Vietnam freight forwarding: your guide to smarter supply chains
Explore how Vietnam freight forwarding supports businesses in managing high logistics costs and complex trade to grow efficiently in a booming market.
Learn more Get in touchMoving goods from A to B involves much more than just transportation. It requires navigating complex global supply chains, complying with regulations, choosing the right transport modes, managing risks, and ensuring timely deliveries. Freight forwarding partners act as expert intermediaries, coordinating shipments by air, sea, road, and rail. They simplify global trade for businesses of all sizes, especially in complex international markets.
Vietnam is emerging as one of the most promising countries in Southeast Asia for freight forwarding. Its manufacturing sector, contributing about 16.5% 1 to GDP, has grown rapidly due to an export-focused economy, competitive labour costs, and trade agreements. With strengths in electronics, textiles, footwear, and seafood, Vietnam has become a key global sourcing hub. This makes Vietnam freight forwarding services increasingly important. However, such growth brings logistical challenges alongside opportunities.
Carl Williams, Managing Director – Asia Pacific, emphasises that selecting the right freight forwarding partner in Vietnam is essential for navigating these challenges. Local expertise, strong carrier relationships, and thorough knowledge of customs regulations help businesses optimise costs, improve delivery reliability, and adapt swiftly to changing markets. Professional Vietnam freight forwarding services go beyond transportation; they build robust, resilient, and efficient supply chains.
What is a freight forwarding partner
Freight forwarders support a wide range of needs, from moving finished goods directly to retailers, to transporting components between factories for further assembly. Shipments may involve packages, crates, or full containers, and services are tailored to each client, whether it’s a single delivery or part of a complex global supply chain. Many forwarders are part of international networks like the Freight Forwarder System International (FFSI), combining global coverage with local knowledge, which is especially valuable in trade hubs such as Vietnam.
For example, imagine a homeware brand in the UK sourcing ceramics from multiple suppliers in Vietnam. A freight forwarder can arrange to collect goods from each supplier by truck, consolidate the shipment at a local hub, transport it by sea to the UK, and then coordinate final delivery by road to the retailer’s distribution centre. Crucially, throughout the process, the forwarder takes on the responsibility to manage the customs paperwork, ensure the shipment stays on schedule, and helps the business to maintain a smooth and reliable supply chain.
The rise of Vietnam freight forwarding
Within Vietnam, freight forwarding is seeing significant growth, driven by strategic advantages that position the country as a key player in both regional and global supply chains.
Its location in Southeast Asia offers easy access to major markets like China, Japan, and South Korea, along with vital shipping routes. With a long coastline and many seaports, Vietnam serves as a natural gateway between East and West Asia.
Government support 2 through strategic policies, infrastructure investments, and trade agreements is driving the development of a more efficient and digitalised logistics industry. Key infrastructure projects, including the expansion of major ports like Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang, 3 along with upgraded airport cargo facilities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, 4 are helping meet growing demand for reliable and fast freight services.
Vietnam’s fast-growing e-commerce sector, expected to reach $44 billion by 2027, is driving demand for flexible, scalable logistics 5. Businesses importing or exporting goods can benefit from working with a Vietnam freight forwarding partner who can manage cross-border complexity, ensure reliable last-mile delivery, and support rapid fulfilment.
Trade agreements, 6 including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), are improving market access but also add regulatory challenges. A Vietnam freight forwarding specialist with strong local knowledge and customs expertise can help businesses stay compliant, adapt quickly, and remain competitive.
Overcoming Vietnam’s logistics challenges with a freight forwarder
The Vietnam freight forwarding sector offers many opportunities, but it also comes with challenges. Partnering with an experienced Vietnam freight forwarding provider is key to overcoming these hurdles, navigating the country’s complex logistics landscape, and building more flexible, resilient supply chains.
Unpredictable logistics costs
According to the Vietnam Logistics Service Business Association, average logistics costs in Vietnam are around 17%, significantly higher than the global average of 10.6% 7.
