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Why Is Vietnam's Freight Forwarding Market at USD 52 Billion and Growing? Ken Research Maps Electronics Exports, Sea Freight and China+1 Logistics

Vietnam's freight and logistics market reached USD 52.06 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 71.88 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 6.67%, driven by Vietnam's emergence as Southeast Asia's foremost China+1 manufacturing destination, with export-oriented electronics, textiles and footwear manufacturing generating the highest freight forwarding volumes in the country's history. Sea and inland waterways freight forwarding commands 75.70% of the market, while air freight forwarding is growing at a 7.18% CAGR — the fastest sub-segment — as high-value electronics components require rapid transit times between Vietnamese factories and global assembly hubs. Freight transport accounts for 64.12% of the total logistics market, reflecting Vietnam's export-manufacturing-driven demand structure. Ken Research maps the full operator, modal and trade flow landscape in its Vietnam Freight Forwarding Market report, covering DHL, Maersk, Kuehne+Nagel, Nippon Express and Vietnamese operators through 2030.

USD 52 Billion Market and 6.67% CAGR: How Vietnam's Electronics Export Boom Is Driving Freight Forwarding Volume

Vietnam's freight forwarding market is structurally linked to its position as the world's second-largest exporter of electronics after China, with Samsung Electronics alone contributing USD 65 billion in exports from its Vietnamese factories in Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen in 2024 — a single corporate supply chain that represents one of the largest single-company freight forwarding demand sources in Southeast Asia. Beyond Samsung, Intel (Ho Chi Minh City), LG Electronics (Hai Phong), Canon, Panasonic and scores of component manufacturers have built factory networks that generate massive outbound sea and air freight volumes to Korea, Japan, the US and EU. Vietnam's total merchandise exports reached USD 335 billion in 2024, with electronics representing 34% of total exports. The Vietnam Manufacturing Market confirms that manufacturing FDI registered in Vietnam reached USD 25.35 billion in 2024, with manufacturing registration concentrated in Bac Ninh, Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Hai Phong — four provinces that generate the majority of Vietnam's freight forwarding demand. The Global Freight Forwarding Market shows that Vietnam is among the top 10 fastest-growing freight forwarding markets globally, with its growth rate exceeding the regional Southeast Asia average by 2-3 percentage points as FDI-driven manufacturing export volumes consistently expand. Sea freight dominates at 75.70% share, as container shipping via Cai Mep deep-sea port (Ba Ria-Vung Tau) and Cat Lai port (Ho Chi Minh City) connects Vietnam's manufacturing cluster to global buyers at the lowest cost per tonne.

• Market Scale: Vietnam freight and logistics market at USD 52.06 billion (2025), projected at USD 71.88 billion by 2030 at 6.67% CAGR, with freight transport representing 64.12% of total market value.
• Electronics Export Engine: Samsung alone contributed USD 65 billion in Vietnamese exports in 2024; total electronics represent 34% of Vietnam's USD 335 billion merchandise export base, generating the market's highest freight forwarding volumes.
• Sea Freight Dominance: Sea and inland waterways freight represents 75.70% of the market, with Cai Mep deep-sea port and Cat Lai port serving as the primary container export gateways for Ho Chi Minh City and Southern manufacturing clusters.
• Air Freight Acceleration: Air freight forwarding grows at 7.18% CAGR — the fastest mode — as high-value electronics components requiring 24-72 hour global transit times drive premium air cargo demand from Vietnamese factories.

DHL, Maersk, Kuehne+Nagel and the Competition in Vietnam's Freight Forwarding Operator Landscape

Vietnam's freight forwarding market is served by global logistics multinationals competing with established Vietnamese-owned forwarders for the FDI manufacturing client base. DHL Supply Chain Vietnam operates the most extensive integrated freight forwarding and warehousing network, serving Samsung, Intel and major apparel brands from multi-modal logistics hubs in Bac Ninh, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Maersk Vietnam dominates sea freight forwarding, leveraging its owned container shipping fleet (MSC-Maersk alliance) to provide end-to-end container forwarding from Vietnamese factories to European and American distribution centers. Kuehne+Nagel Vietnam leads in air freight forwarding, with dedicated cargo handling at Noi Bai International Airport (Hanoi) and Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh City). Nippon Express Vietnam dominates the Japanese FDI client segment — Toyota, Honda, Yazaki and Denso supply chain logistics — through a Japanese-language-first service model that matches the cultural requirements of Japanese manufacturing procurement managers. Vietnamese-owned operators including Viettel Post, Sotrans and Transimex hold competitive positions in domestic freight coordination and smaller-volume cross-border forwarding. The Southeast Asia Logistics Market confirms that Vietnam-based freight forwarding operations are attracting the highest operator investment in ASEAN as multinationals build Vietnam-specific logistics infrastructure to serve growing export manufacturing volumes. The Vietnam 3PL Market data shows that third-party logistics operators integrated with freight forwarding are the fastest-growing operator category, as FDI manufacturers outsource entire supply chain management functions to focus on production.

