Connecting USA
with Vietnam

Yes. Leading Vietnamese export mills manufacture Portland cement conforming to ASTM C150 Type I and Type II, including low-alkali grades, specifically for the US market. Every Soku shipment includes mill test reports documenting conformance; project acceptance is always subject to your engineer's specification and shipment testing.

Vietnam is the world's largest cement and clinker exporter, shipping roughly 30 million tonnes per year, and one of the world's top three producers at about 110 million tonnes annually (USGS). In 2025, Vietnam tied with Canada as the second-largest source of US cement imports at 19 percent each, behind only Turkey.

Yes, and we would rather you hear the number from us than from your broker. The base rate is Free: cement clinker enters under HTS 2523.10.00.00 and grey Portland cement under 2523.29.00.00, both Column 1 general rate Free. On top of that, a Section 301 action addressing forced labor, published at 91 FR 47318 on 28 July 2026, applies an additional 12.5 percent to products of Vietnam entered on or after 24 July 2026, under Chapter 99 heading 9903.05.84. Cement is not in the exempted categories. Separately, no US antidumping or countervailing duty order covers Vietnamese cement or clinker; the historic US cement AD orders are against Japan and Mexico, and the active Vietnam trade cases are in unrelated products such as rebar. Every Soku quote is landed-cost with the duty priced in, and classification is confirmed with a licensed customs broker before contract. Duty policy moves, so we re-verify near the shipment date rather than relying on the rate that applied when we quoted.

Some now do, which was not true a few years ago. A producer within Phuc Loi's network holds a current declaration registered on the International EPD System, published in 2025 and valid to 2030, whose declared scope covers ASTM C150 Types I, II, I/II, III, V and II/V and extends to ASTM C595 Types IL and IP, with a separate declaration for clinker. Two points of precision. An EPD is an environmental disclosure rather than a conformance certificate or a low-carbon certification: it reports a declared global warming potential, and whether that clears your project's threshold or earns a LEED credit is a calculation against your specification. And it belongs to a specific plant, not to a country or a company, which is why the breadth of the producer network matters. Tell us at the inquiry stage that a declaration is required and Phuc Loi routes the order to a plant that already holds a current one. We provide the registration number, publishing plant, and validity dates with your quote so your consultant can verify it at source.

From containerized bagged cement for smaller projects up to full bulk vessels of around 50,000 tonnes. The economics change with size: a geared Supramax carrying roughly 50,000 tonnes gives the lowest cost per ton, while charter hire is priced on vessel days rather than cargo weight, so a part cargo pays for space it does not use. Below roughly 25,000 tonnes we generally move breakbulk or containerized instead. Tell us your volume and destination and we will structure the shipment honestly, including telling you when your parcel is too small to charter.

Bulk, lined bulk bags (FIBC super sacks at 1.0, 1.5, or 1.8 MT), 50 kg export bags, or 60 lb bags for the US trade channel, palletized for container loading. Private label is available. One caution worth raising early: cement is hygroscopic and plain woven polypropylene is not a moisture barrier, so if product will sit in open or humid storage we specify a polyethylene liner. Lined bags cost more than plain ones, and we quote them as a separate line rather than burying the difference.

Type IL is produced to order rather than held in stock, and a minimum parcel applies. Our documented conformance today is ASTM C150 Type I and Type II. For Type IL we supply samples for your own laboratory to qualify before any contract, and we will not represent a Type IL as qualified for your specification until your lab says it is. If Type IL is what your project or state specification calls for, tell us at the inquiry stage, because it changes the lead time.

Either. Vietnamese mills typically sell FOB and expect telegraphic transfer, which leaves the buyer chartering vessels, carrying origin risk, and paying before the cargo moves. Most American buyers would rather buy CFR or CIF against a Letter of Credit. Soku USA sits in that gap: we quote FOB, CFR, or CIF, arrange the ocean freight, and act as the US-based counterparty on US terms.

Typically several weeks by ocean freight depending on the destination. Documented shipments from Vietnam to the US Gulf run about five to six weeks; West Coast and Hawaii routes are shorter.

Primarily Cam Pha, Hai Phong, and Nghi Son, Vietnam's main deep-water cement and clinker terminals. Phuc Loi shipments load at Nghi Son in vessels up to 50,000 metric tonnes.

Yes. Under IIJA Section 70917(c), implemented at 2 CFR 184.3 and applied by FHWA at 23 CFR 635.410, cement and cementitious materials are excluded materials outside Buy America's domestic-preference categories, so imported cement can be used on federal-aid projects without a waiver. One precision: once cement is incorporated into a manufactured product, that product is evaluated as a whole. We provide the full citation packet with every quote.

Phuc Loi Investment and Trading Co., Ltd. of Hai Phong, established 2004, one of Vietnam's largest cement and clinker exporters, a Vietnam Cement Association member, and shipping into 18 countries across three continents. Soku USA is Phuc Loi's exclusive North America agent under a multi-year agreement. Worth understanding how that works: Phuc Loi is not one mill selling its own output, it is the party with standing relationships across the tier-one producers of Northern and North-Central Vietnam, so it can match your specification, your standard, your environmental declaration, and your shipping window to the right plant rather than to the only plant. Every shipment is quality-assured by independent SGS inspection with accredited laboratory testing.