Several factors contribute to these costs. There are transport inefficiencies, largely due to a heavy reliance on road transport and limited integration among road, rail, and port infrastructure, which can lead to delays and increased expenses. Additionally, market fluctuations, such as volatile fuel prices and rising labor costs, add to the unpredictability of logistics expenses.
To help businesses effectively manage their spending and navigate the sometimes complex Vietnamese market, Vietnam freight forwarding partners, like Unipart, are valuable. Their specialised knowledge directly leads to significant cost savings.
These partners are experts at making operations run smoothly, finding the most economical shipping routes, and strategically combining shipments. All of this directly helps to bring down transport costs. They also use their strong connections with a wide range of carriers to secure competitive prices, often far better than what individual businesses could achieve on their own. Their deep understanding of local shipping trends and rules also helps businesses avoid expensive delays, minimise waste, and steer clear of unexpected charges, making the whole supply chain more efficient and budget-friendly.
Overcoming infrastructure gaps
Vietnam is making a substantial investment in its transport network, allocating an estimated $43 billion to $65 billion to build new highways, high-speed rail lines, deepwater ports, and international airports 8. This shows a strong focus on improving the country’s capabilities for the future.
While Vietnam’s comprehensive infrastructure plan lays the groundwork for future advancements, the current logistics landscape presents certain areas for development. This is where Vietnam freight forwarding becomes important, helping businesses operate smoothly within the conditions.
A freight forward’s in-depth local knowledge helps them plan and manage multimodal transport solutions – combining road, rail, sea, and air routes. This approach aims to bypass congestion and mitigate delays, ensuring goods move efficiently for the customer. They also assist businesses in accessing cold chain facilities, helping to bridge gaps in storage options as the sector scales to meet demand, which benefits the integrity of temperature-sensitive products.
By managing existing infrastructure limitations and coordinating across different carriers and regions, Vietnam freight forwarders contribute to maintaining reliable supply chain operations and consistent performance for their clients. This is particularly vital in complex areas like last-mile delivery or intermodal transport.
Complex and changing customs regulations
Vietnam’s customs environment is undergoing important changes as the country works to modernise trade processes and align with international standards. Upcoming developments, such as the new VAT law effective 1 July 2025 9, introducing a 0% rate for goods and services sold to foreign entities and consumed abroad, signal a shift towards more export-friendly tax treatment. Authorities are also reviewing schemes like the “on-spot” import-export model 10, highlighting the need for up-to-date knowledge and agile operations.
Vietnam freight forwarding is essential in helping businesses navigate these regulatory changes. With deep expertise in local regulations and well-established links to customs authorities, they manage documentation, ensure compliance, and reduce the likelihood of delays or penalties. Their support streamlines clearance processes and helps maintain delivery performance, even as policies shift.
By partnering with a Vietnam freight forwarding service that understands Vietnam’s regulatory environment, businesses not only stay compliant, they also gain a strategic advantage. With less time spent on administrative tasks and more certainty in cross-border trade, organisations can focus on growth and building more reliable supply chains.
Tracking and managing risks
Digital technologies like AI, IoT, and automation are driving a dynamic transformation within Vietnam’s logistics industry, which is enthusiastically embracing smart logistics. These innovations are revolutionising how businesses track shipments and manage risks, offering unprecedented real-time visibility, predictive analysis, and swift response capabilities. IoT sensors deliver precise data on location and condition, while AI algorithms predict disruptions and optimise decision-making, helping to shift risk management from reactive to proactive.
Bolstered by strong government support and significant investment, with Vietnamese businesses increasing digital technology spending by 25% to $500 million in 2023, this digital push is already yielding positive results, including AI-driven cost reductions of 20-35% 11.