• DHL Integration: DHL Supply Chain Vietnam leads integrated freight + warehousing, serving Samsung and Intel from multi-modal logistics hubs across Bac Ninh, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
• Maersk Sea Dominance: Maersk Vietnam's owned fleet access (MSC-Maersk alliance) provides end-to-end container forwarding at competitive rates from Cai Mep and Cat Lai to North American and European receivers.
• Nippon Express Japanese FDI: Nippon Express serves Toyota, Honda, Yazaki and Denso through a Japanese-language-first service model culturally aligned with Japanese manufacturing procurement workflows.
• Vietnamese Operators: Viettel Post, Sotrans and Transimex hold competitive positions in domestic coordination and smaller-volume cross-border forwarding, competing on local market knowledge and Vietnamese regulatory navigation.

Want the complete operator analysis, modal breakdown and trade flow forecast for Vietnam's freight forwarding market through 2030? Download Sample Report to access Ken Research's intelligence on electronics export logistics, port dynamics and FDI supply chain flows.

Why Is Vietnam's Freight Forwarding Air Cargo Growing at the Fastest Rate in Southeast Asia?

Vietnam's air freight forwarding segment — growing at 7.18% CAGR — is outpacing sea freight because of a structural shift in Vietnam's export mix toward higher-value, time-sensitive electronics components. Samsung, LG, Intel and Apple supplier Foxconn all require air freight for specific component categories — integrated circuits, OLED panels, high-frequency PCBs — where inventory carrying cost and supply chain disruption risk outweigh the premium over sea freight. Vietnam Airlines Cargo, Bamboo Airways Cargo and international cargo carriers including FedEx, UPS, DHL Aviation and Cargolux compete for Vietnam's air freight capacity, which is constrained by limited cargo terminal capacity at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat — a bottleneck that Long Thanh International Airport (opening 2026) is designed to address with a dedicated cargo terminal targeting 1.5 million tonnes per annum of cargo capacity at full build-out. The Vietnam Air Freight Market confirms that the Long Thanh cargo terminal will be the single largest capacity addition to Vietnam's air freight infrastructure in the country's history, directly enabling further FDI manufacturing investment by providing the export air logistics headroom that Tan Son Nhat's congested terminal cannot currently supply. The Vietnam Electronics Market data shows that electronics export value grew at 12% annually over 2020-2024, creating forward demand for air freight that will persist as Vietnam's electronics FDI base continues to expand.

Vietnam Freight Forwarding Market Outlook to 2030: USD 71.88 Billion, Long Thanh Airport and RCEP Integration Drive the Next Phase

Vietnam's freight forwarding market trajectory to USD 71.88 billion by 2030 is anchored by structural trade policy advantages: membership in RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), CPTPP and EVFTA free trade agreements collectively provide Vietnamese-origin goods preferential market access to 18 trade partners representing 60% of global GDP — a preferential tariff advantage that is directly incentivizing FDI manufacturing investment and freight forwarding volume growth. The Vietnam Port Market data confirms that Lach Huyen deep-sea port (Hai Phong) and Cai Mep-Thi Vai port cluster are both undergoing capacity expansion to handle projected container throughput of 35 million TEU annually by 2030, up from 25 million TEU in 2024. The Vietnam Logistics Market confirms that Vietnam's logistics costs as a percentage of GDP — currently at 16-17%, significantly above the global average of 10-12% — represent a structural inefficiency that is being addressed through infrastructure investment and operator consolidation, creating room for further market volume growth as unit freight costs decline and shippers re-route volumes through Vietnamese hubs.

