Cold room project case study in Vietnam: IQF line and 1,200-pallet frozen store, Mekong Delta
A new export line needed IQF capacity matched to the processing rate, with energy cost per tonne kept competitive against regional rivals.
A 1,200-pallet −30 to −40 °c blast / deep frozen facility in Vietnam of roughly 5,500 m³, built with ammonia (r717) industrial plant, models at about USD 7,392,333 installed (USD 5,913,866–USD 9,610,033 planning range) and USD 725,096 a year to run, over a 64-week programme from brief to handover. Figures are indicative planning estimates from ColdMatch Group's country cost model — not a quotation.
A senior cold-chain specialist stays with your project from first brief to commissioning.
What was built, and for whom
Hot and humid — higher defrost energy and infiltration load
~260 generator hours modelled per year
Local band 0.060–0.110 USD/kWh
Zones
- IQF spiral freezer sized to line rate
- Frozen store −22 °C, 1,200 pallets
- Chilled processing hall +12 °C
What a project like this costs in Vietnam
Derived from the same indicative country cost model used by the public ColdMatch calculators: local construction cost index, design ambient, humidity, grid reliability, diesel price and electricity tariff. Planning-grade estimates, never a quotation.
Planning range USD 5,913,866–USD 9,610,033
USD 1,344 per m³
46% of it is energy
436 kW average refrigeration load
| Envelope, plant, electrical and installation | USD 6,794,961 |
| Standby generation | USD 577,572 |
| Monitoring and alarms | USD 19,800 |
| Total installed | USD 7,392,333 |
| Grid electricity (3,821,959 kWh) | USD 305,757 |
| Standby diesel (26,998 litres) | USD 24,298 |
| Maintenance and spares | USD 201,071 |
| Operations labour (16 staff) | USD 190,400 |
| Monitoring and compliance | USD 3,570 |
| Total per year | USD 725,096 |
Running the same facility on legacy fixed-speed plant models at USD 898,174 a year — about USD 173,078 more, which is the efficiency decision this project turned on.
What made this project difficult in Vietnam
These are the local realities that change the design, the price and the supplier shortlist.
- Humid climate raising defrost demand
- Buyer audits on hygiene, traceability and social compliance
- Energy cost per tonne is a direct competitiveness factor
The decisions that shaped the result
- Two-stage ammonia plant with VSD compressors and floating suction pressure
- Freezer capacity matched to the packing line, avoiding an expensive idle machine
- Sub-metering per zone from day one
Programme: about 64 weeks from brief to handover
Phases overlap in practice. This sequence shows where the schedule risk sits in this market.
- 1
Brief and feasibility
Weeks 1–3 · 3 weeksProduct, temperature, capacity, site status, electrical supply, budget band and timeline confirmed. ColdMatch reviews the brief and flags missing data before anyone is approached.
- 2
Concept design and RFQ preparation
Weeks 4–7 · 4 weeksZone layout, load estimate, system shortlist and a single bid form so every supplier quotes identical scope, exclusions and assumptions.
- 3
Supplier review and tendering
Weeks 8–13 · 6 weeksSuitable suppliers are approached only after internal approval, then proposals are normalised on scope, energy assumptions, spares, commissioning and warranty.
- 4
Civil works and building envelope
Weeks 14–33 · 20 weeksSlab, drainage, docks and structure, including under-floor heating detail where freezer rooms sit on grade.
- 5
Equipment manufacture and delivery
Weeks 34–49 · 16 weeksPlant and panel manufacture with delivery sequenced to the installation programme.
- 6
Installation and insulation
Weeks 50–59 · 10 weeksPanel erection, refrigeration pipework, electrical installation and controls.
- 7
Commissioning, pull-down and handover
Weeks 60–64 · 5 weeksLeak and pressure testing, staged pull-down, performance verification against the specified duty, operator training, spares handover and documentation.
What the project delivered
- Freezing capacity aligned with the line rather than oversized
- Energy per tonne frozen tracked and benchmarked monthly
- Audit documentation prepared before the first export shipment
What buyers in this market should take from it
- Oversized freezers waste both CAPEX and energy — size on line rate
- Sub-metering is cheap at build and impossible to retrofit fairly
Tools and market data for Vietnam
Change the capacity, temperature and system and the numbers above move. These tools use the same country model.
Cold storage project costs and timelines in Vietnam
How ColdMatch Group works — independent B2B procurement and sourcing platform — ColdMatch Group is an independent B2B procurement and sourcing platform for industrial refrigeration, cold storage and cold-chain projects from USD $250K+, connecting buyers with qualified third-party suppliers, EPC contractors and independent financing providers.
Have a comparable project in Vietnam?
Submit your product type, temperatures, capacity, site status, power situation, budget band and timeline. David and the ColdMatch team review the brief, structure the RFQ so every supplier quotes the same scope, and approach suitable suppliers only after internal approval.
This is a worked project example built from ColdMatch Group's indicative country cost model — local electricity tariff, design ambient, humidity, grid reliability and construction cost index. It is a planning-grade illustration, not a client transaction, an engineering design or a quotation. Supplier and manufacturer listings on this site are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. ColdMatch Group does not provide automatic buyer-supplier introductions. Every cold chain project request is reviewed manually by David / ColdMatch Group, and supplier introductions are made only after internal approval.
Supplier and manufacturer listings are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. ColdMatch Group does not provide automatic buyer-supplier introductions. Every cold chain project request is reviewed manually by David / ColdMatch Group, and supplier introductions are made only after internal approval.