Moving from Ireland to Vietnam
A practical guide to shipping your home from Ireland to Vietnam, clearing customs at Cat Lai or Hai Phong, and the residence card that underpins the move.
Moving from Ireland to Vietnam, in one honest summary.
Moving from Ireland to Vietnam means sending your home by sea halfway around the world to the ports that serve Ho Chi Minh City, at Cat Lai, or Hanoi, through Hai Phong. It is a long intercontinental move, so your goods leave the EU and clear Vietnamese customs on arrival. For a typical two to three bedroom home in a twenty foot container, budget roughly EUR 5,000 to EUR 9,500 door to door in 2026, with volume, season and the inland delivery driving the final number.
The thing that surprises people is how tightly customs is linked to your work and residence status. Vietnam allows expatriates with a work permit and a temporary residence card to import used household goods, and clearance runs smoothly only when those documents are in order. Without the right status the import is far harder, so the immigration side is the first thing to lock down.
Plan on six to nine weeks door to door once the container is loaded, then customs clearance and delivery. After arrival the practical priorities are your temporary residence card, your local residence registration with the ward police, and a bank account, which together make daily life in Vietnam workable.
What it costs in 2026, by home size and method.
These are indicative 2026 ranges in euros for the Ireland to Vietnam sea move, door to door. Volume sets the container size, and season, the transhipment routing and the final delivery leg move the number most.
A shared container is cheaper because you pay only for the space your goods use, but it is slower and tied to consolidation schedules. A full twenty or forty foot container is faster and more secure for a whole home. The route involves a transhipment hub in Asia, and a long inland delivery in Vietnam adds cost.
- +Lowest cost for small volumes
- +Pay only for the space you use
- −Slower, tied to consolidation
- −Fixed sailing windows
- +Right size for a two to three bed home
- +Faster and more secure than groupage
- +Sole use of the container
- −Costs more than a shared load if part empty
- +Fits a four bed home with extras
- +Best value per cubic metre at volume
- −Overkill for a small home
- −Needs good truck access at both ends
- +Fastest for a few boxes
- +Good for what you need on day one
- −Far more expensive by weight
- −Not for a full household
Get moving quotes for Ireland to Vietnam.
Tell us your home size and timing and we put your Ireland to Vietnam move in front of vetted movers who run this long Asia lane and know Vietnamese customs. Free, no obligation.
A realistic schedule for this route.
A realistic schedule for the Ireland to Vietnam sea move. The voyage is the long fixed leg, and your work permit and residence card are the part to settle early.
Get quotes and book
Request a binding pre move survey from movers who run the Ireland to Vietnam lane. Long haul sailings and the residence paperwork both reward an early start, so book your slot well ahead.
Status and paperwork
Confirm your work permit and temporary residence card are in hand, and prepare a detailed valued inventory. These documents are what let your agent clear the household at Cat Lai or Hai Phong.
Pack and load
Packers wrap and inventory everything and load the container. The inventory you sign is the document Vietnamese customs and your insurer will rely on, so check it carefully.
Sea voyage
The container sails from Ireland to Asia, usually via a transhipment hub, to the port serving Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi. Track the vessel and have clearance documents ready before it berths.
Customs, delivery and registration
Your agent clears the goods through Vietnamese customs, then the crew delivers and unpacks. You confirm your residence registration with the ward police and settle your banking.
Clearing Vietnamese customs on your household goods.
Vietnam allows expatriates who are transferring their residence to import used household goods, and the relief is tied closely to your status. Holders of a valid work permit and a temporary residence card are generally able to import a household, while a short term visitor cannot. The General Department of Vietnam Customs oversees clearance, and the import must usually be made within a defined window after you take up residence.
Expect to provide a detailed packing inventory, your passport, your work permit and temporary residence card, and the bill of lading. Customs pays attention to new versus used goods and to electrical appliances, where the quantity of each type you may bring is typically limited to one. New items and anything beyond the allowance can attract duty and tax, so an honest, well documented inventory matters.
Restricted and controlled items follow their own rules. Vietnam controls printed and recorded media, firearms, certain foods and some medicines, and a vehicle is a separate import with high taxes and its own steps. Pets need microchipping, vaccination and a health certificate. A local clearing agent is effectively essential, and a buffer for clearance is wise because storage charges accrue at the port.
The routes in for this corridor.
Most people moving from Ireland to Vietnam go for work, and the immigration documents also unlock the customs import. Each route is summarised in two sentences. None of this is immigration advice, so confirm with official Vietnamese sources before you commit.
Foreign nationals working in Vietnam need an employer arranged work permit, which then supports a temporary residence card allowing longer stays. This combination is the usual basis for importing a household.
Those investing in or running a business in Vietnam can apply for investor categories that also support a temporary residence card. Conditions depend on the investment and the company structure.
Spouses and children of work permit holders or of Vietnamese citizens can apply for a residence card on that basis. The sponsor's status shapes the documents and the duration granted.
Vietnam has no dedicated retirement visa, so longer stays without work usually rely on renewable visas arranged through a sponsor. Confirm the current options, as the rules change.
How to pick a mover for this route, without the guesswork.
We do not rank or recommend individual companies. We teach you the criteria that separate a safe international move from an expensive mistake, then put your request in front of vetted movers who run this lane.
Look first for membership of FIDI or IAM, the two international moving networks whose members are audited for financial stability and quality. A mover that runs the Ireland to Vietnam lane regularly will have a trusted clearing agent at Cat Lai or Hai Phong and will understand how the work permit and residence card connect to your import, which is where this move is won or lost.
Insist on a binding pre move survey, in person or by video, so the quote reflects your real volume rather than a guess. Get the scope in writing: who packs, who handles customs clearance and the port charges in Vietnam, what marine insurance covers, and what the inland delivery includes. Compare like for like, because the cheapest headline number often hides port and clearance fees that appear later.
Check the insurance terms and the claims record, read recent reviews from people who moved on the same route, and confirm the cover pays replacement value rather than a token figure by weight. When you are ready, the quote form above puts your move in front of vetted movers who run this corridor, with no obligation.
Questions people ask about this move.
How much does it cost to move from Ireland to Vietnam?
As an indicative 2026 range, a one bedroom home runs roughly EUR 2,000 to EUR 5,800 and a two to three bedroom home roughly EUR 3,800 to EUR 9,500 door to door, depending on container size, season and the inland delivery in Vietnam.
How long does shipping from Ireland to Vietnam take?
Plan on six to nine weeks door to door for a full container once it is loaded. A shared container can take eight to twelve weeks because it waits for consolidation, and customs clearance adds time at the port.
Do I pay duty on my furniture moving to Vietnam?
With a valid work permit and temporary residence card you can usually import used household goods, though appliances are limited to about one of each type. New items and anything beyond the allowance can attract duty and tax.
Which port will my goods arrive at?
Shipments for Ho Chi Minh City usually arrive at Cat Lai, while those for Hanoi come through Hai Phong, with the choice following your final delivery address.
Can I import a household to Vietnam as a tourist?
No. Importing a household needs the status that comes with a work permit and temporary residence card, so settle your immigration position before shipping your goods.
Last reviewed: 25 March 2026. We refresh this guide as costs, customs, and visa rules change.