International Removals to and from Ho Chi Minh City
Port sites, certified copies and the enlarged city after the 2025 merger
A few short questions. Nothing is sent until you check and confirm.
Which port does a container for Ho Chi Minh City use?
The sea gateway moved out of the old centre. IAM names the entry points for household goods in one line: “The main ports of entry for household goods are Ho Chi Minh City (Cat Lai Port for sea freight)”. Wikipedia explains the shift: “the main Saigon Port has been relocated from the city center to the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City”.
The new sites it lists are the Hiep Phuoc port area, the Cat Lai area and, further out, “Thi Vai Port and Cai Mep Port , 60 km South-East of Saigon”. Which of them takes a given container depends on the shipping line, and we found no operator page that says, so the mover must tell you the terminal before you plan the delivery lorry. Our sea freight guide explains how a container moves from quay to door.
For scale, the port page says “In 2013, it became the 24th busiest container port in the world.” Its only throughput figure, 3.5 million TEU, is for 2012. The system is run by Saigon Port JSC, a subsidiary of the Vietnam Maritime Corporation, and the same page notes “there is inland waterway navigation into Cambodia”.
What do the Ho Chi Minh City officials add to the papers?
Certified copies. IAM says “In Ho Chi Minh City, certified true copies are required for the passport and entry visa/temporary residence card”, and that they come from the city's People's Committee Office. The arrival-departure card must, in this city, be signed and stamped by your Vietnamese employer.
The number of copies is where the sources split. Sirva says “Shipments arriving into Ho Chi Minh will require 2 copies of documents.” and then says Hanoi needs three. IAM asks for three copies of each document everywhere. Without an official page we cannot choose between them, so ask your destination agent how many sets they will present at the Ho Chi Minh City counter.
General clearance times, document lists and the cultural inspection are covered on the Vietnam customs page; this page holds only what is specific to the city.
How big is the city, and what changed in 2025?
Much bigger on paper. Wikipedia reports “with a population of more than 14 million in 2025”, and its table shows 9,816,320 before and 14,002,598 after “the merger with Binh Duong & Ba Ria - Vung Tau”.
So an address described as "in Ho Chi Minh City" may now lie in what used to be a neighbouring province, such as Vung Tau on the coast. The city had already been reshaped once, since in 2020 “District 2 , District 9 , and Thủ Đức District were consolidated to form a municipal city”. Ask the agent which customs office and district your delivery address falls under, and expect labels in older guides to be out of date.
Where do arrivals land and settle, and what about the rainy season?
The airport is central to most arrivals. The city page says “Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport accounting for nearly half of all international arrivals to Vietnam”. A second airport, Long Thanh, is described as “scheduled to begin operating in 2026” about 40 km east, but we could not tell whether it is open.
Expatriate workers cluster in two places, by the same source: “The highest concentration of which are in Thủ Đức and Phú Mỹ Hưng”. Lorry access and building rules in those districts are not covered by any page we read.
Weather matters for delivery dates. Wikipedia describes the wet season this way: “results in flooding in parts of the city”, driven by tide, rain, river flow and land subsidence. Ask the mover whether their plan has a fallback if a road is under water.
What about the neighbouring places?
Vung Tau and the former Binh Duong lie inside the enlarged city, so they are covered by the advice above rather than a page of their own. Dong Nai, which borders the city to the north and east, is listed separately with 4,491,408 people in the cities list.
We read no moving rule, customs counter or port statistic for any of these, so a delivery there follows the Ho Chi Minh City guidance on this page.
Also worth opening: the whole-country overview, the capital in the north.
Questions about moving to Ho Chi Minh City
Which port will my container use for Ho Chi Minh City?
IAM names Cat Lai for sea freight.
Wikipedia also lists Hiep Phuoc, Thi Vai and Cai Mep. The shipping line decides, so ask your mover which terminal is booked.
Do I need certified copies of my passport and visa?
IAM says yes in this city, from the People's Committee Office.
Sirva does not mention it, so confirm with your destination agent.
Has the city boundary changed?
Yes.
Wikipedia shows the 2025 figure rising from 9,816,320 to 14,002,598 after a merger with Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
Tell us about your Ho Chi Minh City move
Share your departure postcode, arrival month, the district or neighbouring area in southern Vietnam 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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- In partnership withAGM Group (agm.group)