Ho Chi Minh to Houston ocean freight

Airlift's port-to-port planning range from Ho Chi Minh (VNSGN), Viet Nam to Houston (USHOU), United States is 32–40 days on its Vietnam to USA lane. Below: live sailings when the schedule feed has them, each stage from pickup to delivery, and a quote form with this route already filled in.

Request a quote for this routeVietnam to USA lane guide →
Port of loadingHo Chi Minh, SG, Viet Nam UN/LOCODE VNSGN · listed as Ho Chi Minh City
Port of dischargeHouston, TX, United States UN/LOCODE USHOU · CBP Schedule D 5301
Transit planning range32–40 days port to port From the Vietnam to USA lane guide, reviewed 2026-10-06. A planning range, not a guaranteed transit time.
Container types20′, 40′ and 40′ high cube
CustomsExport declaration via VNACCS; ISF filed at least 24 hours before loading; US entry through licensed customs brokers

How Airlift moves cargo from Ho Chi Minh to Houston

Airlift USA ships from Vietnam to the USA by ocean (FCL, with LCL on request) and air, with its own office in Ho Chi Minh City at origin and its own offices in New Jersey and Los Angeles at destination. Ocean transit runs 22–60 days port to port: Ho Chi Minh City (Cat Lai) to Los Angeles takes 28–34 days, to Houston 32–40 days and to New York 35–45 days, and Hai Phong to New York 36–46 days. Air freight takes 3–5 days airport to airport on direct services from Tan Son Nhat (SGN) and Noi Bai (HAN), and 5–10 days door to door.

The Ho Chi Minh City office arranges factory pickup, container stuffing, consolidation from several suppliers and the export declaration in VNACCS, for cargo through Cat Lai, Cai Mep and Hai Phong. Airlift USA, in business since 1999 and an FMC-licensed NVOCC (FMC No. 016162), files the ISF, coordinates the US customs entry through licensed customs brokers and arranges delivery through contracted trucking carriers. The main commodities are furniture, textiles, footwear and electronics.

The transit ranges on this page are P10–P90 port-to-port times from Airlift’s own shipments on this lane over the last 12 months. They are planning ranges, not guaranteed durations.

Origin gateways on this lane: Ho Chi Minh City (Cat Lai) for factories in the south, with direct mainline services calling the deep-water Cai Mep–Thi Vai terminals near Vung Tau; Hai Phong for the Hanoi, Bac Ninh and Hai Duong clusters in the north. US gateways: Los Angeles and Long Beach on the West Coast (28–34 and 28–35 days from Ho Chi Minh City); Houston (32–40 days) and New York (35–45 days) by all-water service.

These ranges include any feeder leg and transshipment call, for example at Kaohsiung, Yantian, Shanghai or Singapore, which vary with each carrier’s schedule.

Published carrier schedules for this pair, with services, vessels and transit days, are on Sealanes: Ho Chi Minh to Houston. Search live sailings for any port pair in the transit-time and vessel schedule tool.

Cargo we regularly move on the Vietnam to USA lane: Furniture, textiles, footwear, electronics; also household appliances, packaging materials, retail inventory.

From pickup to delivery: stages around the ocean leg (32–40 days)

  1. Origin pickup and drayage

    Collection from the shipper and the truck run to the load port or CFS (the warehouse where LCL cargo is consolidated). Timing depends on distance inland, equipment availability and the terminal appointment, so we quote it per shipment. Book it against the carrier cut-off, not the sailing date.

  2. Export clearance and cut-offs

    The export declaration, documents, and the VGM (verified gross mass) and gate cut-offs ahead of the sailing. Cut-offs typically fall several days before ETD and vary by carrier and terminal. Missing one rolls the container to the next sailing — the single most common reason a lane runs long.

  3. Ocean transit (port to port)32–40 days

    The sailing itself, from ETD at the load port to ETA at the discharge port. This is the only stage we put a number on, and that number is typical and schedule-dependent: it shifts with the service string, the number of transshipments and congestion at either end.

  4. US import clearance and release

    ISF filing before loading, then entry and release once the vessel arrives. A clean entry filed in advance often clears around arrival; an exam, a PGA (partner government agency) hold or a classification query adds time no schedule can predict. Airlift coordinates clearance through our licensed broker network.

  5. Terminal release and final delivery

    The container becomes available at the terminal; then chassis, appointment, and the drayage or line-haul to the consignee. Free time at the terminal runs out, so book the delivery appointment before the vessel berths, not after.

Cargo guides for this lane

Electronics & semiconductor logistics →Furniture & wood products shipping guide →Textiles & apparel logistics →Mattresses, foam and cushioned goods →E-commerce consumer goods →

Terms on this page:Full Container Load (FCL)Less than Container Load (LCL)Bill of Lading (BOL)Commercial InvoiceTransshipment

Also from Ho Chi Minh

Also into Houston

See every pair on the Vietnam to USA lane guide, plus port profiles for Ho Chi Minh and Houston.

Ho Chi Minh to Houston shipping FAQs

Airlift's published planning range for Ho Chi Minh to Houston is 32 to 40 days port to port, as published on the Vietnam to USA lane guide. The actual time depends on the carrier, the routing and any transshipment, and on terminal and customs timing at both ends, so confirm the sailing when you request a quote. Origin pickup, export clearance and US delivery add to the port-to-port figure.

These listed planning ranges are not guaranteed durations. Confirm the current routing and sailing schedule when requesting a quote. Page copy reviewed 2026-09-22.

Request a quote: Ho Chi Minh to Houston

The route is already in the notes. Add the commodity, plus either the package count with weight and dimensions or the container size and count. Then give the cargo-ready date and say whether you need pickup at origin, US delivery or customs clearance. We reply with the freight rate, destination charges and the services included.

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Please add: cargo, volume (containers, CBM or weight) and ready date

We reply to quote requests normally within one business day.

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