Le Havre to Ho Chi Minh City shipping route.

Ships leaving Le Havre for Ho Chi Minh City head east and cover a sea distance of 8,812 nautical miles (16,319 km), via Suez Canal. The straight line between the ports is 10,262 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 26.2 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 30.6 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 20.4. Liner schedules on the lane quote 32 to 53 days port to port, because the services call at other ports and some transship. Over the last 30 days we counted 43 sailings by 3 carriers (Hapag-Lloyd, ONE and OOCL).

Red Sea security changes the sea distance on this lane. A ship sent via Cape of Good Hope sails 12,255 nm instead of 8,812 nm and spends roughly 10.2 extra days at sea. Ask your forwarder which routing the carrier uses: the booking price and the arrival date both depend on it.

2,159 nm of the route, 24% of it, lies inside North 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.

Recent freight rates for FRLEH to VNSGN start at $1,993 for a 20GP and $3,271 for a 40GP ($2,919 for a 40HC). These are spot market prices from carriers that sail the lane; your quote will also include terminal handling, documentation and any bunker surcharge. 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 61 port to port routes from Le Havre in this directory, Ho Chi Minh City is the 41st shortest. Closer destinations include Tanjung Priok (8,460 nm), Singapore (8,183 nm) and Oakland (8,020 nm).