How to Resolve Customs Clearance Stuck Issues for Foreign Trade Agency Enterprises Exporting to Vietnam?

2026 Smartphone Parts Export to Vietnam: Hidden Challenges Amid High Growth

In 2026,the annual demand for smartphone parts in the Vietnamese market exceeded 12 billion USD,with an annual growth rate of 18.2% — but Mr.Feng,head of a Shanghai-based electronic parts enterprise,recently ran into trouble: three containers shipped to Ho Chi Minh City last October were detained by local customs for 5 days due to the lack of a Vietnamese version of the BOM list.The port detention fees alone cost 1,200 USD,and they almost missed the delivery deadline with their client.Similar situations are not rare: according to a 2026 Q1 survey by the Shanghai Foreign Trade Association,37% of enterprises exporting to Vietnam have experienced customs delay due to misunderstanding of policies,and 29% have experienced delayed tax refund arrival due to incorrect connection of tax refund materials.

Core Value of Zhongshen’s Export Agency Services for the Vietnamese Market

With 20 years of experience in the foreign trade industry,Zhongshen has summarized a service logic of "pre-review + local coordination + closed-loop management" based on the policy characteristics of the Vietnamese market — the core is to proactively avoid locally specific compliance barriers rather than remedy after the fact.For example,in response to the Vietnamese customs’ "dual certification" requirements for electronic products (CB Certification + Vietnamese technical instructions),Zhongshen’s document team will complete the dual review 3 days before the goods are loaded to avoid goods detention due to non-compliant documents.

Customized Response to Three Core Service Modules for the Vietnamese Market

1.Document Module: Accurately Meet the Dual "Language + Compliance" Requirements of Vietnamese Customs

Vietnamese customs has two distinct requirements for export documents: first,all technical documents must provide Vietnamese translations (which need to be certified by local notaries); second,the BOM list must indicate the origin of each part (if involving the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement,it must comply with the rules of origin).Many enterprises ignore these two points,resulting in a document pass rate of only 62% (2026 industry data).

• Establish a Vietnamese document review team: All translated technical documents must be certified by local cooperating law firms to ensure compliance with Vietnamese customs’ language requirements;
• Pre-check BOM list: Before booking the shipment,coordinate with the Vietnamese Origin Administration to pre-review the BOM list and confirm whether it complies with the rules of origin of the ASEAN FTA;
• Synchronously update document templates: Coordinate with the official website of the Vietnamese General Administration of Customs every week to update document templates.For example,the new "energy efficiency label for electronic parts" requirement added by Vietnam in March 2026 has been included in the templates by Zhongshen.

2.Customs Clearance Module: Break Through the Dual "Certification + Inspection" Barriers at Vietnamese Ports

In 2026,Vietnam’s inspection rate for imported electronic products increased from 12% in 2025 to 18%,among which the inspection rate for EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) certification of smartphone parts reached 25% — many enterprises have their customs clearance duration extended from an average of 3 days to 7 days due to expired or non-compliant certification documents.In addition,the port detention fees at Ho Chi Minh City Port and Haiphong Port have risen from 150 USD per day in 2025 to 220 USD per day,increasing the cost of one day of delay by nearly 50%.

3.Tax Refund Module: Solve the "Related Certificate" Problem of Vietnamese Export Tax Refunds

The core requirement of Vietnamese export tax refunds is "consistency of connection between certificate of origin,bill of lading and invoice" — in 2026,the Vietnamese Tax Bureau added a requirement for "electronic signature of certificate of origin".If the certificate of origin is not uploaded to the Vietnamese electronic port system synchronously,the tax refund application will be rejected.According to data from the Vietnamese Ministry of Finance,the rejection rate of tax refunds due to inconsistent related certificates reached 23% in Q1 2026,with an average arrival time of 18 days.

• Handle electronic certificate of origin in advance: Before the goods are loaded,apply for the electronic signature of the certificate of origin through the Vietnamese electronic port system to ensure that the information is completely consistent with the bill of lading and invoice;
• Closed-loop review of tax refund materials: Document,customs declaration and finance teams review tax refund materials synchronously to avoid rejection due to errors in any link;
• Foreign exchange hedging service to reduce exchange rate risk: In response to the exchange rate fluctuations between Vietnamese Dong and RMB,Zhongshen provides foreign exchange hedging services to ensure stable exchange rates when tax refunds arrive.

How Agency Services Improve Customs Clearance Efficiency and Tax Refund Speed — A Case Study of Mr.Feng

When Mr.Feng,head of a Shanghai-based electronic parts enterprise,exported smartphone parts to Vietnam again in November last year,he chose Zhongshen’s agency services.The process of Zhongshen is as follows:

• 3 days before loading: Zhongshen’s document team reviews the Vietnamese BOM list and CB certification documents,and handles the electronic certificate of origin synchronously;
• On the day of loading: Coordinate with local Vietnamese customs brokers to upload documents to the Vietnamese customs system for pre-review in advance;
• 1 day after the goods arrive at the port: Complete customs clearance with no port detention fees;
• 7 days after customs declaration: The tax refund materials are approved,and the refund arrives within 10 days (industry average is 18 days).

Mr.Feng said that this export not only saved 1,200 USD in port detention fees,but also delivered 3 days earlier,which greatly improved customer satisfaction.

Customized Services for Different Products and Target Countries

In addition to Vietnam,Zhongshen also provides customized services based on the characteristics of other Southeast Asian countries:

• Exporting furniture products to Malaysia: Need to handle fumigation certificates and Malaysian SIRIM certification in advance.Zhongshen will arrange fumigation institutions to visit 5 days in advance,and pre-review the certification documents synchronously;
• Exporting textile products to Thailand: Need to comply with Thailand’s "Green Label" requirements.Zhongshen will coordinate with local testing institutions to complete environmental protection testing in advance;
• Exporting chemical products to Indonesia: Need to provide Indonesian translations of MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets).Zhongshen’s translation team will have them certified by local law firms.

Whether you are exporting smartphone parts to Vietnam,or furniture,textiles and other products to other Southeast Asian countries,Zhongshen’s 20 years of experience can help you accurately match local policies and proactively avoid compliance barriers.For example,a Shanghai-based furniture enterprise coordinated by Manager Zeng saw a 40% improvement in container customs clearance efficiency and a 6-day reduction in tax refund arrival time when exporting to Malaysia last year.If you have export needs,feel free to contact Zhongshen’s professional team to customize your foreign trade agency solution.