Shipping to Italy from Vietnam

Ship to Italy from Vietnam — Rome, Milan, Turin. EVFTA duty relief for leather and footwear importers, EU food rules, door-to-door delivery.

Italy sits on both sides of Vietnam’s trade relationship with the EU. On one side is a modest but established diaspora — an estimated 5,000 people, mostly students and workers around Rome, Milan, and Turin, who miss the taste of home more than most because Vietnamese groceries are genuinely hard to find outside the big cities. On the other is one of Vietnam’s most important leather and footwear export markets: Italy is projected to import roughly $678 million in Vietnamese leather and footwear in 2025, a flow that runs through Milan’s fashion and sourcing networks and benefits directly from EVFTA tariff elimination, targeted for completion by 2027.

Because that trade flow is the larger volume driver, this page opens with the customs and duty mechanics that actually move it, then covers our service tiers, the diaspora and seasonal context, and what’s allowed and banned under EU food rules.

Italian Customs, EVFTA, and IVA

Regulators you may interact with

Agency	Role
Ministero della Salute	Ministry of Health — food safety, import approvals
Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli	Customs and excise clearance, duty and VAT collection
NAS Carabinieri (Nucleo Antisofisticazioni e Sanità)	Health and food-fraud inspection

IVA (VAT) and EVFTA duty

Charge	Rate
IVA (basic foodstuffs)	4% (bread, pasta, milk, eggs, vegetable oils)
IVA (food and non-alcoholic beverages, general)	10%
IVA (general goods)	22% (standard rate)
EVFTA duty relief	Progressive elimination on Vietnam-origin goods, footwear tariffs phasing to zero by 2027

EVFTA paperwork follows the EU-wide structure:

Shipments under €6,000: an origin declaration on the commercial invoice is sufficient
Shipments over €6,000: Italian customs requires the exporter’s REX (Registered Exporter) number, issued via the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Personal parcels under €150: the EU IOSS framework applies for low-value B2C imports

Because footwear and leather orders routinely clear the €6,000 line on their own, most of our Milan-bound B2B shipments run through the REX pathway rather than the simpler origin declaration — we register and file that documentation before your goods leave Vietnam so nothing is corrected at the Genoa or Naples border.

Sourcing footwear or leather goods from Vietnam and need EVFTA documentation checked? Email info@gatewayexpress.com.vn or call +84 938 373 343.

Shipping Services to Italy

Express Air (4-6 Business Days)

Direct flights from Hanoi (HAN) and Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) into Rome Fiumicino or Milan Malpensa.

Best for:

Fashion, leather, and footwear samples for Milan-based buyers and importers
Time-critical B2B documents and contracts
Family parcels and gifts
Vietnamese coffee, tea, and dried foods (with phytosanitary certificate)

Service features:

4-6 business day door-to-door delivery
Real-time tracking with proactive customs updates
100% declared-value insurance included

Standard Air (7-12 Business Days)

Cost-effective routing balancing speed and price.

Best for:

Personal parcels, clothing, household items
Bulk Vietnamese specialty foods with compliant labeling
Non-urgent commercial cargo

Sea Freight (25-35 Days)

Vietnam to Genoa or Naples, Italy’s principal container gateways, then inland road transit.

Best for:

Bulk B2B leather, footwear, and textile inventory
Furniture and household relocation cargo
Heavy commercial cargo where cost matters more than speed

Service features:

25-35 days total transit
LCL and FCL options
Customs declaration through Italy’s electronic customs system

Vietnamese Community and Trade in Italy

Indicator	Figure
Estimated community size	~5,000
Main hubs	Rome, Milan, Turin
Trade profile	Growing B2B import of footwear, leather goods, textiles under EVFTA

The community is smaller and more dispersed than in Central Europe, with a handful of Vietnamese restaurants and grocers in Rome and Milan rather than a single dedicated market. Most personal shipments are family-driven — students and workers reordering pantry staples that simply aren’t stocked locally.

