Rising Barriers in Vietnam Market: Practical Bottlenecks for Small-scale Exporters

At the beginning of spring 2026,Ms.Wei from a hardware mold factory in Songjiang District,Shanghai encountered a problem.She just received an order from a client in Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam,with a total value of only $38,000,but was requested by Vietnamese customs to supplement the proof of raw material procurement chain.Ms.Wei only did domestic trade before and had limited knowledge of export documents,so her goods were detained at the port incurring $120 of container detention charge per day.This situation is not rare.The Implementing Regulation on Rules of Origin revised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam at the end of 2025 requires that goods enjoying RCEP preferential tariff must provide complete production process records.Due to the lack of full-time customs clearance staff,the amendment rate of customs declaration forms for small-scale exporters is as high as 67%.

What is more tricky is the foreign exchange segment.Starting from February 2026,the State Bank of Vietnam mandates that all trade payments with Vietnam exceeding $20,000 must be settled through freely convertible accounts opened with banks in Vietnam.Many small-scale companies are used to receiving payments via Hong Kong offshore accounts,and now face the dilemma of being unable to complete foreign exchange verification.In terms of tax refund,data from Shanghai Taxation Bureau shows that the average processing cycle of export tax exemption and refund for small-scale taxpayers in 2025 was 43 days,while the verification reply from Vietnamese customs often takes more than 30 days.The time mismatch between the two sharply increases enterprises’ capital turnover pressure.

Zhongshen’s Solution: Break Down Complex Processes Into Executable Modules

Manager Gu received Ms.Wei at his office in Pudong Airport Bonded Area.Instead of talking empty about service advantages,he directly unfolded a flow chart of export to Vietnam,and circled four high-risk nodes with a red pen: origin standard determination,electronic customs declaration data matching,foreign exchange route compliance,and complete tax refund documentation chain.Zhongshen’s approach is to convert each node into a standardized operation package.Customers only need to provide basic business documents,and the agency will complete policy adaptation for all follow-up work.

The core of this model is pre-emptive risk identification.For example,the VASSC electronic customs declaration system launched by Vietnamese customs in 2026 has three times stricter verification rules for commodity codes,specifications and models,and declaration elements than China’s single window.Zhongshen enters customers’ product information into the simulation system for pre-inspection in advance,reducing the error rate from the industry average of 15% to below 0.3%.Manager Gu particularly emphasized that the value of agency service is not simply running errands,but translating policy texts into actionable operation instructions.

Documentation Module: Accurate Alignment with Vietnam’s Rules of Origin

The complexity of documentation for the Vietnamese market is reflected in two aspects.First,the filling requirements for FORM E certificate of origin.In 2026,Vietnamese customs changed the verification of origin standard code in column 8 of the certificate from original random inspection to 100% system comparison.If the product contains imported components,the percentage must be filled in accurately and fully consistent with production records.Ms.Wei’s mold is assembled from Japanese steel and domestic accessories,and the origin standard should be filled as "PSR 45%",but she mistakenly filled it as "WO" (wholly originating) initially,resulting in the certificate being invalidated.

Second,the commercial invoice format required by Vietnam.In addition to conventional information,it must indicate the tax registration number of the Vietnamese importer and the expected use location of the goods within Vietnam.Zhongshen’s documentation team has established a library of Vietnamese invoice templates,with preset fields according to the attributes of 13 different product categories.When Ms.Wei submitted for the second time,the address and tax number of the Vietnamese client’s factory were automatically included in the invoice,and the customs clearance time was shortened from an average of 5 days to 1.5 days.

• VietnamFORMEcertificatemustbeapplied3workingdaysbeforeshipment,andcannotbereissuedafterthedeadline
• Scannedcopiesofrawmaterialpurchaseinvoicesmustbekeptforatleast5years,asVietnamesecustomscanconductretrospectiveverification
• WoodenpackagingmustbearIPPCmarks,andunmarkedpackagingwillbedirectlyrejectedandreturnedbyVietnam
• TextileexportrequiresadditionalsubmissionofacopyoftheimportlicenseissuedbytheMinistryofIndustryandTradeofVietnam

Customs Clearance Module: Efficiency Advantage of AEO Certified Channel

Vietnamese customs lowered the inspection rate for AEO enterprises to 0.8% in 2026,while the rate for ordinary enterprises is 12%.As a senior certified enterprise in Shanghai Customs District,Zhongshen’s Vietnamese cooperative partner also holds local AEO qualification.This means Ms.Wei’s goods can enjoy "immediate release upon arrival" treatment at Ho Chi Minh Port.The key operation requirement is that customs declaration data must be submitted via the VASSC system 24 hours before the ship arrives at the port,and the data quality score must reach above 95 points.

Manager Gu’s team configured a dedicated data interface for Ms.Wei.Her goods were shipped from Shanghai Waigaoqiao Port,and the customs declaration data was synchronized to the Vietnamese customs system while the goods were being loaded.The Vietnamese side completed the risk assessment in advance,so the goods were released directly without inspection after the ship docked.Compared with the ordinary customs clearance mode,this operation saves 3-5 days,and reduces container detention charges and storage fees by 80%.As port congestion in Vietnam intensifies in 2026,the overall cost drops by about $400 for each day of customs clearance advanced.

