The Complete Guide to Shipping Your Dog or Cat from the USA to Vietnam

Written by My Pet Air Travel, based on our own USA→Vietnam pet relocations combined with USDA APHIS requirements and current market guidance.

Vietnam is a newer, lower-volume route for us than several of our other destinations, and we want to be upfront about that from the start — we've completed real shipments to Ho Chi Minh City, and we bring the same care and attention to this route that we do everywhere else, but we haven't yet completed a booking to Hanoi despite regular interest in that route. What we can tell you with confidence comes from real shipments we've handled, a trusted partner on the ground in Ho Chi Minh City, and current regulatory guidance — and where our own experience is more limited, we'll say so plainly rather than overstate it.

At a glance

Step 1: Microchip, vaccination, and the health certificate

Your pet needs an ISO-standard microchip in place before its rabies vaccination, with the vaccination at least 30 days old before travel and your pet at least 16 weeks old. A rabies titer test is not required to enter Vietnam — but if your pet's stay is under six months and you're planning a return to the US, be aware that Vietnam is currently classified by the CDC as a higher-rabies-risk country, which brings its own requirements for the trip home. We'll flag this clearly if your move is likely to be temporary. Your pet travels on a USDA-endorsed health certificate, and if you're shipping more than two pets in a single booking, Vietnam requires an import permit from its Department of Animal Health — for one or two pets traveling with you, no permit is needed.

Step 2: A local consignee can simplify your pet's arrival

One thing we've learned from real experience on this route: rather than listing you (the owner) as the consignee on your pet's paperwork, our Vietnam-based partner can arrange for a local representative to serve as the receiving contact, so you don't need to personally appear at the airport or a government veterinary office to complete the process. This isn't required, but it's a genuinely useful option we can set up for you in advance.

Step 3: If your dog is a snub-nosed breed, plan early

Brachycephalic breeds — French Bulldogs, Bulldogs, and similar — have very limited carrier options into Vietnam. On a recent shipment, only one specific routing through one specific airline was actually willing to carry a French Bulldog to Ho Chi Minh City. If this describes your dog, let us know as early as possible so we can identify your viable options before you commit to a travel date.

Airlines and routing

We've booked this route on Turkish Airlines (via Istanbul) and Lufthansa Cargo (via Frankfurt, using their Pet Premium Service and Frankfurt Animal Lounge), depending on departure city and current capacity. Routing to Vietnam has changed mid-process on both of our completed shipments so far, generally due to shifting airline availability — we build flexibility into your timeline because of this, and we'll keep you updated if your routing needs to adjust before departure.

What happens on the Vietnam side

Our Ho Chi Minh City-based partner manages customs clearance and can coordinate a local consignee as described above. Vietnam-side clearance is billed separately from your quote — we'll make clear what that covers before you book.

How much does it cost?

Based on our own real Vietnam quotes and bookings:

Typical range: roughly $4,300–$5,200 for a single pet, with Vietnam-side customs clearance billed separately, typically several hundred dollars. Multi-pet requests and Hanoi-specific quotes are something we're glad to price out, but we'll be honest that our completed-shipment experience so far is with single pets to Ho Chi Minh City.

Real lessons from Vietnam shipments we've handled

• Routing can and does change close to departure. Both of our completed Vietnam shipments had their airline or routing adjusted before the pet actually flew — we plan for this rather than treat an initial routing as fixed.
• A local consignee can spare you an in-person airport visit. This isn't something every client thinks to ask about, so we raise it proactively.
• Snub-nosed breeds need a specific, sometimes narrow, set of carrier options. We'll confirm viable airlines for your specific dog before booking.
• Photo or welfare updates during a layover aren't always reliable on every carrier. We'll set honest expectations about what updates you can expect during transit rather than promise something we can't guarantee on every route.

Questions clients actually ask us

• "Do you have real experience shipping to Hanoi, or just Ho Chi Minh City?" (Our completed shipments have been to Ho Chi Minh City — we'll tell you plainly if Hanoi is new territory for a specific request.)
• "Do we need an import permit?" (Not for one or two pets traveling with you — only for larger multi-pet shipments.)
• "Will our dog's breed be accepted?" (For snub-nosed breeds especially, we'll confirm this before booking rather than assume.)
• "Do we need the rabies titer test?" (No, to enter Vietnam — but ask us about the return trip if your stay may be temporary.)
• "Can someone else receive our pet in Vietnam if we can't be there ourselves?" (Yes — this is something our Vietnam-based partner can help arrange.)

A note on where this guide comes from

This guide reflects our own USA→Vietnam shipment history combined with current USDA APHIS export requirements and the best available Vietnamese import guidance as of September 2026. We want to be transparent that Vietnam's own government publishes less detailed public guidance than some other destinations we cover, and some requirements (like exact certificate timing windows) are things we confirm directly with our Vietnam-based partner on a case-by-case basis rather than treat as universally fixed. Nothing here is legal advice.