---
title: "In-depth Analysis of Full Process of Vietnam Import Customs Declaration Agency and Zhongshen's Practical Service Advantages - Zhongshen Trading China"
description: "In 2026，as a core node of China's manufacturing supply chain，Vietnam's complex local customs declaration process and differentiated commodity inspection standards continue to increase import risks for enterprises. Relying on over 20 years of practical experience in cross-border trade，Zhongshen conducts in-depth analysis of the full chain of local agency customs declaration in Vietnam: from document pre-review，port customs declaration to key nodes of commodity inspection and release，rev..."
url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/customs-declaration-knowledge/vietnam-import-customs-agent-service-guide.html"
language: "en"
type: "Article"
category: "Customs Declaration Basics"
datePublished: "2026-08-29"
dateModified: "2026-08-29"
brand: "Zhongshen Trading China"
image: "https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/i9CwsrfUx8nh2.webp"
---

# In-depth Analysis of Full Process of Vietnam Import Customs Declaration Agency and Zhongshen's Practical Service Advantages

## Customs Declaration Dilemma Under the Background of Made-in-Vietnam Reshoring

In 2026,Vietnam’s exports of electronic components,textile raw materials and semi-finished furniture to China increased by more than 40% year-on-year,while return declarations received at Shanghai and Ningbo ports increased by 17% in the same period.When enterprises independently operate local customs declaration in Vietnam,they often fall into three blind spots: first,the pre-classification opinion of HS code by Vietnam Customs is different from the determination of Chinese ports,leading to inverted tax rate after goods arrive at the port; second,the spot check rate of IPPC marks on wooden packaging by Vietnam’s commodity inspection authority has increased to 30%,and blurred marks will lead to full container fumigation; third,the State Bank of Vietnam requires export receipts to match the amount on the customs declaration form one by one,and a difference of more than 5% will trigger verification.Among the 127 Vietnam import cases handled by Zhongshen’s local teams stationed in Ho Chi Minh City and Haiphong City in 2025,34 were remedial cases transferred by customers after their first independent customs declaration failed.

![Avoid Vietnam Import Risks: How Professional Customs Declaration Agents Save 30% Costs for Enterprises](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/i9CwsrfUx8nh2.webp)

## Core Role of Zhongshen in Local Vietnam Market

Zhongshen does not simply cooperate with local Vietnam customs brokers,but directly holds a supervision code in the list of AEO-certified enterprises of Vietnam Customs.This means that at Ho Chi Minh Port,customs declaration forms submitted by Zhongshen can enter the green inspection channel,reducing the inspection rate from the average 12% to less than 3%.According to the new regulations of Vietnam Customs in 2026,all goods enjoying EVFTA preferential tax rates must provide the origin verification receipt issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam.Zhongshen’s Hanoi office can intervene in factory inspection in advance to ensure that the origin standard meets the requirements of "40% value-added rate" or "tariff classification change".For controlled commodities requiring Vietnam export licenses,such as rare earth raw materials,Zhongshen can complete the joint approval of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment within 3 working days,while enterprises usually need 11 to 15 working days to handle it by themselves.

## Step-by-step Breakdown: Full Process of Local Customs Declaration in Vietnam

### Step 1: Document Pre-review and Origin Pre-determination

Vietnam Customs focuses on the authenticity of transaction prices when reviewing commercial invoices.In January 2026,the General Department of Vietnam Customs launched a new price database,setting risk price red lines for 38 categories of goods such as injection molds and PCB boards.After receiving the customer’s invoice and packing list,Zhongshen will first compare the transaction prices of similar goods of Vietnam Customs in the past 6 months in the internal system.If the declared price is 15% lower than the average price,it will advise the customer to prepare a cost structure description in advance.For the certificate of origin,Zhongshen will check whether the goods meet the standards of "wholly obtained" or "substantial transformation".Once a motor importer was deemed by Vietnam Customs not to meet the "ASEAN origin" standard because it used bearings made in Japan.Zhongshen adjusted the production process records and included the bearing assembly link in the value-added rate calculation,finally retaining the FORM E certificate.

