With 2025 volumes nearly counted, Drewry’s upgraded Intra-Asia Container Market Insight, which now supports port, country and region level insights, reveals that the China to Vietnam market remains the most important country-to-country trade flow in the intra-Asia trade for the second year in a row.
This trade grabbed first place in 2024 from the China to South Korea trade (which held top spot in 2023), after a growth spurt of 27% YoY, which saw trade volumes increase from 1.82 mteu in 2023 to 2.32 mteu in 2024. During 2025, the trade grew another 16% to 2.77 mteu.
Within the commodities traded, there is a clear trend towards higher-value cargo, with the share of raw materials shrinking 16% between 2023 and 2025 while the share of intermediate goods and capital goods rose 11% and 12%, respectively, in teu-terms.
Drewry AIS identified 59 carriers deploying capacity on this route. The top-11 carriers (MSC, China COSCO Shipping, CMA CGM, Wan Hai Lines, Maersk, Ocean Network Express (ONE), Hapag-Lloyd, Evergreen Marine, SITC, Zim, and Yang Ming) deploy 88% of the nominal vessel capacity on this route.
Carriers that left the trade in 2025, after winding down volumes during 2024, were Zhonggu Shipping, Tailwind Shipping Lines, and Safeen Group. But there are also newcomers in 2025, like Antong Holdings, Sea Legend, DP World, Xiamen Dingxiangshun, Shanghai Chenxin, and Aladin Express.
On the main port connection, from Shanghai to Ho Chi Minh City, Drewry AIS identified 1,198 departures during 2025. SITC performed 211 departures with median transit time of 11 days, while Maersk performed 146 departures and SIPG 127, both with slightly shorter median transit times.
Source: Drewry
