Improving the Import LCL/LCL Sea Freight Forwarding Process: Evidence from a Qualitative Case Study at Tiep Van Thuc Company, Vietnam

Less-than-container-load (LCL/LCL) sea freight forwarding plays an essential role in international logistics, particularly for shippers with small and medium shipment volumes. Despite its operational importance, the LCL/LCL import process is often characterized by procedural complexity, intensive documentation requirements, and a high degree of coordination among multiple actors. In emerging market contexts, these challenges are further intensified by fragmented procedures and reliance on manual processing. This study examines the import LCL/LCL sea freight forwarding process at Tiep Van Thuc Company, a Vietnamese logistics enterprise. Adopting a qualitative single-case study design, the research draws on internal operational documents, direct observation, and practical insights collected during the period 2022–2024. The findings indicate that the forwarding process is constrained by several interrelated limitations, including prolonged processing time, heavy dependence on manual documentation, and coordination difficulties across sequential operational stages. By providing context-specific qualitative evidence, the study contributes to the logistics process improvement literature and offers practical insights for logistics enterprises in emerging markets seeking to enhance the efficiency and reliability of LCL/LCL import operations through process standardization.