Moving from United States to Vietnam
A long transpacific sea move to a fast moving country where your work permit decides your customs bill. Here is the honest brief on container costs, the household goods relief that hinges on your residence card, the visa routes, and a timeline you can plan around.
Your work permit and residence card decide your customs bill.
A move from the United States to Vietnam is one of the longer sea hauls on the index. Containers usually leave a West Coast port such as Los Angeles, Long Beach or Oakland and cross the Pacific to Cat Lai or Cai Mep near Ho Chi Minh City, or to Hai Phong if you are heading for Hanoi. The ocean leg alone runs about three to five weeks, and a realistic door to door window is six to ten weeks once consolidation, customs and delivery are counted.
The thing that surprises people is how much your immigration paperwork drives customs. Vietnam can admit the used household goods of a foreigner relocating for work without import duty, but the relief is tied to holding a work permit and a temporary residence card. Land without that status sorted and your goods can sit, or attract duty, so the sensible order is to secure the work permit and residence card first, then ship.
Prices below are in US dollars and indicative for 2026. Your real number turns on volume, whether you share a container or take a full one, and the long Pacific distance, which makes air freight a useful bridge for the essentials you cannot wait six weeks for.
What it costs in 2026, by home size and container.
Your bill is driven by volume, the long Pacific crossing, and whether you share a container or fill your own. The figures below are indicative ranges for 2026 in US dollars, door to door.
Indicative 2026 ranges in US dollars, door to door by sea to Ho Chi Minh City or Hai Phong. 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 and the long sailing
- +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 crosses the Pacific
- −Rarely sensible for a full household
Get moving quotes for United States to Vietnam.
Tell us your size and timing. We pass your request to vetted movers who run the transpacific route 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 the United States to Vietnam.
Secure your work permit
Line up your Vietnamese employer, your work permit and the temporary residence card, because that status is what lets your household goods enter without import duty.
Get surveys and quotes
Have movers run video or in home surveys for an accurate volume and a binding price. Confirm whether they sail to Cat Lai for Ho Chi Minh City or Hai Phong for Hanoi, and who clears your goods.
Book the sailing
Confirm your West Coast port and sailing date and lock a valued inventory, which you will need for insurance and the Vietnamese customs declaration.
Register your stay
Enter Vietnam, complete your temporary residence registration with the local police and collect your residence card, so your status is documented before the shipment lands.
Clear customs and deliver
Your agent presents your inventory, passport, work permit and residence card to the General Department of Vietnam Customs to clear the shipment, then delivers to your home.
Clearing your goods into Vietnam.
Vietnam handles imports through the General Department of Vietnam Customs. For a foreigner relocating for work, the used household goods and personal effects of the move can usually be imported without import duty on a single shipment, but the relief is conditional on holding a valid work permit and a temporary residence card. The residence card is the document customs looks for, which is why securing your immigration status before the container arrives matters so much on this route.
You prepare a detailed valued packing list, your passport, your work permit and your temporary residence card, and your customs agent lodges the declaration at Cat Lai, Cai Mep or Hai Phong. New items bought for import, goods in commercial quantities, and anything outside used personal effects can attract duty and value added tax. Honest used valuations and a clear inventory keep clearance moving, because Vietnamese customs inspects household shipments closely.
Vietnam restricts or prohibits a long list of items including firearms, certain printed and recorded media, and some foods, plants and animal products, and importing a used car privately is heavily restricted and rarely practical. Declare everything and check the current lists with your mover before you ship.
The routes in for this corridor.
Most people moving from the United States to Vietnam come for work, so the usual path is an employer sponsored work permit paired with a temporary residence card. Immigration is handled by the Immigration Department, the Cuc Quan ly xuat nhap canh.
Issued to a foreign worker with a Vietnamese employer and a qualifying role. It is the foundation for the temporary residence card and for the household goods relief.
Granted to work permit holders and some investors and family members, valid for up to a few years. It is the document that lets you live in Vietnam and clear your goods.
The DT category for foreigners investing in a Vietnamese business, with the tier and validity scaled to the investment. A route for entrepreneurs rather than employees.
Sponsorship by a spouse or relative who is Vietnamese or a resident, plus the e visa and other short categories that suit visits more than a permanent move.
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 the United States into Vietnam and understands how the household goods relief depends on your work permit and residence card.
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 long Pacific freight, customs clearance at Cat Lai or Hai Phong, 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, which matters more on a long sailing. Read the valuation clause before you sign.
Read recent reviews for this corridor. A mover can be excellent domestically and weak on transpacific shipments. Look for verified reviews that mention the United States to Vietnam route and the customs experience.
Questions people ask about this move.
How much does it cost to move from the United States to Vietnam?
For a two to three bedroom household by sea, plan on roughly 5,000 to 15,000 US 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 the United States to Vietnam?
Door to door is usually about six to ten weeks. The Pacific crossing alone runs three to five weeks from a West Coast port to Ho Chi Minh City or Hai Phong, and consolidation, customs clearance and final delivery add the rest.
Do I pay duty on my household goods moving to Vietnam?
Usually not, if you hold a work permit and a temporary residence card, which let the used household goods of your move enter without import duty on one shipment. Without that status your goods can attract duty, so sort your residence card first. Verify the current rules with Vietnam customs.
Do I need a visa to move from the United States to Vietnam?
Yes. The standard path is an employer sponsored work permit paired with a temporary residence card, with investor and family routes for others. Confirm your route and the current rules with official Vietnamese government sources before you move.
Can I bring my car from the United States to Vietnam?
In practice, rarely. Importing a used private vehicle into Vietnam is heavily restricted and costly, so most movers sell up before leaving and buy locally. Check the current rules before you plan on shipping a car.
What should I do first when I arrive in Vietnam?
Complete your temporary residence registration with the local police, collect your temporary residence card, register your tax code, and open a local bank account. Those steps document your stay and unlock housing, services and daily life.
Last reviewed: 1 April 2026. We refresh this guide as costs, customs, and visa rules change.