Shipping from Vietnam to USA: Why the “North” is Faster Than the “South” (2025 Guide)

When Western buyers think of shipping from Vietnam, they usually think of Cat Lai Port in Ho Chi Minh City.

Big mistake.

If you are manufacturing electronics or high-value goods in the North (Hanoi, Bac Ninh), sending your goods down to Ho Chi Minh City is like routing your internet traffic through a dial-up server. It creates massive “latency” (delays).

As a Hanoi-based consultant, I see containers get stuck in the Southern congestion for weeks. Meanwhile, savvy “China Plus One” investors are using the Northern Route via Haiphong.

Here is your logistical map for 2025.

1. The “Bottleneck” Problem: Cat Lai (South) vs. Lach Huyen (North)

• The South (Cat Lai – VNSGN): This is Vietnam’s busiest port. It handles huge volumes of textiles and furniture. During peak season (August – October), trucks queue for kilometers, and vessels get delayed waiting for a berth.
• The North (Lach Huyen – VNHPH): This is the game changer. Located in Haiphong (1.5 hours from Hanoi), Lach Huyen is the North’s first Deep-Sea Port.
  • The Insider Advantage: Unlike older ports, Lach Huyen can handle “Mother Vessels” (100,000+ DWT). This means your container goes Direct to US West Coast without having to be unloaded and reloaded in Singapore or Hong Kong.

2. Shipping Times: The “Latency” Test

Time is money. Here is the average transit time to the US West Coast (Los Angeles / Long Beach) in 2025:

Route	Transshipment?	Transit Time	Reliability
HCMC (Cat Lai) -> LA	Often via Singapore	30 – 35 Days	Medium (Congestion risks)
Haiphong (Lach Huyen) -> LA	Direct Service	17 – 23 Days	High

• Developer Note: Choosing the North cuts your “Ping” (lead time) by nearly 30%. This is critical for electronics that depreciate in value quickly.

3. The “China Cross-Border” Trick

This is a logistics strategy that only locals and Chinese factory owners know.

If you are missing a raw material component (e.g., a specific plastic casing) from your supplier in Shenzhen, you don’t need to ship it by sea.

• The Route: Shenzhen -> Pingxiang (China Border) -> Lang Son (Vietnam Border) -> Bac Ninh Factory.
• The Time: 12 – 24 Hours.
• The Cost: A 10-ton truck costs roughly $1,200 – $1,500 USD for the trip.

This “Cross-Border Trucking” capability is unique to Northern Vietnam. You cannot do this efficiently if your factory is in Ho Chi Minh City (which is another 1,600km south).

4. Estimated Freight Costs (2025 Q1)

Freight rates fluctuate weekly (like stock prices), but here are the baseline operational costs you should budget for:

• 20ft Container (Haiphong -> US West Coast): ~$1,800 – $2,500 USD.
• 40ft Container (Haiphong -> US West Coast): ~$2,200 – $3,000 USD.
• Local Trucking (Bac Ninh -> Haiphong Port): ~$150 – $200 USD.

Conclusion: Location Matters

When choosing a factory location, don’t just look at labor costs. Look at the map.

If you manufacture in the North, you gain access to the Lach Huyen Deep Sea Port and the Cross-Border Trucking route to China.

If you manufacture in the South, you are competing with thousands of furniture and textile factories for space at Cat Lai.

Need a reliable Freight Forwarder in Haiphong? I don’t sell shipping, but I track who is reliable. Check my [Resources Page] for recommended logistics partners.