• RCEP and FTA Advantage: Vietnam's RCEP, CPTPP and EVFTA memberships provide preferential tariff access to 18 trade partners representing 60% of global GDP — directly incentivizing FDI and freight forwarding volume growth through 2030.
• Long Thanh Airport: New international airport opening 2026 with dedicated cargo terminal targeting 1.5 million tonnes per annum — the single largest air freight capacity addition in Vietnam's history.
• Port Expansion: Lach Huyen and Cai Mep-Thi Vai are expanding toward 35 million TEU annual capacity by 2030, from 25 million TEU in 2024, to handle projected container volume growth from electronics FDI manufacturers.
• Logistics Cost Gap: Vietnam's logistics costs at 16-17% of GDP (vs. 10-12% global average) represent both a market development opportunity and a structural efficiency gap that infrastructure investment is progressively closing.

Ready to benchmark DHL, Maersk, Kuehne+Nagel and Vietnamese operators across modes, trade flows and electronics supply chains in Vietnam's freight forwarding market? View the Vietnam Freight Forwarding Market Report for the complete 2030 forecast and competitive intelligence dataset.

Conclusion

Vietnam's freight forwarding market — at USD 52.06 billion in 2025 and growing at 6.67% CAGR to USD 71.88 billion by 2030 — is one of Southeast Asia's most structurally compelling logistics investment stories. Sea freight at 75.70% market share, air freight growing at 7.18% CAGR, Samsung's USD 65 billion export contribution and RCEP tariff advantages collectively make Vietnam's freight forwarding market a proxy for the China+1 manufacturing diversification mega-trend. Long Thanh Airport (2026) and port capacity expansions to 35 million TEU will remove infrastructure bottlenecks that currently constrain further volume growth. Access the full operator breakdown and modal demand forecast in the Vietnam Freight Forwarding Market report from Ken Research.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is the size of Vietnam's freight forwarding market?

Vietnam's freight and logistics market reached USD 52.06 billion in 2025, projected at USD 71.88 billion by 2030 at 6.67% CAGR. Freight transport accounts for 64.12% of market value, sea freight holds 75.70% modal share, and air freight grows fastest at 7.18% CAGR. The Global Freight Forwarding Market positions Vietnam among the top 10 fastest-growing freight forwarding markets globally.

Q2. Which companies lead Vietnam's freight forwarding market?

The leading operators are DHL Supply Chain Vietnam (integrated freight + warehousing for Samsung, Intel), Maersk Vietnam (sea freight dominance via MSC-Maersk fleet), Kuehne+Nagel Vietnam (air freight leadership at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat), and Nippon Express Vietnam (Japanese FDI client segment). Vietnamese operators Viettel Post, Sotrans and Transimex serve domestic and smaller-volume cross-border forwarding segments.

Q3. How does electronics manufacturing drive Vietnam's freight forwarding?

Samsung's Vietnamese factories contributed USD 65 billion in exports in 2024, and total electronics represent 34% of Vietnam's USD 335 billion merchandise exports. Electronics manufacturing FDI from Samsung, LG, Intel, Canon and Apple suppliers generates massive outbound sea freight (finished goods) and air freight (time-sensitive components) volumes, making manufacturing FDI investment the primary leading indicator of Vietnam's freight forwarding demand growth. The Vietnam Electronics Market tracks this FDI expansion in detail.

Q4. What role does Long Thanh Airport play?

Long Thanh International Airport — opening 2026, located 40 km from Ho Chi Minh City — includes a dedicated cargo terminal targeting 1.5 million tonnes per annum at full build-out, relieving congestion at Tan Son Nhat's constrained cargo terminal. It directly enables Vietnam to capture higher-value air freight from electronics manufacturers who currently reroute cargo through Bangkok or Singapore due to Tan Son Nhat capacity constraints. The Vietnam Air Freight Market details the Long Thanh capacity impact on air freight forwarding operator positioning.

Q5. How do Vietnam's free trade agreements affect freight forwarding?

Vietnam's RCEP, CPTPP and EVFTA memberships provide preferential tariff access to 18 trade partners representing 60% of global GDP, directly incentivizing FDI manufacturing investment that generates freight forwarding volumes. EVFTA (EU-Vietnam FTA) has been particularly impactful — EU-bound container freight volumes grew significantly post-ratification as European buyers shifted sourcing from China to Vietnam to capture tariff advantages. The Southeast Asia Logistics Market confirms Vietnam as the primary beneficiary of ASEAN FTA-driven trade flow shifts.