Exporting Food from Vietnam to the U.S.: Where to Start

Vietnamese food exporters often start their U.S. planning with a freight quote. That's backwards. Freight cost is meaningless until you know whether your product can legally enter the country, who's going to import it, and whether anyone will buy it once it arrives.

Three questions to answer first

• Does your product category have specific U.S. import requirements — FDA facility registration, a U.S. Agent, HACCP, labeling rules — and does your facility currently meet them?
• Who will be the importer of record? This is a specific legal role, and it needs to be assigned before a shipment moves.
• Do you have any existing distribution or buyer relationships in the U.S., or are you starting from zero?

Only after these three are answered does it make sense to talk logistics, freight and customs brokerage in detail. Otherwise you risk paying for a quote on a shipment that legally can't move, or can't be sold once it lands.

A realistic starting sequence

• Map the regulatory requirements specific to your product
• Confirm your facility and documentation meet them, closing gaps with a specialist if needed
• Identify or confirm your importer of record
• Begin distributor or buyer outreach in parallel — this takes time and shouldn't wait until the product is ready to ship
• Bring in a customs broker and freight forwarder once the commercial and regulatory pieces are in place