While the sector is on an upward trajectory, certain challenges, such as relatively high logistics costs and a looming shortage of digitally skilled workers, highlight the complexities of this rapid growth. This is precisely why engaging with a forward-thinking Vietnam freight forwarding partner becomes a strategic advantage. A Vietnam freight forwarding specialist partner can leverage these cutting-edge digital tools to benefit your operations directly, providing you with crucial real-time tracking and comprehensive risk management.
“China Plus One” and freight forwarding
Companies are increasingly shifting certain elements of their supply chains out of China in favour of a “China Plus One” strategy 12. This approach involves maintaining operations in China while expanding manufacturing and sourcing to additional countries like Vietnam, India, or Malaysia. This diversification is driven by rising labour costs, geopolitical tensions, and the supply chain disruptions exposed during COVID-19, aiming to reduce over-reliance on a single market and build greater resilience.
Freight forwarders play a vital role in making the “China Plus One” strategy work effectively, particularly as businesses expand into new regions. They help simplify the transition and keep goods moving efficiently by:
- Navigating complex customs and regulatory requirements in new markets, ensuring compliance and smooth transitions.
- Providing access to essential local warehousing and infrastructure, which is crucial for setting up new supply chains efficiently.
- Optimising multimodal transport across multiple geographies, identifying alternative routes to avoid congestion and disruption, and improving transit times.
Through these capabilities, especially within Vietnam, Vietnam freight forwarding partners enable businesses to improve lead times, reduce reliance on single-country sourcing, and build more geographically balanced and reliable supply chains, ultimately enhancing overall resilience.
Choose Unipart as your freight forwarder
Unipart combines in-depth local knowledge, global reach, and decades of supply chain expertise to deliver reliable freight forwarding services, either independently or as part of a wider scope of supply chain activity. This can involve cross-border movement into and within Vietnam as part of a China Plus One strategy, or managing freight from suppliers and factories in Vietnam to the US, Europe, and the wider Asia-Pacific region. Through our trusted network, including membership in Freight Forwarder System International (FFSI), we help customers navigate complex logistics challenges with confidence.
Our freight forwarding solutions are designed to deliver value at every stage of the supply chain:
- Cost optimisation: We identify the most efficient routes, negotiate competitive rates, and consolidate shipments to help reduce overall shipping costs.
- Infrastructure management: By leveraging multiple modes of transport and robust contingency plans, we help businesses overcome infrastructure challenges, from port congestion to poor road conditions.
- Customs expertise: Our teams ensure accurate documentation, regulatory compliance, and swift customs clearance to avoid costly delays.
- Visibility and risk management: With real-time tracking, tailored insurance solutions, and backup strategies in place, we help minimise disruption and improve supply chain resilience.
What truly sets Unipart apart is our unique ability to connect freight forwarding needs with wider multi-sector supply chain capabilities, both upstream and downstream, covering warehousing, transportation, a strong focus on supply chain sustainability, design, consulting, and customer service functions.
Resources:
- JTM Asia – Effective Sourcing Strategies in Vietnam. 2024
- Vietnam Briefing – Investing in the Logistics Sector in Vietnam: A Brief Guide. 2024
- DF-Alliance – Freight Forwarder in Vietnam. 2025
- Mordor Intelligence – Vietnam freight and logistics market size & share analysis – growth trends & forecasts up to 2030. 2024
- Payments and Commerce Market Intelligence – Breaking Down Vietnam’s E-Commerce Market. 2024
- Vietnam Briefing – Vietnam’s International Free Trade Agreements. 2025
- Vietnam Investment Review – Long-term funds to address logistics cost. 2024
- Vietnam Briefing – Vietnam Transport Infrastructure: State, Challenges & Future. 2024
- Vietnam Briefing – Vietnam’s New VAT Law: Key Compliance Guidance. 2025
- Customs Consulting – The Customs Department holds a meeting to collect opinions on changing on-the-spot import and export activities. 2025
- SD Link – The Growth Potential of Smart Logistics in Vietnam 2025. 2025
- Strategic Risk Global – The rise and rise of ‘China Plus One’ risk strategies. 2024