# Sea freight from Vietnam: LCL and FCL shipping to the US and Australia

> Sea freight from Vietnam: LCL and FCL from Ho Chi Minh City to the US and Australia. Transit times, documents, what a quote includes. Quote within 24 hours.

Canonical: https://gatewayexpress.vn/en/sea-freight/
Last updated: 2026-09-27

Sea freight is the most cost-effective way to move bulky, heavy or non-urgent goods out of Vietnam, because the cost per kilogram is a fraction of air freight. Gateway Express books sea freight from Ho Chi Minh City to the **United States** and **Australia** in two main forms: **LCL** (less than container load, where your cargo shares a container) and **FCL** (full container load, a container for your goods alone). Whether you are opening a restaurant abroad and need the furniture shipped, importing products from Vietnamese suppliers, or moving a household, we explain every fee in the quote and prepare the paperwork for customs at both ends.

## Who should ship by sea?

Not every shipment belongs on a ship. We use three reference thresholds, the same ones built into our [CBM calculator](https://gatewayexpress.vn/en/tools/cbm-calculator/):

- **Under 22 kg:** send it by air express (DHL, FedEx or UPS). The time saved outweighs the small cost difference.
- **From 22 kg to about 1.5 CBM, not urgent:** consolidated sea shipping, where many small shipments share one container and split the cost. This service currently runs to the United States, with last-mile delivery by UPS.
- **From about 250 kg or 1.5 CBM:** ask for an LCL or FCL quote. At this size, per-CBM sea pricing is clearly cheaper than air.

The customers who use our sea service most fall into three groups: café, restaurant and shop owners shipping furniture and fit-out equipment; businesses importing goods from Vietnam; and Vietnamese families or expats sending belongings abroad. Each has its own route page with the details: [Vietnam to the USA](https://gatewayexpress.vn/en/sea-freight/vietnam-to-usa/) and [Vietnam to Australia](https://gatewayexpress.vn/en/sea-freight/vietnam-to-australia/).

## LCL vs FCL: which one?

The two serve different shipment sizes:

| | LCL (shared container) | FCL (full container) |
|---|---|---|
| Typical size | A few hundred kg up to less than a container | Enough to fill, or nearly fill, a container |
| How it is priced | Per CBM or per ton, whichever is greater | Per container (20ft, 40ft, 40ft high cube) |
| Transit | Usually longer, because cargo is grouped and split at a container freight station (CFS) | Usually faster, with no wait for other cargo |
| Risk | Your cartons share space with other shippers' goods | Sealed container, less handling and no mixing |
| Paperwork | Standard export documents plus the CFS receipt | Standard export documents |

For definitions, pricing logic and worked examples, see [LCL vs FCL](https://gatewayexpress.vn/en/sea-freight/lcl-vs-fcl/). As a planning figure, a 20ft container holds about 33 CBM of internal space and a 40ft about 67 CBM, but cartons never fill every gap, so plan on loading roughly 25-28 CBM and 55-58 CBM respectively.

## Routes and reference transit times

Cargo leaves from Cat Lai (Ho Chi Minh City) or Cai Mep (Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Ba Ria-Vung Tau province). Transit depends on the destination port, the shipping line and whether the route is direct or transships; our guide to [Vietnam's container ports](https://gatewayexpress.vn/en/sea-freight/vietnam-ports/) explains the difference between Cat Lai and Cai Mep. The ranges below are **time at sea only (port to port)**:

| Destination | Main ports | Port-to-port, approx. |
|---|---|---|
| US West Coast | Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle | 14-22 days |
| US East Coast | New York/New Jersey, Savannah, Houston | 28-45 days |
| Australia | Sydney | 18-25 days |
| Australia | Melbourne | 18-28 days |
| Australia | Brisbane, Adelaide, Fremantle | 25-35 days |

Packing, waiting for the sailing and customs clearance at destination come on top. Schedules change week to week and in peak season, so confirm the expected timeline for your shipment when you receive the quote.

