Sailing schedules from Cat Lai (HCMC) to Laem Chabang

Cat Lai is a river port, and Thailand-bound cargo goes onto intra-Asia vessels there. There is no direct service. Your container is transshipped once at a hub port before it reaches Laem Chabang. That keeps the schedule thin: about 1 sailings a week, operated by Maersk. Miss the cut-off and you wait for the following week.

The 10 to 11 day transit is only a range. If the connecting vessel runs late, arrival slips with it. When you book, ask which port handles the transshipment and when the connection is expected. Once the vessel sails, track the container by B/L number.

Avoid booking close to Tet and in Q4 on the Vietnam side. In mid-April Thailand has the long Songkran holiday, and trucking and warehouses both slow down.

Laem Chabang is in Chonburi province on Thailand's eastern coast, about 150 km from Bangkok. The port has several terminals, each with its own operator. The carrier decides where your cargo is discharged, and the arrival notice will say which terminal.

There are two ways to reach Bangkok. A truck can haul the container straight from Laem Chabang, or it can go through ICD Lat Krabang, an inland container depot near Bangkok with a rail terminal on site, about 118 km from Laem Chabang. The consignee picks the route and agrees it with the carrier or a Thai agent.

Destination charges at Laem Chabang cover THC, D/O and port fees. Who pays depends on the incoterms, so write it into the contract from the start.

Thai Customs runs a paperless e-Customs system. The carrier files the e-Manifest at least 24 hours before the vessel arrives. The consignee or a customs broker files the import declaration (e-Import) on the same system, which checks it and assigns a clearance channel. Green lane cargo is released with no customs intervention.

Send your invoice, packing list, B/L and C/O early so the consignee can file before the vessel berths. If documents arrive late, the cargo sits in the yard and storage charges start running.

Thai import VAT is paid by the importer, whether or not the importer is VAT-registered, and Customs collects it at the time of import. It is calculated on the CIF value plus import duty, excise tax (if any) and other taxes and fees.

To claim ATIGA import duty preference, the shipment needs a Form D certificate of origin. Since December 2019, all 10 ASEAN countries have exchanged e-Form D through the ASEAN Single Window (ASW), and Thailand grants the preference based on the copy received there. On the Vietnam side, the Ministry of Industry and Trade issues the C/O through eCoSys. The goods description, HS code and invoice number on the C/O must match the declaration. One mismatched field can cost you the preference.

Food cargo adds another layer. Under Thailand's Food Act B.E. 2522 (1979), anyone importing food for sale needs a Thai FDA licence (form Orr. 7). Some product groups also require product registration, with the registration number printed on the label. Before you sign a contract, ask the consignee whether the licence and product registration number are in place. Your factory should prepare a certificate showing a production system equivalent to GMP.

Homexim handles FCL/LCL ocean freight, export clearance in Vietnam and container trucking to Cat Lai. Each shipment has one coordinator from start to finish, and quotes itemise every charge. Import clearance in Thailand is handled by the consignee or their agent.