The bigger volume runs through commercial channels: Italian fashion houses and footwear brands sourcing from Vietnamese manufacturers, and Vietnamese exporters shipping samples and small-batch orders to Milan-based buyers ahead of production runs. If you’re managing a sourcing relationship rather than a personal parcel, our Express Air service is built for sample turnaround on typical buyer timelines.

Seasonal timing to plan around

Ferragosto (mid-August): many Italian businesses close for 1-3 weeks; expect delivery delays
Christmas / Natale (December): peak personal-parcel season, book pickup early
Easter / Pasqua (March-April): shorter closures, minor delays possible

What You Can Ship — and What’s Banned

Allowed (high-priority categories)

Processed foods:

Spices, seasonings, fish sauce, soy sauce, chili sauce
Instant noodles, dry rice noodles, pho noodles, vermicelli
Confectionery and packaged snacks
Dried seafood (shrimp, squid, fish)
Coffee and tea (phytosanitary certificate for plant-based products)

Non-food, B2B priority:

Leather goods, footwear, and finished garments (with correct HS codes and origin documentation)
Textiles and fabric rolls for manufacturing
Cosmetics with EU-compliant ingredients
Consumer electronics with CE marking

EU-banned categories from Vietnam

Same rule Italy’s own producers face on non-EU imports — it applies to any meat-based product regardless of packaging:

Fresh, frozen, and processed meat of any kind — including pork floss (ruốc), beef jerky, dried meats, and sausages
Fresh dairy products from non-approved sources
Fresh eggs and egg products
Live fish and fresh seafood (frozen seafood is permitted)

Restricted

Prescription medication: requires a doctor’s prescription on arrival
Alcohol and tobacco: subject to excise duty
Branded or trademarked goods: Italy enforces strict anti-counterfeiting checks, especially on fashion items — only ship goods with legitimate brand rights or unbranded stock

Plant products and phytosanitary rules

All plant products require a phytosanitary certificate from Vietnam’s Plant Protection Department and must clear a designated EU border control post before onward delivery.

Visiting Vietnam and want to ship coffee home to Milan or Rome? See our Vietnamese coffee shipping guide for packing and EU-entry paperwork.

How Shipping with Gateway Express Works

Step 1 — Get a quote

Reach us through:

Hotline: +84 938 373 343 (also +84 944 247 267)
Zalo / Viber / WhatsApp: message the same number
Email: info@gatewayexpress.com.vn
Online: Request a free quote or contact our team

We confirm your goods are EU-compliant, advise on origin declaration vs. REX thresholds, and quote a transparent landed cost.

Step 2 — Pack and prepare paperwork

Pack to our guidelines, shared with your quote
Provide sender ID and full recipient details
For B2B fashion/footwear shipments: HS codes, REX number where applicable, declared value in EUR, brand authorization if branded goods
For food: ingredient lists for Italian labeling and Ministero della Salute review

Step 3 — Free door pickup

Free pickup in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi; scheduled pickup in Da Nang, Hai Phong, and 60+ provinces.

Step 4 — Transit and tracking

Tracking by SMS at pickup
Customs milestone updates throughout transit
Advance notice on Ferragosto and holiday closures affecting delivery windows

Step 5 — Door delivery in Italy

Express: 4-6 business days
Standard: 7-12 business days
Sea freight: 25-35 days

Italian customs clearance typically takes 1-4 business days, longer during August closures.

Where We Pick Up and Deliver

Pickup in Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City — all districts
Hanoi — all inner and outer districts
Da Nang, Hai Phong, and 60+ provinces

Delivery in Italy

Rome (Roma) — capital, largest community
Milan (Milano) — fashion and B2B sourcing hub
Turin (Torino), Florence (Firenze), Venice (Venezia), Bologna, Naples (Napoli) — regional hubs
All 20 regions, including rural addresses via national courier networks

Frequently Asked Questions

How much longer does sea freight take to Italy than Express Air?

Sea freight runs 25-35 days via Genoa or Naples, against 4-6 business days for Express Air direct to Rome or Milan. For bulk leather, footwear, or textile inventory where per-unit cost matters more than speed, sea freight is the standard choice; for samples and time-sensitive orders, Express Air is worth the premium.

