Sailing schedules from Hai Phong to Busan

Tan Vu is Haiphong Port's in-river container terminal, suited to feeders and mid-size intra-Asia vessels. Bookings and container release orders must name Tan Vu, so trucks don't drop boxes at the wrong yard.

Service is direct with no transshipment: about 1 sailings a week operated by Maersk, with transit of 5 to 7 days. Sailings are few, so missing one means waiting until next week.

Busan has two container areas, Busan North Port and Busan New Port on the west side of the city. Ask the carrier for the exact discharge terminal so the consignee books the truck to the right place. According to Busan Port Authority, transshipment cargo makes up about half of throughput, and cargo that only connects through Busan carries different documents from cargo imported into Korea.

Article 8 of the Korea Customs Service (KCS) notice on bonded cargo entry, departure and loading requires the manifest to be filed with port customs no later than 24 hours before cargo is loaded at the port of loading. The clock runs from Haiphong, not from the vessel's arrival at Busan.

The "nearby area" exception allows filing before the vessel leaves the loading port, but it applies only to China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Russian Far East. Sea cargo from Vietnam to Korea is not on the list, so SI/VGM cutoffs can't be pushed back despite the short transit. Cargo description and consignee must be right from the start. For consolidated cargo with a House B/L, the forwarder files the house manifest with the carrier for consolidation.

Vietnamese goods shipped to Korea can use a Form VK (VKFTA), Form AK (ASEAN-Korea) or RCEP C/O. Compare the duty rate for each HS code before choosing a form.

Form VK follows Circular 40/2015/TT-BCT, amended by Circular 09/2022/TT-BCT. The C/O is valid for 1 year from the issue date, and the importer must hold it when declaring for preferential treatment. A retroactive C/O is accepted if issued no more than 1 year after the shipment date, and it must carry the words "ISSUED RETROACTIVELY". Shipments with a customs value of no more than USD 600 FOB are exempt from C/O. If goods were imported without preference, the importer can still claim within 1 year of the import date and apply for a duty refund.

Overseas manufacturing facilities must register with MFDS (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) before food can be declared for import. The importer or the factory files through the Imported Food Information Maru portal at least 7 days before declaration, otherwise the declaration is rejected. Processed seafood must also be registered, and first-time imports are sampled.

Wooden pallets and crates are inspected by APQA (Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency) under ISPM 15: they must be treated and carry the IPPC stamp.

Lunar New Year and Chuseok (September or early October) are the two peak periods. Busan runs special operating hours, and warehouses and customs close, so inland delivery slows down. Lock bookings early. Busan-side charges (THC, D/O, other local fees) are paid by one party or the other depending on incoterms, so state this clearly in the contract.

Homexim handles FCL/LCL ocean freight, export clearance in Vietnam and container trucking to Tan Vu. Each shipment has one person in charge from start to finish, and quotes are itemized line by line.