Foreign Exchange Module: Risk Hedging for VND Settlement

Vietnam’s foreign exchange control is tightening.After March 2026,remittances from non-resident accounts to Vietnam exceeding $10,000 require matching of three documents: trade contract,invoice and customs declaration.Many small-scale companies receive payments via personal accounts,which makes it impossible to complete export foreign exchange collection verification.Zhongshen’s solution is to open a virtual VND account for customers through a cooperative Vietnamese bank.After the payment arrives,it is automatically settled into USD at the real-time exchange rate,and then transferred to the customer’s domestic account.

For Ms.Wei’s $38,000 payment,the Vietnamese client paid 850 million VND.Zhongshen locked the exchange rate at 7.85 for settlement,which is 0.12 percentage points higher than the exchange rate she would get at a bank counter,bringing an extra $456.More importantly,the whole process complies with the requirements of Circular No.16 of the State Bank of Vietnam,avoiding compliance risks.Manager Gu reminds that in 2026,Vietnam has increased the fine for foreign exchange transactions with false trade background to 30% of the transaction volume,so a compliant path is no longer optional.

Tax Refund Module: Document Pre-audit and Parallel Process

The biggest pain point of export tax refund for small-scale taxpayers is the time gap between input invoice authentication and customs information matching.Zhongshen adopts the "document pre-audit + parallel process" model.Before Ms.Wei’s goods were loaded,her input invoice had been submitted to the tax bureau for pre-authentication.Meanwhile,customs declaration data is directly connected to the tax system through the electronic port,and the tax refund application is automatically triggered once the customs clearance information is generated.

In 2026,Shanghai Taxation Bureau launched the "immediate processing and immediate audit" pilot for export tax refund.As one of the first participating enterprises,100% of Zhongshen’s customers’ tax refund documents meet the completeness standard,and enjoy priority audit right.Ms.Wei’s tax refund arrived in her account on the 7th working day after customs release,38 days faster than the traditional model.Manager Gu calculated that for the $38,000 order,the tax refund is about RMB 24,000.Arriving one month in advance,it is equivalent to RMB 1,600 in value when calculated at an annualized capital cost of 8%.

Efficiency Comparison: Time and Cost Restructuring Under Agency Model

To present the difference intuitively,we simulated the actual data of two operation paths for Ms.Wei’s order.The table is calculated based on the average level of 20-foot containers on the Shanghai-Ho Chi Minh route in 2026,and includes all hidden costs.

Decision Considerations for Choosing Agency Service

Not all small-scale companies need agency service.If your annual order volume to Vietnam is stably above 500,000 USD,and you only handle single category of products,hiring a full-time customs specialist may be more cost-effective.However,most enterprises have export characteristics of "small batch,multiple batches,mixed products".Ms.Wei calculated that she expects to export to Vietnam 8 times a year,with a total value of less than 300,000 USD.Hiring a customs specialist costs at least RMB 150,000 annual salary,while the agency fee is calculated at 0.8% of the cargo value,with an annual cost of about RMB 24,000.The gap is obvious.

Zhongshen’s customized service is reflected in three aspects.First,product classification management.Ms.Wei’s molds and accessories belong to two different HS codes,with a 3-percentage-point difference in tax refund rates,so the agency will suggest split customs declaration.Second,exchange rate fluctuation management.It provides VND forward exchange locking service.The fluctuation range of VND against USD is expected to be 8-10% in 2026,and exchange locking can lock in profits.Third,abnormal handling.When Vietnamese customs suddenly request supplementary materials,the agency has resident staff in Ho Chi Minh City who can submit paper documents within 2 hours,while it takes 5-7 days for enterprises to handle it by themselves via express delivery.

Summary of Operation Key Points for Vietnam Market in 2026

Based on the data of 1276 shipments to Vietnam handled by Zhongshen in 2025,small-scale exporters need to focus on the following: the list of restricted import goods updated monthly by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam,which has added 53 HS codes in 2026; Vietnamese customs has increased the random inspection ratio for low-value goods from 5% to 15%,and goods with declared value below 5000 USD need to provide a description of cost structure; under the RCEP rules of origin cumulation,raw materials imported from Japan and South Korea can be considered as originating in Vietnam,but additional proof of tripartite transaction is required.

Manager Gu suggests that small-scale companies exporting to Vietnam for the first time can try one order first,get familiar with the whole process through the agency,and then decide whether to build their own team.Zhongshen provides free policy consultation and document pre-audit for first-order customers,and no charge if the deal is not completed.Ms.Wei’s second order has been shipped.This time she only spent 15 minutes providing basic materials,and left all the rest to the agency.After the goods were cleared at Ho Chi Minh Port,she received an email from the Vietnamese client confirming receipt of goods on her mobile phone,and a notification that the tax refund has arrived also popped up at the same time.

Exporting to Vietnam is no longer an exclusive business for large enterprises.When policy thresholds are getting higher and process nodes are getting more detailed,the value of professional agency lies in converting uncertainty into predictable cost.Small-scale companies do not need to pursue a complete export department.Instead,they can focus limited resources on product R&D and customer maintenance,and leave professional matters to professionals.Zhongshen has been rooted in Shanghai Port for 20 years,and its Vietnam route operation team is stable.This accumulation of experience is the guarantee that customers need most.