Guides / Sourcing Guide

Sourcing Furniture From Vietnam, Start to First Container

September 14, 2026

Sourcing from Vietnam is not difficult. It is sequential. Most of what goes wrong comes from doing the steps out of order, usually by contacting factories before there is anything specific to contact them about.

This is the sequence that works, with the time each stage really takes.

Step 1: write the specification before you contact anyone

This is the step buyers skip and it is the one that decides everything downstream.

A workable specification has, per product: dimensions with a drawing or a reference photo, species or a note that it is open, construction per component, grade, finish system with sheen and colour reference, hardware material, packing format, labelling, target quantity, target market and Incoterm.

That is one page. Without it you will receive quotes built on different constructions and conclude that one factory is cheap, when in fact it quoted plywood where another quoted edge glued acacia. See the construction guide for why this gap is so wide.

If you do not know some of it, say so explicitly rather than leaving it blank. “Open to factory recommendation on construction, must hold flat” is useful information. A blank line is not.

If you do not have a design at all, you may not need one. The OEM and ODM guide covers when buying an existing factory design is the faster and cheaper route.

Step 2: decide the category and the region

Vietnam is not one furniture industry. It is several clusters with different strengths, and sending an outdoor enquiry to an indoor cluster wastes everyone’s month.

Broadly: the south around Binh Duong and Dong Nai for indoor and cabinet work with the deepest subcontractor base, the centre around Quy Nhon for outdoor furniture close to the acacia supply, and the north for panel, plywood and components. The regions guide covers the differences that actually affect a buyer.

Step 3: shortlist, then vet

Aim for three to five factories that already build your category, not fifteen that could try.

Then run the vetting sequence before you sample: registration and business activity, capacity in containers per month for your product, kiln ownership and moisture targets, finishing in house or subcontracted, the subcontractor list, export history in your market and two references you actually call. The factory vetting guide has the questions that separate a producer from a trader.

Cut to two or three before sampling. Sampling with six factories costs six times the money and produces six inconsistent results.

Step 4: quote, then normalise

Quotes come back over one to two weeks. Before comparing, normalise five things: construction, grade, finish system, what is included in the packing, and the Incoterm.

A FOB price and an EXW price are not comparable, and neither are a three coat and a two coat finish. The payment and Incoterms guide covers how to convert between terms.

Also look at how the factory quoted. A factory that comes back with questions about tolerance, show face and carton format is thinking about production. One that returns a price in a day with no questions is guessing.

Step 5: sample properly, once

Two to four weeks for the first sample, then one to three weeks per revision round. Budget for at least one round and often two on colour.

Before the sample is built, agree the colour limit samples: a light limit and a dark limit, not one nice piece. On acacia in particular this is the difference between a range you accept and an argument you lose. The finish guide covers how to write a finish spec a factory can hit.

When you approve, approve formally. Sign the sample, date it, photograph it from several angles and reference it in the purchase contract. Keep the physical piece.

Step 6: contract the things that are not price

The purchase contract should cover more than quantity and price.

Payment structure, with the balance against passed inspection plus bill of lading copy. Incoterm and named port. The inspection standard and AQL levels. Documents required before shipment, including legality paperwork and any panel certificates. Notice required before any species, panel supplier or hardware substitution. And what happens on a failed inspection or a missed date.

Most of these are single sentences. Together they are the difference between a problem you resolve in a week and one you argue about for a month.

Step 7: production, with milestones

Production runs 35 to 80 days depending on category. Do not treat it as a black box.

Set four milestones: material purchased, first parts machined, first pieces into finish, packing started. Ask for a photo against each one. A slip that shows up in week three is recoverable. The same slip discovered in week nine is not. See the lead time guide for the seasonal pressures that cause most slips.

Step 8: inspect at 80 percent, supervise the loading

Book a third party inspection at around 80 percent packed, with your inspection pack: approved sample photos, specification, colour limits, packing spec and AQL levels.

Book loading supervision separately. It protects against a different risk: crushing, bad stacking, a wet container and moisture during the voyage. The inspection and loading guide covers both.

Step 9: measure what arrived

When the container lands, take moisture readings on several pieces and record them. Assemble one flat pack unit with the supplied instructions. Photograph anything out of spec immediately.

This is your evidence for the next negotiation and your baseline for the second order. It takes an hour and most buyers never do it.

The realistic timeline

First order from first contact to warehouse: four to seven months. Repeat order on an approved product: two to four months, because the sampling stages disappear.

Plan from the arrival date backwards, not from today forwards. That single habit prevents most missed seasons.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

• Bedroom Furniture From Vietnam: Beds and Casegoods
• Wood Products From Vietnam: What the Factories Actually Make