Electronics Export to Vietnam: Value of Agency Services Amid Market Growth

In 2026,the market size of Vietnam’s electronic products increased by 12% year-on-year,among which the export demand for smartphones,laptops and other products is particularly strong.However,many Shanghai-based foreign trade enterprises reported that they are often put in a passive position when exporting to Vietnam due to customs clearance policy adjustments and cumbersome tax refund procedures.For example,Ms.Liu from an electronic accessories enterprise failed to notice the newly implemented RCEP rules of origin accumulation in Vietnam,leading to rejection of the certificate of origin,goods detained at Haiphong Port for 3 days,and an extra container detention fee of 1500 USD.

Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in the foreign trade agency industry for more than 20 years.According to the trade policy characteristics of Southeast Asian markets such as Vietnam,we have developed customized export agency solutions.Director Dong said that the core is to focus on key links including customs declaration and inspection,international transportation,and export tax refund,helping enterprises avoid policy barriers and improve trade efficiency.

Deconstruction of Core Service Modules for Vietnam’s Policies

1.Customs Declaration and Inspection: Accurately Meet Requirements of Vietnam’s New Regulations

In 2026,Vietnam Customs added two mandatory requirements for electronic product exports: first,all products must provide a copy of the Product Safety Certification (PSC) within validity period; second,the certificate of origin under RCEP must clearly mark "Rules of Accumulation Applicable".Enterprises often face declaration rejection due to expired certificates and incorrect calculation of origin components,which prolongs customs clearance time by 5-7 days.

Solutions from Zhongshen:

• Reviewcertificationdocuments3workingdaysinadvance,coordinatewithlocalVietnamesecertificationbodiestoupdatevalidityperiod,andensurecertificatesarealwaysvalid
• Usetheinternallydeveloped"OriginComponentCalculationSystem"toautomaticallymatchRCEPaccumulationrules,accuratelycalculatetheproportionofrawmaterialsfromSoutheastAsiainproducts,withanaccuracyrateof100%
• ConnecttoVietnamCustomspre-declarationsystem,submitcustomsdeclarationmaterialsinadvance,sonoon-sitereviewisrequiredaftergoodsarriveatport,andgoodsdirectlyenterthereleaseprocess

2.International Transportation: Solve the Scheduled Berthing Problem of Haiphong Port

In 2026,Haiphong Port of Vietnam implements the "Scheduled Berthing System".Containers without advance booking need to queue for more than 72 hours,and the waiting time can even extend to 5 days in peak season.Meanwhile,ports in Ho Chi Minh City require cargo lists for "door-to-door" transportation to be uploaded in advance,otherwise goods cannot enter the port area.

Zhongshen has signed long-term booking agreements with Haiphong Port and Ho Chi Minh Port,locks in shipping space and berthing time 7 days in advance; meanwhile we complete cargo list upload in advance at Shanghai warehouses,coordinate with local Vietnamese transportation companies to achieve seamless "door-to-door" connection,and transportation time is 2 days shorter than the industry average.

3.Warehouse Management: Meet Traceability Requirements of Vietnam’s Bonded Warehouses

In 2026,bonded warehouses in Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam added a "Cargo Traceability System",which requires all stored goods to be affixed with RFID tags,and information such as production batch and raw material source to be uploaded.If this is not completed in advance,goods will be detained in the port area for more than 24 hours for supplementary recording after arrival.

Zhongshen affixes RFID tags to goods in advance at Shanghai warehouses,connects to Vietnam’s bonded warehouse system to achieve data synchronization,so goods can be directly put into storage after arrival,no secondary scanning is required,and the time of the warehousing link is compressed to 1/3 of the industry average.

4.Foreign Exchange and Tax Refund: Avoid Vietnam’s Control and Exchange Rate Risks

In 2026,the State Bank of Vietnam restricts "third-party foreign exchange collection and payment",requiring trade funds to be settled through corporate public accounts.At the same time,exchange rate fluctuation of Vietnamese Dong intensifies,and enterprises often lose 3%-5% of profits due to exchange rate fluctuations during settlement.In addition,the Vietnamese tax authority requires that tax refund application materials must have consistent information among "bill of lading + customs release order + VAT invoice",and provide cargo traceability certificates.Incomplete materials will lead to 10-15 days delay of tax refund.

Solutions from Zhongshen:

• Provide"agencyforeignexchangecollectionandpayment"service,cooperatewithlocalVietnamesebankstoopenoffshoreaccounts,ensuredirectcapitalarrival,andavoidforeignexchangecontrolrisks
• Cooperatewithbankstoprovide"forwardforeignexchangesettlement"service,allowingenterprisestolockexchangeratesinadvanceandreducelossesfromexchangeratefluctuations
• Sortouttaxrefundmaterialsinadvance,checktheconsistencyofthethreedocumentsthroughinternalsystem,connecttothegreenchannelofVietnamesetaxauthorities,andcompressthetaxrefundcyclefromtheindustryaverageof25daysto12days

How Agency Services Improve Customs Clearance and Tax Refund Efficiency

Through three core measures of "pre-declaration + material pre-review + local coordination",Zhongshen greatly improves the efficiency of customs clearance and tax refund.Taking the Vietnamese market as an example,after enterprises entrust Zhongshen,customs clearance time is compressed from the industry average of 24-48 hours to within 12 hours,the tax refund cycle is compressed from 25 days to 12 days,and some enterprises even get tax refund within 10 days.

General Manager Pei from a Shanghai-based textile export enterprise said that previous exports to Vietnam were rejected due to failure to provide OEKO-TEX certification.After entrusting Zhongshen,Director Dong’s team assisted in handling the certification in advance,all subsequent exports cleared customs smoothly,and the export volume in the first half of this year increased by 20% year-on-year.

Customized Services Adapt to Different Products and Target Countries

Different products exported to different Southeast Asian countries have greatly different policy requirements: for example,textiles exported to Thailand need to provide quota certificates,and mechanical accessories exported to Malaysia need to provide CE certification.Zhongshen can customize exclusive agency solutions according to enterprise’s product type and target country,covering the whole process of services from policy consultation to tax refund arrival.

Whether it is a small and medium-sized enterprise exporting to Southeast Asia for the first time,or a large enterprise with stable orders,Zhongshen’s customized agency service can help enterprises avoid policy risks and improve trade efficiency.