From Vietnam to Toronto.
FCL and LCL from Vietnam to the GTA. Cargo from Ho Chi Minh City, Cai Mep or Hai Phong usually crosses the Pacific to Vancouver or Prince Rupert, then goes by rail to the GTA.
Explore the service details
Setara Logistics is a freight forwarder in Vaughan, Ontario that quotes and books FCL and LCL ocean freight from Vietnam to Toronto. We coordinate customs through our licensed customs broker partner and line up the rail and the drayage into the GTA.
This page is written from the Toronto end for buyers who control the freight: what FOB, FCA or EXW puts on you, how the cargo travels, and what to check about CPTPP before you order.
How freight gets from Vietnam to Toronto
Vietnam's main container ports are Ho Chi Minh City, including Cat Lai, and Cai Mep in the south, and Hai Phong, including Lach Huyen, in the north. Where your supplier is usually decides the port your cargo leaves from.
For the GTA, the usual routing crosses the Pacific to Vancouver or Prince Rupert. Rail then carries the container to the GTA ramps at CN Brampton or CPKC Vaughan: CN or CPKC from Vancouver, CN from Prince Rupert. Some services go west through the Suez Canal to Halifax or Montreal instead. Which way your cargo goes depends on the service and on current conditions.
We quote and book the lane from the Vietnamese port to your dock, and coordinate the Canadian end so a missing customs account or an unanswered question does not hold up your freight.
Buying FOB, FCA or EXW from Vietnam?
FOB or FCA: the freight is yours to book
Under FOB, your supplier clears the goods for export and delivers them on board the ship at the named port, such as FOB Hai Phong. Under FCA, it clears them and hands them to your carrier at the named place: its own dock, a terminal or a consolidator's warehouse. Either way, you book and pay the ocean freight and the charges after it, so you pick the forwarder and the routing to Toronto.
Read Incoterms 2020 explainedEXW: you also take on the Vietnam side
Under EXW, the supplier makes the goods ready at its premises and does not load them. The pickup, the loading and the export clearance in Vietnam become the buyer's job. The ICC, which publishes the Incoterms rules, encourages traders to consider FCA instead when goods cross a border. If you do buy EXW, we arrange the origin side through the carrier or consolidator we book with.
Compare terms in the Incoterms pickerShipping a full container? FCA often fits better than FOB. The supplier hands the box over at the terminal, often days before it is loaded, and under FOB it still carries the risk until the box is on board. Whatever you agree, write the exact place into the purchase order.
What we take on at origin
On FOB or FCA terms, we book the sailing with the ocean carrier, or LCL space with a consolidator, and pass the booking to your supplier. Your supplier then delivers to the named place and clears the goods for export.
On EXW terms, the pickup at your supplier, the loading and the export clearance are added to the booking. We arrange them through the carrier or consolidator we book with, so say which Incoterm you have when you ask for a quote.
After that, the shipment runs as one file: the ocean leg, the rail leg to CN Brampton or CPKC Vaughan, customs through our licensed customs broker partner, and delivery to your dock in the GTA.
LCL or FCL from Vietnam?
Full container load (FCL)
Your supplier loads and seals the container. It is often booked through to the GTA rail ramp on a through bill of lading. When it reaches CN Brampton or CPKC Vaughan, Setara Transport handles the drayage from the ramp to your dock.
Request an FCL quoteLess than container load (LCL)
Your supplier delivers the cargo to an LCL consolidator in Vietnam, which loads it into a shared container. At this end the consolidator unloads it at its container freight station (CFS), near the port or in the GTA. After customs release, a vetted partner carrier delivers it. We book LCL with consolidators; we do not run a CFS.
Request an LCL quoteLCL is priced by volume or weight, whichever is greater. Our container load calculator shows how much of a box your cargo fills. For urgent cargo, ask for an air freight quote.
Does CPTPP lower the duty on goods from Vietnam?
It can. Vietnam is a partner in the CPTPP, a trade agreement in force between Canada and Vietnam since January 14, 2019. Goods that meet its rules of origin can claim the lower CPTPP rate instead of the Most-Favoured-Nation rate. The claim is not automatic: you need a certification of origin.
