How long does shipping from Vietnam to Europe take?

How long does shipping from Vietnam to Europe take?

Shipping from Vietnam to Europe takes about 30–40 days at sea from Hai Phong to Northern Europe and 25–35 days to the Mediterranean. These are the typical days at sea on the usual container services from Hai Phong, by carrier and route, not door-to-door times.

For a plywood order, the sea is only one part of the time. Production at Minh Thanh takes 15–45 days after the deposit, so a container reaches a Northern European port 45–85 days after the deposit and a Mediterranean port 40–80 days after it.

What are the transit times from Hai Phong, port by port?

The table gives the typical days at sea from Hai Phong to 45 ports. Each port takes the range of its region; a direct service sits at the short end, a transshipment or a long routing at the long end.

“Main-line call” means the port is a regular call of the large Asia services; “feeder” means the last leg runs on a smaller vessel from a hub port. A CFR or CIF quote from Minh Thanh names the sailing, so the routing and the days for your container are on the quote.

What is the sea freight transit time from Hai Phong to Rotterdam?

Typically 30–40 days at sea. Rotterdam is the first or second call of most Asia–North Europe services, so it sits in the middle of the Northern Europe range. Antwerp, Hamburg and Bremerhaven are on the same services and take the same range.

Shipping time from Hai Phong to Rotterdam port, deposit to arrival

Plan the full chain for a Rotterdam delivery:

Customs clearance in the Netherlands and the truck to your warehouse come on top. For an EU import, have the EUDR dossier and the certificate of origin (EUR.1) ready before arrival: Minh Thanh supplies the compliance dossier the EU Deforestation Regulation asks for, origin records and geolocation files, with orders.

How long does shipping take from Hai Phong to the UK?

Typically 30–40 days at sea to Felixstowe, London Gateway or Southampton. These are main-line ports on the Asia–North Europe services, so most sailings reach them without a feeder vessel.

For a UK delivery the chain is the same as for Rotterdam: 15–45 days of production, 30–40 days at sea, then clearance and delivery. Ask for the EUR.1 under the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement on the order, so the preferential duty rate applies at arrival. The UK Trade Tariff lists the Vietnam preferential rate against the third-country rate for plywood (checked on 21 October 2026), when the origin proof is in order.

How long does it take to ship plywood from Vietnam to Jebel Ali?

Typically 15–25 days at sea from Hai Phong to Jebel Ali. The Gulf is one of the shorter long-haul routes from northern Vietnam, and Jebel Ali is a main-line call for most Asia–Middle East services.

Deposit to arrival adds 15–45 days of production to the days at sea. Ports that a feeder serves from Jebel Ali, such as Hamad Port in Qatar, take the same range with the feeder leg at the long end.

How long does shipping take to the Mediterranean?

Typically 25–35 days at sea from Hai Phong to Mediterranean ports such as Genoa, Valencia, Barcelona, Piraeus, Koper and Fos-sur-Mer. Ships from Asia reach the Mediterranean before Northern Europe on the Suez routing, so the range is shorter.

When services avoid the Red Sea and sail around the Cape of Good Hope, Mediterranean ports lose that advantage: the vessel enters through Gibraltar and the voyage lengthens. Check the routing on the quote when timing matters. Our cut-to-size orders, panels cut into 4, 6 or 8 pieces, ship regularly to Italy and other European markets on these routes.

How long does shipping take to the US, Japan and other markets?

From Hai Phong, by carrier and route:

• US West Coast: 20–30 days at sea to Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma.
• US East Coast: 35–45 days at sea to New York and New Jersey, Savannah, Charleston and Norfolk.
• Japan and Korea: about 2–3 weeks to Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and Busan.
• South-East Asia: 5–12 days to Singapore, Port Klang, Laem Chabang and Manila.
• West Africa: 35–50 days to Lagos, Tema, Abidjan and Dakar, usually with a transshipment.

For US orders, the Importer Security Filing data is due before the container is loaded on the vessel; send your filer’s details with the order so the sailing is not missed. For routes outside these regions, such as Australia, South Africa or the Atlantic coast of Morocco, the CFR or CIF quote names the sailing and its days.

