International Removals to and from Hanoi
The labour contract rule, the road from Haiphong and the capital's diplomatic community
A few short questions. Nothing is sent until you check and confirm.
What does Hanoi Customs ask for that other offices may not?
A labour contract. IAM lists it as the one extra paper for this city: “Copy of labor contract (required by Hanoi Customs in addition to all above)”. In its closing notes it repeats the point, saying Hanoi wants the contract copy in addition to every other document, and that the signing and stamping rules differ between the two big cities.
Sirva agrees: “Copy of labor contract (Hanoi only)”. It also says “Shipments arriving into Hanoi will require 3 copies of documents.”, which matches IAM and differs from its own figure for the south, discussed on the Ho Chi Minh City page.
This rule is the main reason Hanoi has its own page, and it comes from trade guides, not from the Vietnamese customs service. Ask the agent for the current Hanoi checklist, then see the customs page for the papers every office wants.
How does a load reach Hanoi?
IAM treats Hanoi as an air and road destination: “Hanoi (various air and road routes)”, next to Ho Chi Minh City with Cat Lai for sea freight. It does not say which seaport a Hanoi container uses, and neither does any other page we read.
The nearest large container port in our sources is Haiphong. Wikipedia says the city “is located at the junction of two National Highways: Route 5, leading west to Hanoi”, and that “In 2015, the new highway connecting Haiphong with Hanoi was completed”, with the new road shortening the trip by an hour. Whether your move uses it is for the mover to confirm, and our air freight guide covers the alternative if part of the load flies.
What do we know about the port at Haiphong?
It is large. The port page says “Hai Phong Port was ranked 28th and 32nd among the world’s top 100 container ports” in 2022 and 2024, with a throughput of 5,695,839 TEU reported alongside those rankings. It describes Haiphong as “one of the two largest and oldest general seaports in Vietnam”.
Deep-water capacity is growing at Lach Huyen: “allowed Lach Huyen to accommodate vessels of up to 165,000 DWT” from May 2025, and a joint venture began work on two berths there in 2025. The older port on the Cam River has three docks, called Hoang Dieu (the central terminal), Chua Ve and Dinh Vu.
The city has 4,664,124 people in the 2025 list, and its area grew in June 2025 when Hai Duong Province was merged into it. It has no page of its own here because we found no customs counter, no document rule and no moving guidance specific to it, only port facts that apply to a Hanoi move and are therefore kept on this page. Cat Bi is its international airport.
What kind of city is Hanoi for an arriving household?
A capital with a diplomatic community. Wikipedia gives 8,855,946 people for 2025, and the cities list shows 8,807,523, so use the figure as approximate. It also states “It hosts 83 foreign embassies”.
That sets it apart in one respect: IAM says diplomatic shipments are exempt from physical inspection. A British diplomat's timetable is not yours, though; an ordinary employee's load is inspected like any other, and the cultural check applies to all shipments.
We found no Hanoi page on lorry rules, building access or district boundaries, and no Hanoi customs counter address. Ask the agent for both before the move date is fixed.
Where to go next: country overview.
Questions about moving to Hanoi
What extra paper does Hanoi Customs ask for?
A copy of the labour contract, according to the IAM guide and the Sirva sheet.
Both are trade sources, so confirm it with your destination agent.
Does a Hanoi container come through Haiphong?
The sources we read do not say.
Haiphong is the large container port nearest the capital, joined to it by Route 5 and a highway opened in 2015.
Why has Haiphong no page of its own?
We found port facts but no customs counter or document rule for it.
It is named on this page and on the Vietnam overview.
Tell us about your Hanoi move
Share your departure postcode, arrival month, the area of Hanoi you are moving to and rough load size.
About International Removals Companies
International Removals Companies is an enquiry and introduction service run by DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, in partnership with AGM Group. We don't move goods ourselves: the removal company quotes for your move and carries it out, so check its credentials and terms before you book. Our service is free. Discuss the quotation and booking terms directly with the removal company.
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