What documentation proves EVFTA origin for a footwear or leather order to Milan?

Under €6,000, an origin declaration on the commercial invoice is enough. At €6,000 and above — the range most B2B footwear and leather orders fall into — Italian customs requires the exporter’s REX number, which we register through the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce before dispatch.

Will Ferragosto in August delay my shipment?

Possibly. Ferragosto (around August 15) triggers 1-3 weeks of closures across Italian businesses, including some customs and courier operations. We flag this at quote stage if your ship window overlaps.

Can I ship branded fashion or footwear samples without them being held for counterfeit inspection?

Yes, with correct paperwork. Italy checks for counterfeit goods closely, especially in the fashion sector. Ship with accurate HS codes, invoices, and brand authorization where relevant — we review documentation before dispatch to avoid holds.

Milan Malpensa or Rome Fiumicino — which arrival point gets my package to me faster?

Whichever is closer to the delivery address. Express Air routes direct to whichever airport shortens the final-mile leg — Milan for Lombardy and the north, Rome for the centre and south. We select the routing at quote stage based on the recipient’s city.

What’s the IVA difference between 4%, 10%, and 22% for what I’m shipping?

4% applies only to basic staples like bread, pasta, milk, eggs, and oils. 10% covers general food and non-alcoholic drinks. Non-food goods — clothing, electronics, cosmetics — fall under the 22% standard rate.

Can I send Vietnamese coffee or tea as a gift to Turin or Florence?

Yes. Both ship as processed/dried goods; tea and other plant-based products need a phytosanitary certificate, which we arrange before pickup.

Do dried spices and seasoning packets need a phytosanitary certificate?

No, dried and processed foods like spice packets, fish sauce, and instant noodles don’t require one — the certificate requirement applies to raw plant products, not shelf-stable processed goods.

Do you offer free door pickup and declared-value insurance?

Yes to both. Free door pickup in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi; 100% declared-value insurance included on every shipment.

Also running a France or Spain sourcing lane? Our France and Spain guides cover the same REX paperwork under EVFTA, applied to each country’s own VAT bands and port routing. Full list of where we ship.

Ready to ship to Italy? Get a transparent quote and door pickup from Gateway Express.

📞 Hotline: +84 938 373 343 📧 Email: info@gatewayexpress.com.vn 🏢 Office: 72/5 Giai Phong St., Tan Son Nhat Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Your trusted Vietnam–Italy shipping partner.

Packaging & shipping operations at the Gateway Express warehouse

Gateway Express staff packing parcels

Team sorting and preparing international shipments

Warehouse staging area for international freight

Gateway Express warehouse ready for dispatch

Weighing and labelling parcels for shipment

Carefully packaged parcels awaiting pickup

Prices in USD. Rate: 1 USD = 26,500 VND

Economy 2026

Transit time:8-15days·VND·Chưa VAT 8%

Per-kg rates (≤ 20kg)

Per-kg rates (≤ 20kg)
Weight (kg)	Price (USD)
0.5 kg	$55.67
1 kg	$60.57
1.5 kg	$65.48
2 kg	$70.38
2.5 kg	$75.29
3 kg	$80.20
3.5 kg	$85.10
4 kg	$90.01
4.5 kg	$94.91
5 kg	$99.82
5.5 kg	$108.50
6 kg	$113.40
6.5 kg	$118.31
7 kg	$123.22
7.5 kg	$128.12
8 kg	$133.03
8.5 kg	$137.93
9 kg	$142.84
9.5 kg	$147.74
10 kg	$123.81

Weight (kg)	Price (USD)
10.5 kg	$133.18
11 kg	$133.18
11.5 kg	$142.54
12 kg	$142.54
12.5 kg	$151.90
13 kg	$151.90
13.5 kg	$161.26
14 kg	$161.26
14.5 kg	$170.62
15 kg	$170.62
15.5 kg	$187.53
16 kg	$187.53
16.5 kg	$196.90
17 kg	$196.90
17.5 kg	$206.26
18 kg	$206.26
18.5 kg	$215.62
19 kg	$215.62
19.5 kg	$224.98
20 kg	$224.98