Southeast Asia Routes Overbooked and Prices Surge in April! Rates Skyrocket for Thailand and Vietnam Lines; Yang Ming Launches New Xiamen-Southeast Asia Direct Service
 
Southeast Asia routes have become the hottest segment in global ocean shipping in April 2026. Driven by regional manufacturing relocation and a surge in pre-holiday shipment demand, ports in Bangkok, Thailand and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam are fully overbooked. FCL ocean freight rates from Shenzhen to Bangkok have risen 40% compared to March, while those to Ho Chi Minh City have increased by 35%, with container pickup lead times extended to 5–7 days.
 
To ease tight capacity, shipping lines are ramping up services on Southeast Asia routes. Yang Ming officially launched a new service on April 3 connecting Xiamen, Singapore and Port Klang, deploying three 2,800 TEU vessels with one weekly sailing to strengthen logistics links between South China and ASEAN. COSCO and MSC also added extra sailings on Southeast Asia routes in early April.
 
Currently, LCL cargoes from Shenzhen and Guangzhou in South China to Southeast Asia are fully booked until late April. Freight forwarders have seen a 60% year-on-year increase in Southeast Asia route business volume, making it a core growth driver for April performance.