China
Vietnam trade laneCompanies building or expanding factories in Vietnam buy much of their equipment in China: injection-moulding and extrusion machines, CNC and sheet-metal machinery, woodworking lines, textile and garment machinery, packaging lines and the moulds and tooling that go with them. Some of it is new; some is a working line moving from a Chinese plant to a new one in the industrial zones around Hanoi, Bac Ninh and Hai Phong, or in Ho Chi Minh City (including the Binh Duong area) and Dong Nai.
Our own Foshan office works with your Chinese suppliers at origin, and in Vietnam we work through WCA partner agents, who clear customs and deliver to site; AGF has no office in Vietnam. One rule shapes this guide: we move equipment for genuine production in Vietnam. That is lawful, routine and the reason this lane exists — and it is not a way around US tariffs on Chinese goods, because what a Vietnamese factory exports is judged by what it actually makes.
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Shipping Machinery & Production Lines from China to Vietnam
For factories in northern Vietnam, road is usually fastest: Foshan to Hanoi takes 2–4 days by truck through the Youyiguan (Friendship Pass) crossing into Lang Son, or through Dongxing into Mong Cai. Out-of-gauge machines need permits and escorts on both sides of the border, so their route is planned in advance. For the south, sea freight from Nansha or Shekou to Cat Lai or Cai Mep is normally better, with transit confirmed per booking.
A production line is a project, not a series of bookings. It is split into transport units at the factory, each crated, labeled and documented, and the arrival order follows your installation plan. Machines that fit go in containers with engineered bracing; the rest go on flat rack or open top, or by low-bed truck across the border.
- Truck Foshan to Hanoi: 2–4 days via Youyiguan–Lang Son or Dongxing–Mong Cai
- Sea from Nansha or Shekou to Hai Phong, Cat Lai or Cai Mep for southern sites
- Flat rack, open top and low-bed trucks for out-of-gauge units
- Line relocation: dismantling, marking and crating planned before the first unit moves
What Drives the Cost
- Mode — truck across the land border or sea freight — and the site's location
- Out-of-gauge dimensions, permits and escorts
- Dismantling, crating and preservation at the Chinese plant
- Used-machinery inspection and documents in Vietnam
- Whether the import qualifies for duty exemption as project equipment
- Lifting and installation support at the Vietnamese site
HS Codes and Duty Notes
Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Codes are confirmed with the licensed customs representative at destination before you ship.
| HS Code | Products | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 8477 | Injection-moulding, extrusion and other plastics machinery | Moulds (8480) are often classified separately from the machines they run in. |
| 8456–8466 | Machine tools — CNC machining centers, lathes, laser cutters, press brakes | Advanced or high-precision models are checked against Chinese export controls at origin before booking. |
| 8445–8452 | Textile, sewing and garment machinery | A common category for factories moving into Vietnam; used machines must meet the age rule. |
| 8465 / 8422 | Woodworking machinery; packing and filling machinery | Complete lines are often invoiced as one item and shipped as many units — the declaration must describe the line coherently. |
Regulations and Compliance
Vietnam's used-machinery rules
Vietnam restricts imports of used machinery, equipment and production lines. Under its rules (Decision 18/2019, as amended), used machines generally must be no more than 10 years old and meet Vietnamese or equivalent technical, safety and environmental standards, with longer limits in a few sectors and an approval route for older equipment that still performs close to its design capacity. Used production lines have their own assessment requirements. We check each machine's age and documents before it is dismantled.
Form E and Vietnamese import duty
Chinese-origin goods with a Form E certificate of origin can claim preferential rates under the ASEAN–China Free Trade Agreement, and VAT applies on import. Equipment that forms the fixed assets of a qualifying investment project can be exempt from import duty if the exemption is registered with Vietnamese customs before the goods arrive. The importer's customs agent confirms rates and exemptions for each HS code.
Inspection of equipment with strict safety requirements
Boilers, pressure vessels, cranes, hoists and other equipment on Vietnam's list of machinery with strict occupational-safety requirements must be inspected before it is put into use. Plan the inspection with the installer, and ship the technical documents with the equipment.
Chinese export formalities and controls
Every shipment needs a Chinese export declaration with documents that match the cargo. A small number of advanced equipment types and technologies are subject to Chinese export controls; our Foshan office checks this with the supplier before booking.
What this lane is not for
We move equipment and inputs for real manufacturing in Vietnam. US customs judges a Vietnamese factory's exports by where they were last substantially transformed, Chinese components can carry China's AD/CVD orders with them, and CBP enforces this through EAPA investigations and penalties. We do not ship furniture or cabinet components to be finished in Vietnam for the US market, and we do not present this lane as a way to avoid US tariffs on Chinese goods.
Door-to-Door Shipping Service
We start with the equipment list, ages, drawings and the installation plan. Our Foshan office visits the supplier or the plant being dismantled, plans crating and loading, checks used-machinery documents against Vietnam's rules, and handles Chinese export customs and the Form E certificate.
The cargo crosses by truck at Youyiguan or Dongxing, or sails to Hai Phong or Ho Chi Minh City. Our WCA partner agent in Vietnam files the import declaration, including any project duty exemption, and delivers to the factory with lifting arranged at site. Quotes are door to door, with exclusions listed up front.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import used machinery into Vietnam?
How do you move a production line from China to Vietnam?
Is it better to truck or ship machinery from China to Vietnam?
Is machinery for a new factory in Vietnam duty-free?
Machinery & Production Lines is just one example. AGF ships whatever your business moves — on this lane and beyond. If your commodity isn't covered by one of our guides, tell us what you ship and we'll build the logistics around it.
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