Vietnam vs. other origins
For most consumer categories, Vietnamese factory prices land within a competitive range of comparable Chinese factories. Vietnamese labour cost runs roughly 30 to 50 percent of China's at the factory gate, which compounds into landed-cost advantages for labour-intensive products. For rubber sandals, basic footwear, and several agricultural commodities, Vietnam is now cheaper than China at the factory gate. China has moved upmarket.
Where Vietnam wins: furniture (Vietnam is #1 globally), footwear, cashew, black pepper, cinnamon, rice, and a growing list of consumer goods. Where China still wins: electronics, ultra-low-cost commodity hardware, and high-precision technical products where China's scale advantage compounds across the supply chain.
The other reason to source from Vietnam is risk diversification. Tariff swings, port closures, and policy decisions that affect China do not necessarily affect Vietnam. Most of our buyers are not replacing China entirely, they are adding Vietnam as a second sourcing leg. We will tell you directly when China is the better answer for your specific spec.
Tariffs depend on your destination country and the product HS code. Vietnam has Free Trade Agreements that significantly reduce or eliminate duties for buyers in many regions:
For the US, Vietnam has Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) treatment, with tariffs varying by category. We confirm the correct HS classification at the quote stage and prepare the Certificate of Origin so you can claim reduced duty rates where applicable.
Vietnam is among the most trade-integrated economies in Asia, with 17 active or signed Free Trade Agreements. Tariff savings of 5 to 15 percent versus non-FTA origins are common, and some categories see duty elimination entirely.
To claim reduced rates, the goods need a valid Certificate of Origin (typically Form EUR.1 for EVFTA, Form RCEP for the RCEP agreement, Form CPTPP for the trans-Pacific agreement, etc.). The factory issues the document and we coordinate the paperwork.
If your destination country has an FTA with Vietnam that your current sourcing origin (typically China) does not, the tariff savings alone often justify switching part of your book to Vietnamese supply.
How we work
We charge a commission on the order value, agreed upfront and in writing. We do not mark up factory prices. Every factory invoice passes through to you exactly as the supplier issued it. The commission percentage depends on category, order size, and complexity, and we share it at the quote stage.
Standard verification includes the factory's Vietnamese business license, export certifications (ISO 9001, BSCI, SA8000, and category-specific certifications such as BRC for food or FSC for furniture), factory site visits or third-party audit reports, and sample requests before any payment.
Red flags include factories with only a small office address and no production space, refusal to provide samples, vague answers to technical spec questions, inconsistent communication, and pressure to pay deposits without sample approval.
We run all of this verification before recommending any factory to you. You inherit the work without doing the on-the-ground due diligence yourself.
No, but visiting can help for very large orders or first-time relationships in a new category. Most of our buyers source from Vietnam without ever visiting, especially for standardised products and repeat orders.
We are the on-ground presence: we visit factories, attend pre-shipment inspections, and handle Vietnamese-language production communication. If you do want to visit, we coordinate factory visit schedules. For first-time buyers placing a single container, remote sourcing through us is the norm.
Samples, MOQ, and orders
We coordinate sampling with shortlisted factories on your behalf. You do not deal with factories directly. Sample lead times typically run 10 to 30 days depending on category and customisation level. Custom-spec samples take longer than stock-sample modifications.
Samples ship via DHL, FedEx, or UPS to your address. Sample fees are usually charged at-cost by the factory and often credited back against the first production order. We handle the negotiation on sample terms and the courier coordination.
MOQ depends on the category and the specific factory. Typical industry ranges for Vietnamese exports vary widely: footwear is in the low thousands per style, agricultural commodities are typically one 20-foot container minimum, furniture varies by SKU mix, and cosmetics or private label can require 5,000 to 10,000 units. We confirm the actual MOQ for your spec at the quote stage rather than promise an optimistic number.
Yes. Vietnam has a deep private-label and OEM/ODM manufacturing base across cosmetics, food and beverage, furniture, household goods, apparel, and packaging. Custom retail packaging with your branding is widely available.
MOQ for private label tends to be higher than for unbranded production: typically 5,000 to 10,000 units for cosmetics and personal care, and category-dependent for other product types. Smaller MOQs are sometimes negotiable for first-time buyers, especially when the factory has spare capacity or you commit to repeat orders. We confirm MOQ and customisation options at the quote stage.
Export-focused Vietnamese factories typically have English-speaking sales and customer relations staff. However, technical product specifications, contract negotiation, and production-line communication still happen in Vietnamese.
This is where most direct-buyer-to-factory relationships break down: small misunderstandings on materials, dimensions, or timelines turn into shipment-level problems. We handle all Vietnamese-language communication on your behalf, so the factory works to your exact spec rather than its interpretation.
Send us reference photos, a competitor product, a description, or the target price and we will work backwards from there. Vietnamese factories are used to building from references. We translate what you have into a brief the factory can quote against.
Production, payment, and delivery
From signed contract to your destination port: typically 60 to 120 days, depending on category and order size. Sampling typically takes 10 to 30 days. Production lead times vary widely: 30 to 60 days for standardised goods, 60 to 90 days for custom or complex orders, and longer for first-time relationships where the factory is building tooling or processes from scratch.
Shipping from Vietnam varies by destination: typically two to three weeks to most Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern ports, three to five weeks to Africa, Europe, North America, and Latin America. We confirm exact transit at the freight forwarder stage.
Most factories accept Letter of Credit (LC) and Telegraphic Transfer (T/T) with a deposit upfront and balance against shipping documents. Some accept Documents Against Acceptance (D/A). Specific terms depend on the factory and order size, especially for first-time buyers. We negotiate terms on your behalf.
Yes. Halal certification is widely available across Vietnamese factories producing food, personal care, and consumer goods. We confirm certification status when it is relevant to your destination and shortlist accordingly.
We run pre-shipment inspections before the container leaves Vietnam, with photo and video reports. We catch off-spec product at the loading bay rather than at your destination port. In the rare case something does slip through, we coordinate with the factory on remediation, replacement, or refund. The contract terms we negotiate on your behalf include this contingency.
Getting started
You send us an inquiry with the product, quantity, destination port, and any spec you have. We respond inside 48 hours with a feasibility read, an indication of MOQ and lead time, and a rough landed price range. If the fit looks right, we move into the factory shortlist stage. There is no obligation to proceed past the quote.
Question not answered here? Send it via the inquiry form or WhatsApp. We will answer directly, and if it is a question other buyers will have, we will add it here.