## What a sea freight quote includes

Unlike express courier services with a fixed price per kilogram, a sea freight quote is built from several independent charges, some collected by the shipping line and some by ports or agents at destination. A complete quote usually covers eight groups:

1. **Ocean freight**, the main carriage charge.
2. **Terminal handling charges (THC)** at the origin port.
3. **Trucking** from your address to the port or warehouse.
4. **Container freight station (CFS) fees**, for LCL only.
5. **Documentation and bill of lading fees.**
6. **Fuel surcharge** set by the shipping line.
7. **Security filings** such as AMS and ISF for the United States.
8. **Cargo insurance**, optional and priced on declared value.

Because these move with the route, the season and fuel prices, we do not publish a fixed rate table; we quote each shipment against the current sailing and surcharges.

## How it works

1. **Consultation:** tell us what you are shipping, the volume, dimensions and when it needs to arrive. We recommend LCL, FCL or consolidated shipping to fit the budget and the deadline.
2. **Booking:** once you approve, we reserve space on a sailing that matches when your goods will be ready, so the cargo does not miss the nearest ship.
3. **Packing and consolidation:** cargo is packed and braced for a long ocean voyage. For LCL, it is consolidated with other shipments at the CFS warehouse.
4. **Export customs in Vietnam:** we prepare and file the export declaration before the cargo leaves port.
5. **On board:** the container or LCL cargo is loaded and the bill of lading is issued. From here you can follow the shipment's progress.
6. **Import clearance and delivery:** our partners at destination handle customs clearance, any biosecurity inspection, and delivery as agreed.

## Documents you will need

A standard sea shipment needs the following; some goods and destinations add their own permits:

- **Commercial invoice:** states the value of the goods, which customs at both ends use to assess duties.
- **Packing list:** the number of cartons, and the weight and dimensions of each.
- **Bill of lading (B/L):** the transport contract and document of title for goods at sea.
- **Certificate of origin (C/O):** needed to claim a preferential tariff under a trade agreement.
- **Product-specific documents:** depending on the goods and destination, for example wood declarations, fumigation certificates or food safety paperwork.

## Why ship with Gateway Express

We work with ocean carriers and destination partners to move cargo from Ho Chi Minh City to the main ports in the United States and Australia, and we advise on each market's specific requirements, from US security filings to Australian biosecurity. Rather than compete on the lowest headline price, we show every charge in the quote, sort out the paperwork at the start to avoid clearance delays, and update you at each milestone.

For shipments that need extra care, such as goods containing wood, packaged food or bulky personal items, we check the documents before packing instead of letting a missing form surface once the cargo is already at the destination port. That matters most for LCL, where several shippers share one container.

## Related guides and tools

- [Sea freight from Vietnam to the USA](https://gatewayexpress.vn/en/sea-freight/vietnam-to-usa/)
- [Sea freight from Vietnam to Australia](https://gatewayexpress.vn/en/sea-freight/vietnam-to-australia/)
- [US tariffs on Vietnam goods in 2026](https://gatewayexpress.vn/en/sea-freight/us-tariffs-on-vietnam-goods/)
- [LCL vs FCL: which to choose](https://gatewayexpress.vn/en/sea-freight/lcl-vs-fcl/)
- [ISF filing and AMS for the US](https://gatewayexpress.vn/en/sea-freight/isf-filing/)
- [Importing furniture from Vietnam](https://gatewayexpress.vn/en/sea-freight/importing-furniture-from-vietnam/)
- [Vietnam's main container ports](https://gatewayexpress.vn/en/sea-freight/vietnam-ports/)
- [CBM calculator for several carton sizes](https://gatewayexpress.vn/en/tools/cbm-calculator/)
- [Shipping personal belongings when you leave Vietnam](https://gatewayexpress.vn/en/personal-effects-shipping-from-vietnam/)
- [How much does shipping from Vietnam to the US cost?](https://gatewayexpress.vn/en/articles/how-much-does-shipping-from-vietnam-to-us-cost/)

Need a figure for a specific shipment? [Get a sea freight quote](https://gatewayexpress.vn/en/get-a-quote/) within 24 hours, or message us on [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/84938373343).