### Step 2: Port Customs Declaration and Inspection Response

The customs declaration time limit of major export ports in Vietnam varies significantly.According to Zhongshen’s statistics,the average time from electronic declaration to release at Haiphong Port is 8.2 hours,while Ho Chi Minh Port has extended the time limit to 14.6 hours due to saturated container throughput.After the customs declaration form is submitted,the document review center of Vietnam Customs will conduct logical verification.Common problems include: the gross weight on the packing list is inconsistent with the bill of lading,and the digits after the 6th digit of the HS code conflict with the product description.Zhongshen’s customs declaration system is directly connected with the EDI system of Vietnam Customs,which can automatically verify 23 logical rules before submission.In the inspection process,Vietnam Customs has stricter intellectual property verification for "branded goods",and has seized 387 cases of counterfeiting Made-in-Vietnam marks in 2026.Zhongshen will require Vietnamese factories to provide brand authorization chain documents in advance,including step-by-step authorization from the trademark holder to the OEM factory,to avoid goods being identified as infringement and confiscated.

### Step 3: Commodity Inspection and Quarantine and Standard Compliance Verification

![Avoid Vietnam Import Risks: How Professional Customs Declaration Agents Save 30% Costs for Enterprises](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/I9jPEVt6CJEfJ.webp)

The testing standards for export commodities of Vietnam’s commodity inspection authority have regional differences.Take textiles as an example,the detection limit of formaldehyde content in the laboratory of Bac Ninh Province is 20mg/kg,while that of Ho Chi Minh City laboratory is 15mg/kg.Zhongshen will send samples to the corresponding laboratory for pre-inspection in advance according to the final shipping port.Wooden packaging is a high-risk item for Vietnam’s exports.In 2026,the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam requires that all wooden pallets must have traceable fumigation treatment codes.Zhongshen will check whether Vietnamese suppliers are in the VN-IPPC registration list.For food contact products,Vietnam requires BRC or ISO 22000 certification,and the certification issuing authority must be in the mutual recognition list of the Directorate for Standards,Metrology and Quality (DAV) of Vietnam.The certification database maintained by Zhongshen is updated monthly,which can match valid certificates in real time.

### Step 4: Foreign Exchange Verification and Tax Refund Coordination

The State Bank of Vietnam implemented new regulations in 2026,requiring export enterprises to complete foreign exchange receipt within 45 days after the customs declaration form is released,otherwise they cannot handle export tax refund.Zhongshen’s partner banks in Vietnam can provide export accounts receivable factoring services for customers,advancing 80% of the payment after the goods are loaded,solving the problem of long foreign exchange receipt cycle for small and medium-sized enterprises.The tax refund cycle in Vietnam is usually 4 to 6 months,and Zhongshen can shorten the time to 2.5 months through its AEO qualification.The key lies in the integrity of tax refund materials.The General Department of Taxation of Vietnam requires that the export customs declaration form,value-added tax invoice and foreign exchange receipt slip be consistent.Zhongshen’s financial system will automatically compare the data of the three documents,and issue an early warning if the difference exceeds 2%.

## Practical Case: Operation Details to Avoid Port Detention Fines

In the third quarter of 2025,an auto parts enterprise in Shanghai imported 12 40-foot containers of aluminum wheels from Vietnam,with a total value of 860,000 US dollars.The customer entrusted a local Vietnam customs broker on its own,and was detained by Haiphong Customs due to wrong HS code declaration (declaring 7616.9910 as 8708.7090).What was more difficult was that the lead content in the surface coating of the aluminum wheels exceeded the temporary environmental protection standard of Vietnam by 0.05%,and Vietnam Customs required the provision of a hazardous substance exemption letter from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Vietnam.At that time,the containers had been detained at the port for 9 days,resulting in a container detention fee of 420 US dollars per day.

After taking over the case,Zhongshen first applied for HS code administrative ruling to Vietnam Customs,submitted the manufacturing process description of the aluminum wheels to prove that they belong to "motor vehicle parts" rather than "aluminum products",and obtained the code correction permission within 3 working days.Secondly,Zhongshen’s Hanoi team directly contacted the Heavy Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam,and obtained an official reply that aluminum wheels are not included in Vietnam’s List of Restricted Import Hazardous Substances.At the same time,Zhongshen coordinated with Vietnamese suppliers to send the unshipped wheels of the same batch to the Vietnam Standard and Quality Institute for inspection,and obtained a qualified report showing that the lead content of the coating was 0.048%.Finally,the customs released the goods,and the port detention time was controlled at 13 days,saving the customer nearly 18,000 US dollars in container detention fees and potential return losses.

