Vietnam and the UK share a long and very strong trade relationship. Thanks to the UKVFTA (agreement) between Vietnam and the UK, which took effect in 2020, the relationship between those two countries has become much better than ever. By the end of 2022, it estimated the total exports from Vietnam to the UK to be around 7.2 billion USD. The top exports are vegetables, coffee, pepper, iron and steel, machinery, and sports equipment. If you want to know more about shipping from Vietnam to the UK, we look into this matter more in this article.
Shipping from Vietnam to the UK – methods of shipping
Sea freight from Vietnam to the UK
It’s the most affordable choice and best for those who want to ship big volumes of goods. For its price, ocean freight is the most popular form of shipping. Containerized shipping is divided into the LCL (Less Container Load) and FCL (Full Container Load) methods.
- The LCL means you will share the container with other shippers, so this option takes a bit longer.
- The FCL option means that your goods fill the entire container. It’s best for shipping many goods efficiently. The pricing is based on a flat rate, so it doesn’t matter whether you will fill the whole container.
Sea freight transit time from Vietnam to the UK is around 58-62 days. This means that you must consider what type of product you want to transport. For Vietnam, the most popular goods are vegetables, coffee, and pepper, which have a short expiry date. Although there are containers with a refrigerated option, choosing air shipping for those types of goods is much safer.
Main cargo seaports in Vietnam:
- Hai Phong Port
- Vung Tau Port
- Van Phong Port
- Qui Nhon Port
- Saigon Port
Main cargo seaports in the UK:
- Port of Immingham
- Port of Felixstowe
- Port of Tees
- Port of Liverpool
- Port of Milford Haven
Airfreight from Vietnam to the UK
Shipping by a cargo plane is much faster but also much more expensive compared to sea freight. It’s the best in a situation when you care about the shipping time, want to transport small and relatively light products, or want to transport products with a short expiry date.
As mentioned before, Vietnam exports many products which are not suitable for sea freight. Even though more expensive, airfreight is much better for those types of goods as the shipment should arrive at the destination in 6-14 days. The products should fill up to 2-3 pallets as the air transport has strict weight limits.
Main cargo airports in Vietnam:
- Tan Son Nhat International Airport (HCMC)
- Hanoi Airport (HAN)
- Da Nang Airport (DAD)
Main cargo airports in the UK:
- London Heathrow (LHR)
- East Midlands International Airport (EMA)
- Manchester Airport (MAN)
- Stansted Airport (STN)
Shipping from Vietnam to the UK – costs of transport
As sea freight and airfreight are the only two available options for shipping between Vietnam and the UK, you need to choose the best option for your shipment. Before making the final decision, consider checking a few different freight forwarders and their offers. You can easily do this on ShipHub, where you’ll find various shipping options. Just fill out the blanks as shown below and choose the best offer for you!
Shipping from Vietnam to the UK – Summary
- Thanks to the UKVFTA, the trade relationship between Vietnam and the UK has improved.
- By the end of 2022, the estimated total exports from Vietnam to the UK were 7.2 billion USD.
- Vietnam’s top exports are vegetables, coffee, pepper, iron and steel, machinery, and sports equipment.
- For shipping products between those two countries, you can use sea freight or air freight.
- Sea freight is a more affordable and popular option. In sea shipping, you can use the LCL (Less Container Load) or FCL (Full Container Load).
- Airfreight is much more expensive but also faster. You should choose it when you have urgent shipments, planning to transport relatively light goods, or the ones with a short expiry date.
- Before making the final decision, check ShipHub, where you can get quotes from many freight forwarders.