The importer, the exporter or the producer can certify origin. There is no special form. The certification can sit on the invoice or another commercial document, as long as it carries the required data. If the invoice comes from a company outside the CPTPP countries, such as a trading company elsewhere, the certification has to be a separate document.
More about duty and origin
Being shipped from Vietnam does not make goods Vietnamese. Origin is where the goods were made or substantially changed, so materials from other countries can matter. The goods must also meet the agreement's shipping rules.
Some goods also carry surtaxes, quota limits, or anti-dumping and countervailing duties. These depend on the product and its origin, and they change. Our licensed customs broker partner confirms what applies, including whether the CPTPP rate can be claimed, when it classifies your goods. Send the product details before you place the order.
Duties and GST are paid through the customs entry. Our duty and tax calculator gives a first estimate.
What should you settle before the cargo leaves Vietnam?
01Agree the Incoterm
Put the term and the exact place in the purchase order. FOB or FCA leaves the main freight to you. EXW adds the pickup and the export clearance in Vietnam.
02Plan the origin claim
If the goods qualify for CPTPP, settle the certification of origin with your supplier before the cargo ships, so it is ready for the customs entry.
03Check the packaging
Wood pallets, crates and dunnage must meet ISPM 15 and carry its mark. The CFIA can refuse wood packaging that does not comply.
04Set up customs
A business number with an import-export (RM) account, a CARM Client Portal account, and your own financial security if you want release before payment. New to this? See importing into Canada for the first time.
What will it cost, and how long will it take?
What drives cost and transit time
We do not publish rates or transit times from Vietnam. These move both:
- Origin port and how often ships call there
- Vessel schedule and any transshipment
- Season, including holiday closures at origin
- Volume and weight
- Rail availability to the GTA
- Customs holds
- How fast the CFS unloads, for LCL
- How fast you answer questions
Charges at the Toronto end
Expect terminal handling, CFS charges for LCL, delivery order fees, rail and ramp charges, the customs entry fee, duties and taxes, and delivery, plus storage, demurrage or detention past free time. Our page on ocean freight into Toronto covers the GTA end in detail.
Vietnam to Toronto shipping FAQ.
Can you ship from Vietnam to Toronto?
Yes. Setara Logistics, a freight forwarder in Vaughan, Ontario, quotes and books FCL and LCL ocean freight from Vietnam's main ports to Toronto. We coordinate customs through our licensed customs broker partner. For full containers railed to CN Brampton or CPKC Vaughan, Setara Transport runs the drayage to your dock.
Do goods from Vietnam enter Canada duty free?
Not automatically. Vietnam is a CPTPP partner, so goods that meet the CPTPP rules of origin can claim the lower CPTPP rate with a certification of origin. Goods that do not qualify pay the Most-Favoured-Nation rate. Some goods also carry surtaxes or anti-dumping and countervailing duties. Our licensed customs broker partner confirms what applies when it classifies the goods.
My supplier quoted FOB Vietnam. What do I send you?
Send the FOB port (for example FOB Ho Chi Minh City or FOB Hai Phong), your supplier's name and contact, the cargo ready date, a packing list with weights and volume, and a product description. Under FOB, the supplier clears export and delivers the goods on board. You book the ocean freight and everything after it, and that is the part we arrange. See Incoterms 2020 explained.
Can I use FCA if my bank needs an on-board bill of lading?
Yes, if you agree it with your supplier. Incoterms 2020 added an option to FCA: you instruct your carrier to issue an on-board bill of lading to the supplier once the goods are loaded. That helps when a letter of credit calls for one. Tell us at booking if your letter of credit needs it.
Do wood pallets need special treatment?
Yes. Wood pallets, crates and dunnage must meet ISPM 15 and carry its mark. It is a CFIA requirement, and wood packaging that does not comply can be refused entry, which holds up the shipment. Confirm it with your supplier before loading.
How long does shipping from Vietnam to Toronto take?
It depends on the routing: origin port, sailing, transshipment, the rail leg, customs and, for LCL, the CFS. We do not publish a generic transit time. When you book, you get the schedule for your routing.
Related services, guides and tools.
Bringing goods in from Vietnam?
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