Moving from Singapore to Vietnam
A short regional sea move from Singapore into Vietnam. Here is the honest brief on container costs, the quick run to Cat Lai or Hai Phong, the work permit and residence card you will need, and a timeline you can plan around.
A two day sea hop, but the residence paperwork is the real work.
A move from Singapore to Vietnam is one of the shortest international sea hauls you can make. Containers leave the Port of Singapore, one of the busiest in the world, and reach Cat Lai in Ho Chi Minh City or Hai Phong for Hanoi in only a couple of days at sea. Yet a realistic door to door window is three to five weeks once consolidation, customs clearance and final delivery are counted, because the bottleneck is paperwork and inspection at the Vietnam end, not the ocean.
The customs picture rewards preparation. Vietnam admits used household goods belonging to people who hold a valid work permit and a temporary residence card, but the clearance is documentary and strict, and your goods need to arrive close to when your residence status is in place. Get the sequence wrong and a fast sea leg turns into weeks of storage at Cat Lai.
Prices below are in Singapore dollars and indicative for 2026. Your real number turns on volume, whether you share a container or take a full one, and delivery distance from the port to your address in Vietnam.
What it costs in 2026, by home size and container.
Your bill is driven by volume and whether you share a container or fill your own, plus delivery from Cat Lai in Ho Chi Minh City or Hai Phong for the north. The figures below are indicative ranges for 2026 in Singapore dollars, door to door.
Indicative 2026 ranges in Singapore dollars, door to door by sea from the Port of Singapore to Cat Lai in Ho Chi Minh City or Hai Phong for the north. Volume, season, the port pair and final delivery distance move the figure. Summer is the peak.
- +Best value for a studio or a partial home
- +You pay only for the space you use
- −Slower, because your goods wait for the consolidated load
- +Faster and sealed to your home only
- +The sensible choice for a full home
- −You pay for the whole box even if you do not fill it
- +Fastest way to get essentials to Vietnam
- +Useful while your container is at sea
- −Rarely sensible for a full household
Get moving quotes for Singapore to Vietnam.
Tell us your size and timing. We pass your request to vetted movers who run the route from Singapore into Vietnam, and you compare them on your own terms.
A realistic schedule for this route.
Working back from the day your container sails, here is a realistic schedule for a sea move from Singapore to Vietnam.
Sort your residence route
Decide your path into Vietnam early, because as a national from outside you need the right status before your goods clear customs.
Get surveys and quotes
Have movers run video or in home surveys for an accurate volume and a binding price. Confirm they sail from Singapore into Vietnam and handle clearance at Cat Lai in Ho Chi Minh City or Hai Phong for the north.
Book the sailing
Confirm your Singapore port and sailing date and lock a valued inventory, which you will need for insurance and customs clearance.
Register on arrival
Settle in Vietnam and complete the residence steps through the local immigration authority, the basis for your customs relief.
Clear customs and deliver
Your agent lodges the declaration with the General Department of Vietnam Customs at Cat Lai in Ho Chi Minh City or Hai Phong for the north, applies any relief, then delivers to your home.
Clearing your goods into Vietnam.
Vietnam treats your move as an import, so your used household goods need a customs declaration lodged with the General Department of Vietnam Customs. Relief from import duty and value added tax for personal effects is available to people transferring residence who hold a valid work permit and a temporary residence card, and the clearance hinges on those documents being in order. The shipment should generally arrive within a defined window of your arrival, so timing matters more here than on most routes.
You prepare a detailed valued inventory in English, your passport, your work permit and temporary residence card, and the import declaration, which your mover or a licensed customs broker lodges at Cat Lai or Hai Phong. Honest used valuations keep clearance smooth. New items, electronics in quantity and anything that looks commercial can attract duty and closer inspection.
Bringing a car or motorbike is heavily restricted and rarely worth it for a temporary resident, so weigh it against buying locally. Used goods, certain electronics, printed material, weapons and cultural items face controls or prohibitions, so declare everything and check the current lists before you ship.
The routes in for this corridor.
A Singapore citizen or resident needs a work permit and then a temporary residence card to live in Vietnam. The work permit is arranged by your Vietnamese employer, and the residence card follows once you are in the country.
The standard route, sponsored by a Vietnamese employer, confirming your job and qualifications. It is the document that unlocks the temporary residence card and legal work.
Issued after the work permit, valid for up to two years and renewable. It lets you live in Vietnam without repeated visa runs and is the basis for your customs relief.
For those setting up or investing in a Vietnamese company, with a residence card tied to the registered capital and activity.
For the spouse and children of a permit holder, granted on the strength of the sponsor's status and relationship documents.
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.
Check the trade affiliation. Membership of FIDI or IAM is the clearest signal a mover is financially screened and bound to industry standards for international household goods. For this route, ask whether the mover ships regularly from Singapore into Vietnam and clears household goods at Cat Lai or Hai Phong.
Insist on a binding pre move survey. A real video or in home survey of your volume is the only honest basis for a price. A quote given without one is a guess that tends to grow on moving day.
Compare like for like. Read what each quote includes: packing, materials, the ocean freight, customs clearance at Cat Lai in Ho Chi Minh City or Hai Phong for the north, destination delivery, stair or long carry charges, and insurance. The cheapest headline number is rarely the cheapest move.
Understand the insurance terms. Ask whether cover is full replacement value or depreciated, what the excess is, and how claims are handled. Read the valuation clause before you sign.
Read recent reviews for this corridor. A mover can be excellent domestically and weak on international sea shipments. Look for verified reviews that mention the Singapore to Vietnam route and a smooth delivery.
Questions people ask about this move.
How much does it cost to move from Singapore to Vietnam?
For a two to three bedroom household by sea, plan on roughly 3,500 to 8,500 Singapore dollars door to door in 2026, depending on volume, shared or full container, the port pair, and delivery distance within Vietnam. A studio is less and a four bedroom home more. These are indicative ranges, not a quote.
How long does shipping take from Singapore to Vietnam?
Door to door is usually about three to five weeks. The sea leg from Singapore to Cat Lai or Hai Phong is only about two to four days, but consolidation, customs clearance and delivery in Vietnam add the rest.
Do I pay duty on my household goods moving to Vietnam?
Often not, if you hold a valid work permit and temporary residence card and claim relief as someone transferring residence. Used effects can clear free of import duty and value added tax, but the documents and timing must line up. Verify the current rules with Vietnam customs.
Do I need a visa to move from Singapore to Vietnam?
Yes. The usual path is a work permit sponsored by your Vietnamese employer, followed by a temporary residence card. Investor and family routes also exist. Confirm your route with official Vietnamese sources before you move.
Which port do my goods arrive at in Vietnam?
Cat Lai in Ho Chi Minh City handles most southern shipments and Hai Phong serves the north, and your mover delivers onward from there to your Vietnamese address.
Do I have to register when I arrive in Vietnam?
Yes. Your work permit and temporary residence card are arranged after arrival, and you register your residence with the local authorities, the step that makes your stay official and underpins your customs relief.
Last reviewed: 4 January 2026. We refresh this guide as costs, customs, and visa rules change.