Sailing schedules from Cat Lai (HCMC) to Los Angeles

Cat Lai is a river port, and mainline ships on US routes cannot reach it. On Maersk's schedule, the receiving point is ICD Tanamexco in Thu Duc City. The carrier moves the container from the ICD to the deep-water port of Cai Mep, then loads it onto the mainline vessel.

These sailings carry the same vessel name and voyage number as the ones departing Cai Mep. The ETD is what differs: it is counted from the ICD, so it falls a few days earlier.

The mainline ships belong to the Gemini network of Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, and their southern home terminal is CMIT at Cai Mep. CMIT received its first Gemini vessel in February 2025 on the TP6/WC1 service, a direct link between Vietnam and the US West Coast.

Transit on the schedule runs from the ICD: 21 to 24 days, with about 1 sailings a week operated by Maersk. The figure is longer than a departure from Cai Mep because it includes the inland leg.

The container cut-off at the ICD also falls well before the mother vessel sails. Work backward from the ETD on the schedule, not from the date the ship leaves Cai Mep. On the booking, check that the receiving place is the ICD and confirm where empties are picked up and laden boxes are gated in. If your warehouse is closer to Cai Mep, ask for a quote on gating in directly at Cai Mep as well.

In peak season, cargo rushes forward for the year-end retail season and carriers add PSS surcharges, as they did in July 2026. Book space early. On the US side, most cargo moving through the LA/Long Beach ports pays the TMF (OffPeak/PierPass) and CTF fees. Settle in the contract who pays them.

The ISF is filed by the US importer or their agent, no later than 24 hours before the cargo is loaded on the vessel. A late or incomplete filing can draw a $5,000 penalty per violation under the bond terms.

The carrier or NVOCC transmits the AMS 24 hours before loading, so the SI deadline on US routes is earlier than on other trades. The cargo description must be specific and corrected before the ship sails.

The US importer needs a bond (single entry or continuous) before CBP will release the cargo. Entry must be filed within 15 calendar days after the cargo is unloaded from the vessel. The entry summary (CBP Form 7501), with estimated duties, is due within 10 working days after entry.

From July 24, 2026, most Vietnamese goods entering the US carry an additional Section 301 tariff of 12.5%, with an exemption list. Some products also face their own anti-dumping or countervailing duties. Check by HS code before quoting DDP. Wood products must be declared under the Lacey Act.

Food moving by sea requires a Prior Notice to the FDA no later than 8 hours before the cargo arrives at the port. For seafood, the US importer must have a procedure to verify that the processor follows seafood HACCP. Ask the factory for its HACCP records early rather than waiting until the cut-off is close.

Pallets and wooden crates must be heat-treated (HT) or fumigated with methyl bromide (MB) and stamped to ISPM 15.

LCL cargo shares a container, so each shipment's description has to be detailed enough for AMS: type of goods, material, use. "Consumer goods" is not enough.

Homexim books FCL and LCL ocean freight, clears exports in Vietnam and arranges domestic container trucking. Each shipment has one named person in charge from start to finish.

Quotes are itemized: freight, surcharges, local charges. This site does not publish rates.