In this article, the propagation and collision of vector solitons are investigated from the 3-coupled variable-coefficient nonlinear Schrodinger equations, which describe the amplification or attenuation of the pico-second pulses in the inhomogeneous multicomponent optical fibre with different frequencies or polarizations. On the basis of the Lax pair, infinitely-many conservation laws are obtained. Under an integrability constraint among the variable coefficients for the group velocity dispersion (GVD), nonlinearity and fibre gain/loss, and two mixed-type (2-bright-1-dark and 1-bright-2-dark) vector one-and two-soliton solutions are derived via the Hirota method and symbolic computation. Influence of the variable coefficients for the GVD and nonlinearity on the vector soliton amplitudes and velocities is analysed. Through the asymptotic and graphic analysis, bound states and elastic and inelastic collisions between the vector two solitons are investigated: Not only the elastic but also inelastic collision between the 2-bright-1-dark vector two solitons can occur, whereas the collision between the 1-bright-2-dark vector two solitons is always elastic; for the bound states, the GVD and nonlinearity affect their types; with the GVD and nonlinearity being the constants, collision period decreases as the GVD increases but is independent of the nonlinearity.