documents to prepare.

Prepare the product description, materials, intended use, model, quantity and delivery address. Ask your Vietnamese customs representative to check classification and product requirements rather than copying the supplier’s suggested HS code.

Vietnam Customs and importer registration

Vietnam Customs and the Vietnam Trade Information Portal publish customs and import guidance.

The portal’s commercial-import guide refers businesses to registration arrangements for the business, electronic customs declarations and a digital signature. Confirm the procedures applicable to your importer before booking transport.

For a personal purchase, ask Customs or the carrier which procedure applies. If another business will import for you, agree its identity, responsibilities and the documents you will receive.

Import duty and VAT: establish the basis before choosing a rate

The published customs valuation rules apply transaction value first, subject to conditions and adjustments. The invoice amount is not automatically the final customs value.

Ad valorem import duty uses the dutiable value and applicable percentage rate. Check whether a specific or combined calculation applies instead.

The government’s consolidated VAT decree describes the import VAT base as the import-duty taxable value plus import duty, additional import duties, special consumption tax and environmental protection tax where applicable. Check exemptions, reliefs and the product’s VAT treatment before calculating.

This guide quotes no blanket duty or VAT rate. Request a product-specific calculation identifying the legal basis and intended declaration date.

Can the ASEAN–China FTA reduce the import duty?

Vietnam publishes a special preferential import tariff schedule for implementing the ASEAN–China Trade in Goods Agreement. Check your product’s Vietnamese tariff entry and the provisions applicable when it is declared.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade’s agreement documents include origin rules and certification procedures using Form E. A Chinese invoice or departure from a Chinese port does not by itself demonstrate qualifying origin.

Before relying on a preferential rate, ask your Vietnamese customs representative to check eligibility, the required origin evidence and any transit arrangements.

Product conformity, CR marking and import licences

Check the technical regulations applicable to the actual product before approving its specification, testing plan or packaging.

CR is Vietnam’s technical-regulation conformity mark. Confirm whether your product requires conformity assessment, a conformity declaration or CR marking, and which evidence is accepted. Check that any certificate covers the actual model.

The portal’s commercial-import guidance identifies product-specific licensing and specialised inspection requirements. It instructs importers of goods requiring an import licence to obtain it before submitting the customs declaration; confirm the current product-specific procedure with the responsible authority.

Prepare a compliance checklist and allocate responsibility before production. Specify ordinary goods inspection and regulatory conformity assessment separately.

Main sea gateways and China–Vietnam route examples

Carrier publications identify Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City and Cai Mep as sea-shipping destinations. Compare the arrival terminal, inland delivery cost and service available for your shipment.

The examples below are published references, not current sailing confirmations. The CMA CGM document is a historical schedule dated 29 April 2026. Obtain the actual loading port, discharge terminal, transhipment arrangements and current schedule before booking.

How to pay a Chinese supplier more safely

As purchasing precautions, verify the contracting supplier, approve an identified sample and agree the specification, payment milestones and inspection arrangements in writing.

Check the beneficiary against the contracting business. Investigate unexplained differences or bank-account changes through an independently established contact. Negotiate time to review inspection evidence before the relevant balance becomes due.

For a larger transaction, ask your bank whether a documentary credit is suitable. Where ICC’s UCP 600 rules apply, banks deal with documents rather than the goods. Keep product checks and inspection in the purchasing plan.

A practical sequence from enquiry to delivery

Define the goods and delivery requirement. Identify the importer and request checks on classification, product measures and taxes.

Check the supplier and approve the sample. Agree the contract, beneficiary, specification, acceptance criteria and payment stages.

Resolve the compliance plan before production. Allocate responsibility for testing, assessment, declarations, marking, licences and inspections as applicable.

Inspect the goods and reconcile the shipment records. Check the invoice, packing information, transport document and any required origin or product evidence.

Confirm transport and destination costs. Agree declaration, payment, release and delivery arrangements with your appointed representative, and retain the transaction records.

Common mistakes to avoid

Using a general internet duty rate before classifying the product. Request a dated, product-specific calculation.

Treating dispatch from China as proof of preferential origin. Check eligibility and documentation before budgeting for a preference.

Approving packaging before checking conformity and marking requirements. Resolve the applicable requirements before printing labels.

Accepting an all-inclusive delivery quote without identifying the importer, clearance scope and destination charges. Request an itemised explanation.

Paying against photographs alone. Agree measurable acceptance criteria and the checks to complete before each payment milestone.

Buying for other destinations: a short UK comparison

Use a similar supplier-checking checklist for other destinations, but check each destination’s own customs rules.

For the UK, HMRC includes relevant transport and insurance costs to the place of introduction in customs value. Import VAT valuation starts with customs value and adds applicable duties and incidental expenses, including relevant costs to the first UK destination and a further destination known at importation. Do not use this UK calculation for Vietnam.

For that destination, use how to import from China to the UK. Consult the Egypt guide or Saudi Arabia guide for those destinations; their requirements do not establish Vietnam’s rules.

How Cambridge China Bridge helps

Contact Cambridge China Bridge to discuss the proposed work. Prepare the product specification, intended use, quantity, Vietnam delivery address and any supplier details.

Its published services include supplier checks, sample coordination and goods inspection. Agree the scope and discuss the evidence your Vietnamese customs or conformity representative needs.

Use the factory-verification service for supplier-checking scope and the small-order service for smaller purchases.

The company states that audits and inspections are usually included in the quote for a goods order placed with it. Complex checks requiring a third party cost extra by prior agreement. Confirm what your quotation includes.

Sources

The references below include official regulatory material, carrier publications and the company’s own service information. Original links that could not substantiate their supplied descriptions are identified in their labels; supplementary official sources support the relevant statements. Check product-specific requirements and current shipping arrangements before ordering.