Gothenburg to Ho Chi Minh City shipping route.

Ships leaving Gothenburg for Ho Chi Minh City head east and cover a sea distance of 9,442 nautical miles (17,486 km), via Suez Canal. The straight line between the ports is 9,272 km; coastlines and shipping lanes add the rest. On the way the vessel passes Suez Canal, Bab-el-Mandeb, Strait of Malacca and Strait of Gibraltar, so canal transit fees and waiting time at the canal are part of every voyage.

Shipping time depends on speed. At 14 knots, a common container ship service speed, the passage takes 28.1 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 32.8 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 21.9. Container transit time on a liner service is longer than the steaming time: ships call at other ports on the rotation, and cargo may transship at a hub. Add terminal time at Gothenburg and Ho Chi Minh City to plan the full ocean transit time.

The shortest route goes through the Red Sea. Since attacks on shipping began there in late 2023, many carriers send ships via Cape of Good Hope instead. That route is 12,886 nautical miles, 3,444 more, and adds about 10.3 days at 14 knots. Longer voyages burn more fuel and tie up more ships, which is why freight rates on Red Sea lanes jumped when the diversions started.

2,789 nm of the route, 30% of it, lies inside North Sea ECA, Baltic Sea ECA and Mediterranean Sea ECA. In an emission control area ships must burn fuel with no more than 0.1% sulphur or clean the exhaust with scrubbers. That fuel costs more, and carriers add it to the ocean freight bill as a low sulphur or ECA surcharge.

Container freight rates on Gothenburg to Ho Chi Minh City move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Ho Chi Minh City (VNSGN) carriers give about 4 free days before demurrage and detention charges start, so plan the truck or rail pickup before the box lands.

Of the 65 port to port routes from Gothenburg in this directory, Ho Chi Minh City is the 47th shortest. Closer destinations include Vancouver (9,357 nm), Seattle (9,335 nm) and Tanjung Priok (9,090 nm).