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Vietnam's B2C Customs Clearance Info and eCommerce Insights
| ID | VN |
| Capital | Hanoi |
| Official Language | Vietnamese |
| Currency | Vietnamese Dong (VND) |
| Population Size | 95.5 million |
Vietnam’s E-commerce Market
Vietnam’s e-commerce market value is US$2.2 billion in 2018 and is expected to grow to US$4.2 billion by 2022.
Increasing use of smartphones, the rise of internet penetration as well as Vietnam’s young and tech-savvy population are driving the growth in this sector. Within the region, Vietnam has the highest growth in mobile traffic, presenting attractive growth opportunities for e-commerce businesses.
Customs & regulations
Import Duty and Taxes
| Shipment value below VND 2 million | |
|---|---|
| Tax | 0% |
| Shipment value below VND 2 million | |
|---|---|
| Value-Added Tax | 0% |
| Import Duties | 5-30% |
You may check the tariff amount for your commodity here.
Restricted and Forbidden Goods
Restricted items that must meet certain conditions before going through customs clearance:
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Cigarettes, cigars, and tobacco
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Liquor, and more
Prohibited items that cannot be imported into the country:
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Military technical equipment; drugs, opium, and other narcotics
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Anti-government literature; pornographic literature, etc
This list may change depending on government regulations. Visit official customs page for the latest version.
Documentation
Documents required by Vietnam’s customs clearance include:
1. Packing List
This gives product details, shipment volume in kilogram or cubic meter, and serves as a checklist to ensure shipment has been packed correctly or not.
2. Commercial Invoice
This gives total shipment value usually in US dollar. Helps to determine the import duties and taxes, and eligibility of shipment.
If you are shipping without a logistics partner that can clear customs on your behalf, you may need to include the following shipping documentation as well:
- Certificate of origin
- Bill of lading or airway bill
- Insurance policy
- Other relevant permits, licenses, and certificates
Additional information
Payment preferences: Cash On Delivery (COD)
Cash-on-delivery is the most popular payment method in the country, with 91% of online shoppers preferring this over digital payments. E-commerce sellers who wish to enter this market may want to consider offering this form of payment to attract more customers.
Non-working days in 2019
Saturday, Sunday and public holidays are non-working days. Please expect shipment delays on these days.
List of public holidays:
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| Jan 1 | New Year’s Day |
| Jan 23 | Tet Holiday |
| Jan 24 | Tet Eve |
| Jan 25 | Tet Nguyen Dan |
| Jan 26-29 | Tet Holiday |
| Apr 2 | Hung Kings Temple Festival |
| Apr 30 | Reunification Day |
| May 1 | International Labour Day |
| Sep 2 | National Day |
Market Opportunities
Popular E-commerce Item Categories
- Electronics & Media
- Fashion apparel
- Home appliances
- Footwear
Popular Shopping Seasons
| Event Name | Event Period |
|---|---|
| Lunar New Year (Tet) | Feb 15 |
| Online Friday | Sep 7 |
| Singles Day | Nov 11 |
| Black Friday | Nov 23 |
| Cyber Monday | Nov 26 |
Popular Shipping Destinations
| EXPORTS | |
|---|---|
| Rank | Country |
| 1 | United States |
| 2 | China |
| 3 | Japan |
| 4 | South Korea |
| 5 | Hong Kong |
| IMPORTS | |
|---|---|
| Rank | Country |
| 1 | China |
| 2 | South Korea |
| 3 | Japan |
| 4 | Taipei |
| 5 | Thailand |
Sources:
The World Bank (2018) | Statista (2018) | Tech in Asia (2018) | Vietnam Briefing (2018) | Viet Nam News (2018) | Vietnam Online (2018) | Statista (2018) | Office Holidays (2020) | Vietnam Investment Review (2018) | Euromonitor International (2017) | VnExpress (2018) | Zing News (2018) | Frost & Sullivan “South East Asia Transportation and Logistics Market” (2017)
Updated as of 10 Jan 2020.
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