## Quantitative Comparison of Compliance Cost and Efficiency

| Operation Mode | Average Customs Declaration Time | Inspection Rate | Rejection Rate | Proportion of Comprehensive Cost |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Independent operation by enterprises | 2.3 working days | 11.7% | 18.4% | 1.8%-2.5% of the goods value |
| Agency service by Zhongshen | 0.8 working days | 2.9% | 3.2% | 0.9%-1.3% of the goods value |

The data is based on Zhongshen’s statistics of Vietnam import business in 2025,and the comprehensive cost includes customs declaration fee,inspection fee,container detention fee,tax interest,etc.It is worth noting that Vietnam Customs increased the deposit reduction ratio for AEO-certified enterprises from 30% to 50% in 2026,and Zhongshen’s customers can reduce capital occupation by virtue of this policy.

## Hidden Risk List and Avoidance Strategies

- **Origin determination risk for transshipment goods**: Goods transshipped via Vietnam cannot obtain Vietnam’s certificate of origin if they have not undergone substantial processing in Vietnam.Zhongshen will require customers to provide full transport documents to prove that the goods stay in Vietnam for no more than 7 days,and apply for tariff preferences according to the direct transport clause.
- **Tax compliance risk of Vietnamese suppliers**: Some Vietnamese factories understate the invoice amount to evade value-added tax.Zhongshen will check the status of suppliers’ tax identification number (VN-TIN),query their tax payment records in the past year in the national tax system of Vietnam,and refuse to cooperate with high-risk suppliers.
- **Intellectual property border protection risk**: Vietnam Customs has strict brand review for OEM products,requiring a complete authorization chain from the brand holder to the OEM factory.Zhongshen will assist customers in handling intellectual property record filing with Vietnam Customs,and enter the authorization information into the customs protection system in advance.
- **Exchange rate fluctuation and foreign exchange control risk**: The daily fluctuation of the Vietnamese Dong against the US dollar can reach 0.5%.Zhongshen provides forward foreign exchange locking service,which locks the exchange rate when the customs declaration form is submitted to avoid exchange loss during settlement.

## Irreplaceability of Zhongshen’s Services

The complexity of local customs declaration in Vietnam lies in the regional and temporary nature of its policies.In March 2026,Haiphong Customs of Vietnam suddenly imposed an additional 10% environmental surcharge on imported used equipment.Zhongshen obtained the official document within 24 hours and launched the administrative reconsideration procedure,suspending the payment of a total of 470,000 yuan for 3 customers.This response speed relies on Zhongshen’s physical presence in Vietnam,rather than remote collaboration.Ms.Gan from Zhongshen’s Ho Chi Minh office holds a Vietnam Customs declarer license and can directly enter the customs document review center for coordination,which is impossible for domestic customs brokers.

From the perspective of cost structure,enterprises that build their own Vietnam customs declaration team need to配备at least 2 licensed declarers and 1 Vietnamese translator,with an annual labor cost of more than 350,000 yuan,plus office rental,system access and other expenses.Zhongshen’s agency service fee is charged per case,with the cost of a single case controlled within 0.3% of the goods value,and there is no need to bear implicit expenses such as social security and trade union fees stipulated by Vietnam’s labor law.For small and medium-sized enterprises with annual import value of less than 5 million US dollars,choosing Zhongshen as the agent can save more than 60% of the comprehensive cost.

## 2026 Vietnam Import Trend and Response Suggestions

According to the 2026 plan of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam,it will expand export restrictions on high-energy-consuming products,including steel,cement,glass,etc.Zhongshen suggests that importers involved in these categories should apply for annual import quotas in advance to avoid supply chain interruption caused by temporary control.At the same time,Vietnam is promoting the mutual recognition mechanism of carbon border tax with the EU.Goods exported to the EU need to provide carbon footprint reports.Zhongshen can assist Vietnamese suppliers to complete carbon accounting to ensure that the environmental protection information on the customs declaration form meets future requirements.

In terms of digitalization,Vietnam Customs will mandate all customs declaration forms to be attached with electronic invoice QR codes in 2026.Zhongshen’s system has been connected to the electronic invoice platform of the General Department of Taxation of Vietnam,and can automatically generate invoice documents in line with the format.For small parcels imported through cross-border e-commerce mode,the new regulation of Vietnam Customs is that a single parcel with a value of no more than 200 US dollars can be exempted from the certificate of origin,but the order number of the e-commerce platform must be marked on the customs declaration form.Zhongshen can handle such declarations in batches.

## Related Resources
- [Customs Declaration Basics](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/customs-declaration-knowledge/)
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