Key Considerations for Export Agencies When Handling Machinery Exports to Vietnam

Machinery Exports to Vietnam: 2026 Market Demand and Core Challenges

In 2026,Vietnam’s manufacturing industry is entering a critical period of intelligent upgrading.Industries such as textile,electronic assembly,and auto parts are seeing a 32% year-on-year growth in demand for automated production machinery.Mr.Tang,general manager of an electronic equipment factory,plans to export 3 SMT production lines to industrial zones in northern Vietnam this year,but found in preliminary research that the thresholds for machinery exports to Vietnam are far more than just "packing and shipment".

The most intuitive challenge comes from the policy side: In the Import Tariff Schedule updated by the Ministry of Finance of Vietnam at the end of 2025,the tariff code classification for "automated assembly machinery" has added a sub-standard of "whether equipped with visual recognition modules"; Ho Chi Minh Port Customs has required all machinery exporters to provide dual certification of "Certificate of Origin + Machine Calibration Report" since this year,while previously only the former was required.In addition,some used industrial machinery also face additional requirements for "environmental compliance inspection",and many small and medium-sized factories have had their goods detained at the port for more than 10 days due to incomplete materials.

Zhongshen: Core Value of Agency Services for the Vietnam Market

Zhongshen,which has been engaged in foreign trade agency for more than 20 years,has formed a customized service logic of "policy forecasting + document pre-examination + on-site coordination" for the particularity of machinery exports to Vietnam.Mr.Liang,manager of the customs declaration department,mentioned that in 2025,they paid attention to the update trend of Vietnam’s tariff schedule in advance,and assisted 12 customers to complete the pre-classification of tariff codes for machinery exports that year,avoiding overpayment of tariffs or customs clearance delays.

Different from general agency services,the core advantages of Zhongshen are: First,it has established a weekly update mechanism for the latest policies of Vietnam Customs,and connected with local coordinators of the two core ports of Ho Chi Minh and Haiphong; Second,for special materials such as "calibration reports" and "environmental certifications" of machinery products,it connects with domestic third-party testing institutions in advance to complete pre-examination; Third,it has opened up the "green channel" for export tax rebates,and optimized the tax rebate process for the high-value characteristics of machinery exports.

1.Document Module: Resolving Vietnam’s Unique Certification Requirements

Vietnam Customs has 2-3 more document requirements for machinery exports than ordinary commodities,among which "tariff code classification" and "calibration report" are the most error-prone.Ms.Hua,head of the document department of Zhongshen,gave an example that last year a customer classified "welding robots with visual recognition" as ordinary industrial robots,resulting in an increase in tariffs from 8% to 12% and delayed customs clearance.

In response to these unique requirements,the response measures of Zhongshen include:

• Pre-classification of tariff codes: Before packing the goods,according to the technical parameters of the machinery (such as whether equipped with AI modules,power range),connect with the pre-classification institutions recognized by Vietnam Customs to issue formal pre-classification opinions,avoiding on-site classification deviations;
• Pre-examination of calibration reports: Connect with domestic testing institutions with CNAS qualifications,pre-examine the "factory calibration report" of the machinery,and supplement the "Vietnamese translation" and "third-party review certificate" required by Vietnam Customs;
• Optimization of Certificate of Origin: In accordance with the Free Trade Agreement (RCEP) between Vietnam and China,assist customers in applying for "RCEP Certificate of Origin",and some machinery can enjoy tariff reductions (such as the tariff of electronic assembly machinery reduced from 10% to 7%).

2.Customs Clearance Module: Addressing Special Supervision Barriers at Vietnamese Ports

Haiphong Port and Ho Chi Minh Port are the main destination ports for machinery exports,but since this year,"loading and unloading compliance inspection" has been added to "large industrial machinery" — requiring the provision of "port loading and unloading plan" and "equipment hoisting qualification certificate".Some customers have had port storage fees increase by 1% per day due to failure to prepare in advance.