Why do transit times from Hai Phong vary?

Each carrier runs its own network, so the same port has a range, not one number. The main reasons:

1. Direct call or transshipment. A transshipment at a hub such as Singapore, Port Klang or a regional port adds waiting time for the next vessel.
2. Port rotation. The first port of call on a service is reached days before the last one.
3. Routing. A diversion around the Cape of Good Hope instead of Suez lengthens Asia–Europe voyages.
4. Congestion and weather. Waiting at anchor before berthing, or typhoon delays in the South China Sea.
5. Blank sailings. A cancelled sailing moves the container to the next vessel on the service.
6. Feeder legs. Smaller ports reached by a feeder from a hub, such as Scandinavian or some Gulf ports.

That is why our transit figures are typical ranges, and why a CFR or CIF quote names the sailing you are booked on.

What happens between the deposit and the vessel sailing?

The production side of the timeline runs in a fixed order at Minh Thanh:

1. Specification and samples. Free samples first; you approve the face, core and glue before ordering.
2. Deposit. 30% deposit; the production clock starts when it arrives.
3. Production. 15–45 days, by specification and quantity; thin 4 mm premium panels and custom sizes take longest.
4. Booking. Under FOB your forwarder books the vessel and gives us the cut-off; under CFR and CIF we book it.
5. Loading. The container is loaded at our factory, photographed and filmed; you receive the photos and video.
6. Haulage and export customs. The container goes by road to Hai Phong and is cleared for export there.
7. Sailing. The vessel leaves; we send the scanned bill of lading, and the 70% balance is due against it.

The step that most often adds days is the booking: a full vessel in peak season, or a cut-off missed because documents were late. Under FOB, a forwarder who books early keeps your container on the planned sailing.

How do you plan door-to-door delivery time?

Add the stages in order and plan on the upper end for a first order:

1. Quotation and samples, before the deposit.
2. Production: 15–45 days after the deposit.
3. Loading, haulage and export clearance to the cut-off at Hai Phong.
4. Days at sea for your region, from the table above.
5. Arrival: discharge, customs clearance and any inspection at your port.
6. Delivery by truck or rail to your warehouse.

Steps 3, 5 and 6 depend on the booking, your port and your broker, so add them from your own experience of that route.

How do you track a plywood container from Hai Phong?

With the container number and the bill of lading number, on the carrier’s own tracking page. Minh Thanh sends both with the scanned B/L once the vessel has sailed. From there:

• Check the vessel and voyage on the B/L against the carrier’s schedule.
• Watch for transshipment at a hub: the container changes vessel and gets a new estimated arrival.
• Send the documents to your broker before the vessel arrives, so clearance can start on arrival.
• Book the truck for the free-time window your carrier gives at the port.

The pack numbers on the packing list match the loading photos and video, so you can check on arrival that each pack in the container is the one loaded at Hai Phong.

How can you shorten the total lead time?

The sea time is fixed by the route; the time before the sailing is not. Five ways to shorten it:

1. Approve samples before the deposit, so production starts on the day the money arrives.
2. Order standard sizes and faces: 1220 × 2440 or 1250 × 2500 mm on Styrax or Eucalyptus cores run as one press programme.
3. Keep a mixed container simple: two or three specifications plan faster than six.
4. Book repeat containers ahead. Buyers who order one or more containers a month get press time reserved, which keeps production at the short end of 15–45 days.
5. Choose a direct service when time matters more than freight price, and name it in the booking.

What does this mean for your order?

For a first order to Europe, plan on 45–85 days from deposit to a Northern European port, 40–80 days to a Mediterranean port, plus clearance and delivery. For repeat orders, a reserved production slot and a known booking routine bring that close to the short end.

Our terms: MOQ one 40HC with mixed specifications by agreement, production 15–45 days after the 30% deposit, the 70% balance against the scanned B/L or an irrevocable L/C at sight, delivered FOB Hai Phong, CFR or CIF. Send your destination port with your specification, and the CFR or CIF quote names the sailing and its days.