UK to Vietnam
Britain to Vietnam
Start with the customs guide, then open the city page nearest the port. We hold no freight price or sailing time, so quotes come from the partner firm.
Vietnam movers for British households: a customs guide with its gaps shown, plus pages for Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
International Movers to Vietnam
Moving to Vietnam is bound up with your job. The papers for a shipment lean on an employer's letter, licence and stamp; the visa you hold decides whether the goods can clear; and the two main cities ask for different documents. We introduce partner firms that pack and ship. The guides here set out what two trade guides say, where they disagree, and what no Vietnamese official text could confirm.
Travel advice
What does the FCDO say about Vietnam today?
The page we read did not advise against travel to Vietnam, so this guide carries no warning section. It did carry two notices that a mover should know about.
- Date read: GOV.UK stamped the advice “Still current at: 8 November 2026”, and showed its last change as 21 September 2026.
- Weather: “The tropical storm season runs from May to November.” A sailing, a road leg or a delivery date in those months can slip.
- Flights: the advice reports “Escalation in the Middle East has caused widespread travel disruption”, which can affect connections even when the destination is far from the region.
The Safety and security page of the advice was not read. Open the live advice again in the week you travel.
Direction covered
Which direction do these guides assume?
Every guide here assumes the household is leaving Britain for Vietnam. Nothing covers a return to the UK.
Vietnam to UK
Vietnam back to Britain
Not researched, so nothing on these pages applies to a shipment travelling the other way.
Order of events
What should I do first?
Settle your employment and visa first, because the goods cannot clear without them.
- Passport. GOV.UK asks for “an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive” and two blank pages, and says you must enter and exit on the same passport. A digital arrival card is optional for now: “The digital arrival card system is not currently a mandatory requirement for entry into Vietnam via Tan Son Nhat airport”, but the rule may change at short notice.
- Employer papers. The customs guide lists the letter, licence, stamp and work permit that the trade guides expect, and flags where they disagree.
- Port and city. Southern loads and northern loads meet different offices, so open the city page that matches your destination, listed further down.
- Timing. Allow for the storm months above, and ask whether your visa will still be valid when the container is discharged.
Papers needed in Britain are in the UK customs documentation checklist; the international moving checklist sets the order of tasks by date.
Customs
Where is the customs guide?
One guide holds every national rule, because none of them depends on which city you choose.
Vietnam customs for household goods
Who can import, which visa, the papers, the arrival card, work permits, inspection, duty, cars and pets, with the disagreements between sources shown.
To see what shapes a sea-freight price, read the sea freight guide and the removals cost guide.
City pages
Which city page fits my move?
The country has two clearing cities with different paperwork. Pick the one that matches where you will work.
- The south: Ho Chi Minh City, where certified copies are asked for and the sea port has moved to the edge of the city.
- The north: Hanoi, which wants a labour contract and is served by the container port at Haiphong.
For scale, Wikipedia says Vietnam has “a population of over 102 million, it is the world's 16th-most populous country”. The city figures that follow are from the same encyclopaedia, since the national statistics office tables did not load for us.
Other places
Which other places are named, and why have they no page?
Some places are named here without a page because we found port or population facts but no moving rule for them.
- Haiphong: 4,664,124 people in the 2025 list, a large container port, and since June 2025 the home of what was Hai Duong Province. Its port facts are on the Hanoi page, which is where a northern load is most likely to be headed.
- Da Nang: 3,065,628 people in the same list. “Da Nang's port and its location on National Route 1 and the North–South Railway makes it a transport hub.” Its Tien Sa seaport has a depth of 11 m and takes container ships. No customs rule or moving guidance for Da Nang was found, so it has no page.
- Can Tho and Hue: 4,199,824 and 1,432,986 people in that list. Nothing we read ties either to a household shipment.
City labels have shifted. “After the amendment of the Constitution, centrally-governed cities became the only administrative units defined as 'cities.'” Treat any guide that talks about provincial cities as out of date.
Every guide
All Vietnam guides, by topic and by city
Each guide ends with its sources. A place without a guide is named on the nearest larger page.
Questions
Common questions about moving to Vietnam
Where should I begin?
With your visa and employer papers, then the customs guide.
The trade guides tie clearance to a visa of at least three months or a residence card, and to papers stamped by a Vietnamese employer.
Can I take my car?
One trade guide says private individuals cannot import cars; another says it is difficult and heavily taxed.
Because they disagree and no official text was readable, the customs guide marks the rule as not confirmed.
Do Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi need the same papers?
Not quite. Hanoi adds a labour contract; Ho Chi Minh City asks for certified copies.
Both rules come from the IAM guide, so confirm them with your destination agent.
My city has no page. What now?
Look for it in the other-places list above or on the nearest larger page.
A place gets a page here only when we hold at least two checked facts that would be false for any other city.
Where in Vietnam are you heading?
Tell us where you collect from, the month you expect to arrive, the visa and work permit you will hold, your largest items and whether a car or pet will follow.
About International Removals Companies
International Removals Companies is an enquiry and introduction service run by DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, in partnership with AGM Group. We don't move goods ourselves: the removal company quotes for your move and carries it out, so check its credentials and terms before you book. Our service is free. Discuss the quotation and booking terms directly with the removal company.
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- In partnership withAGM Group (agm.group)