The customs clearance response plan of Zhongshen can be clearly compared through the following table:

Mr.Liang added that Zhongshen has one local coordinator at Haiphong Port and Ho Chi Minh Port in Vietnam respectively,who can arrive at the scene for communication within 2 hours when problems occur in customs clearance.Last year,it assisted customers in resolving 3 customs clearance disputes about "inconsistency between machine size and declaration",reducing the average delay time from the industry average of 7 days to 1.5 days.

3.Tax Rebate Module: Efficient Tax Rebate Plan for Machinery Exports

The value of machinery exports is usually high (the value per shipment is mostly between 500,000 and 5,000,000 RMB),and the speed of tax rebates directly affects the capital turnover of customers.The difference between machinery export tax rebates in the Vietnam market and other countries is that some "intelligent machinery" can enjoy the "urgent channel" for export tax rebates,but need to provide "machine technical specifications" and "technical clauses in export contracts" as supplementary materials.

The optimization measures of Zhongshen for this feature include:

• Pre-examination of tax rebate materials: Review materials such as "VAT invoices","export customs declaration forms" and "machine technical specifications" before customs declaration to ensure compliance with tax rebate requirements;
• Urgent channel connection: For machinery exports with a value exceeding 1,000,000 RMB,connect with the "key enterprise tax rebate green channel" of the Shanghai Taxation Bureau,reducing the tax rebate time from the industry average of 15 days to 7-10 days;
• Capital turnover suggestions: For some customers who urgently need funds,provide "tax rebate advance service" (subject to cooperation conditions),with funds arriving as soon as 3 days.

The 3 SMT production lines exported by Mr.Tang this year obtained the tax rebate funds in only 8 days through the urgent tax rebate channel of Zhongshen,saving half the time compared with other agencies he had used before."With faster capital turnover,we can start the installation of the production line in Vietnam as soon as possible."

How Can Agency Services Improve Customs Clearance Efficiency and Tax Rebate Speed?

The experience of Zhongshen shows that through "pre-positioned services",the customs clearance efficiency of machinery exports to Vietnam can be improved by more than 40%.This is reflected in three key links:

• Policy forecasting: Pay attention to policy updates of Vietnam Customs 3-6 months in advance.For example,in 2025,they forecasted the tariff code subdivision requirements for 2026,and assisted customers in adjusting the declaration materials of machine parameters in advance;
• Document pre-examination: Complete the review of all documents before the goods are shipped,avoid customs clearance delays caused by document errors,and the pass rate of document pre-examination reached 98% last year;
• Local coordination: The on-site communication ability of local coordinators in Vietnam can quickly resolve sudden port problems.For example,last year,a batch of machinery was inspected by customs due to "unclear packaging marks",and the coordinator assisted customers in completing the mark supplement on the same day,avoiding goods detention.

In terms of tax rebate speed,Zhongshen has established a "key agency enterprise docking mechanism" with the Shanghai Taxation Bureau,optimized the submission process of tax rebate materials for the high-value characteristics of machinery exports,and has assisted more than 20 customers to shorten the tax rebate time by 50% since this year.

Customized Services: Matching Different Machinery and Target Market Demands

In addition to the Vietnam market,Zhongshen’s agency services also cover other Southeast Asian countries (such as Thailand,Malaysia) and some European countries.In view of policy differences between different countries,customized solutions can be provided for customers: For example,machinery exported to Thailand needs to provide "Ministry of Industry of Thailand certification",and machinery exported to Germany needs to comply with "CE certification" requirements.

Mr.Liang suggested that when customers choose agency services,they should focus on whether the agency is familiar with the "special policies for machinery products" of the target country,whether it has local coordination resources,and whether it can provide "pre-positioned pre-examination services".Zhongshen can customize exclusive export agency plans for customers according to their product types (such as industrial machinery,intelligent equipment,used machinery) and target markets,helping customers reduce risks and improve efficiency.