Shipping from Vietnam to the USA by sea: LCL, FCL, transit times and US customs

Shipping from Vietnam to the USA by sea is the cheapest option when the cargo is bulky, heavy or not urgent. Gateway Express offers two sea services on this route: consolidated shipping for families and individuals sending belongings from 22 kg, and LCL or FCL for shops, restaurants and importers moving furniture or larger volumes of goods. Ocean rates to the US move with the route, season and commodity, so this page focuses on what you can plan now: transit times, US customs requirements and what to prepare before you ship.

The US has more demanding ocean paperwork than most destinations, with its own cargo security filings and a tariff regime that has changed several times in 2026. Getting those right before the cargo sails is what keeps a shipment from sitting at the port.

Personal belongings and gifts from 22 kg

For Vietnamese families in the US, returning students and expats, we run a consolidated sea service: your boxes share a container with other shipments, clear US customs, then travel the last mile to the door by UPS, reaching all 50 states. It applies from 22 kg and suits shipments that can wait a few weeks.

Moving a whole household or shipping furniture? That becomes an LCL or FCL shipment, covered below. Our guide to shipping personal belongings when you leave Vietnam helps you decide between courier and sea.

Furniture and fit-outs for cafés, restaurants and shops

For owners opening a venue in the US who need tables, chairs, bar counters, kitchen equipment or retail stock shipped from Vietnam, LCL fits a load smaller than a container and FCL fits one that fills it. Each load is quoted on its own volume rather than from a rate table.

Wood needs attention. Goods made of or containing wood must be declared under the Lacey Act, and wooden pallets and crates used for packing must meet ISPM 15 treatment rules, or the cargo can be held at the destination port. We confirm the documents for each product before it is packed.

Importing products from Vietnamese suppliers

If you buy from factories or workshops in Vietnam, furniture, handicrafts, packaged food or textiles, we can collect from the supplier, consolidate several suppliers into one shipment, and handle export customs. Amazon FBA and 3PL replenishment is a common case: sea freight cuts the landed cost per unit when the stock is not needed urgently. Food products also need FDA Prior Notice before arrival. Buying furniture? Our guide to importing furniture from Vietnam covers buying terms, quality checks and the US wood and safety rules.

Air or sea?

Air is faster, but costs much more per kilogram, especially for bulky, low-value-per-kg goods like furniture and household items. Sea is cheaper but takes weeks and needs fuller customs paperwork. Three common cases:

Shipment	Suggested mode	Why
One or two boxes, about 50 kg, not urgent	Shared sea shipping (from 22 kg), or air if urgent	Under 1.5 CBM usually ships shared
About 300 kg	LCL	Too big for shared parcels; priced per CBM
A full or nearly full container	FCL	Lowest cost per unit once the volume is there

These are reference points only; LCL vs FCL explains the difference in detail. Check your own figures with the CBM calculator before you ask for a quote.

Ports and reference transit times

Cargo sails from Cat Lai (Ho Chi Minh City) or Cai Mep (Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Ba Ria-Vung Tau province) to one of the main US gateways, depending on the route and carrier (how Vietnam’s ports differ):

• West Coast: Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, about 14-22 days port to port.
• East and Gulf Coast: New York/New Jersey, Savannah, Houston, about 28-45 days port to port.

These are times at sea only and exclude packing, waiting for the sailing and US customs clearance. Actual timing varies week to week and stretches in peak season (October to December).

US import duties on goods from Vietnam (as of September 2026)

The importer of record in the US pays these, not the carrier. As of 23 September 2026, a sea shipment of Vietnamese-origin goods typically involves:

Charge	Current rule
Normal (MFN) duty by HS code	Per the US tariff schedule; many wooden furniture items in Chapter 94 are 0%
Section 301 duty	12.5% of customs value on most Vietnamese goods, from 24 July 2026
Section 232 duty	Only certain goods: steel, aluminum, softwood lumber, upholstered wooden seating (25%), kitchen and bathroom vanity cabinets (25%)
Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF)	0.3464% of value, minimum USD 33.58, maximum USD 651.50 per formal entry
Harbor Maintenance Fee (HMF)	0.125% of value, ocean cargo only

The 20% reciprocal tariff imposed under IEEPA ended after the US Supreme Court ruling of 20 February 2026, and the 10% Section 122 surcharge expired on 24 July 2026. The USD 800 de minimis exemption is suspended indefinitely, so almost every shipment is declared and assessed on its actual value.

Small details change the duty. For restaurant furniture, a wooden dining table or an unupholstered wooden chair falls under Section 301 at 12.5%, while an upholstered chair with a wooden frame is in the Section 232 group at 25%. Tariffs are changing quickly in 2026, so confirm the rate for your HS codes with us or your customs broker before you commit to an order. Our guide to US tariffs on Vietnam goods in 2026 has the full Section 232 code list, a worked example for a restaurant furniture shipment and links to each US government source.

US-specific paperwork for ocean cargo

Compared with air, ocean cargo to the US adds several filings:

• ISF 10+2 (Importer Security Filing): must be filed before the cargo is loaded at the origin port. Late or inaccurate filings can bring penalties and holds; see ISF filing for the data elements and deadlines.
• AMS (Automated Manifest System): the manifest filing lodged by the carrier or its agent alongside the ISF.
• CBP Form 5106: registers the importer’s identity with US Customs. Customs broker advisories report stricter verification of this record from September 2026; check that your importer details are current with your broker before the shipment is booked.
• Lacey Act declaration: for goods containing wood or other plant material.
• FDA Prior Notice: for food and beverages.
• ISPM 15: treatment and marking of wooden pallets and crates.

We tell you which of these apply to your goods before the cargo is packed and exported.

Goods commonly shipped from Vietnam to the USA by sea

• Furniture and wooden goods for homes, cafés, restaurants and shops, the category that gains most from volume-based sea pricing.
• Handicrafts, rattan and bamboo products from workshops exporting in volume.
• Packaged specialty foods, which must meet FDA rules before export.
• Amazon FBA and 3PL inventory for e-commerce sellers restocking in bulk.
• Bulky personal items, such as ancestral altars, family furniture and motorbikes, when Vietnamese families move or send heirlooms to the US.

What a quote for the US route includes

A full quote usually covers ocean freight, terminal handling, trucking to the port, CFS fees (LCL only), documentation and bill of lading fees, the carrier’s fuel surcharge, AMS/ISF filing and optional cargo insurance. Because these change weekly, we quote each shipment rather than publish a table. The sea freight overview explains each charge.

Why Gateway Express for the US route

The US route carries requirements not every forwarder handles well, from ISF and AMS to wood origin rules and pallet treatment. We work with ocean partners experienced on this lane, check documents for each product at the booking stage, and update you at each milestone instead of leaving you guessing. Individuals sending family shipments and businesses shipping commercial cargo each get a process and a quote designed for how they actually ship.

Get a sea freight quote today, or message us on WhatsApp. For small, urgent parcels, see air express shipping to the USA.