HCMC – Vietnamese automaker VinFast has begun shipping 999 VF8 electric cars to the U.S. for delivery to buyers.

The company held a ceremony at MPC Port in the northern port city of Haiphong this morning, November 25 to mark the delivery.

The electric vehicles are being transported to the U.S. by the Panamanian-chartered vehicles carrier Silver Queen, expected to arrive in California within 20 days. The cars will be handed over to U.S. customers by the end of December.

This is the first shipment among the worldwide orders for 65,000 Vinfast VF8 and VF9 EVs, according to Vingroup.

After the U.S. market, Vinfast will deliver VF8 cars to Canadian and European markets in 2023. Regarding VF9 cars, VinFast plans to deliver them to the domestic and international markets within the first quarter of next year.

At a function this morning celebrating VinFast’s shipment to the U.S., Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said this event marked the first time Vietnam’s electric cars would enter the global market.

This is a historical landmark for Vietnam’s automobile industry, affirming that Vietnam has successfully manufactured high-tech products to compete with other developed countries throughout the world, said Nguyen Viet Quang, vice chairman and CEO of Vingroup JSC.

He also said he hoped that VinFast electric cars will help to introduce the image of a new, dynamic and developed Vietnam to the world.

VF8 and VF9 are two models of high-end electric sport utility vehicles in the D and E segments, with luxurious designs, advanced technology and competitive prices.

VinFast received an order for 2,500 electric vehicles on November 17 and 18 from Autonomy, the largest car rental company in the U.S., at the Los Angeles Auto Show 2022 last week.

In 2022, VinFast also launched VF5, VF6, and VF7 electric cars for the A, B, and C segments, to satisfy the demand of global customers.