The international sea freight market is entering the busiest period of the year as retailers in the US and Europe boost imports of goods in preparation for the year-end shopping season.

However, unlike the strong fluctuations of previous years, sea freight rates in Q3/2026 are forecast to remain stable thanks to a large number of high-capacity container ships delivered by major shipping lines and put into operation on Trans-Pacific routes.

The recommendation for Vietnamese exporters is to proactively plan to book vessels 2-3 weeks in advance and take advantage of Fixed Rate contract solutions from reputable NVOCC agents like Hiro Logistics to avoid the risk of empty container shortages.