Shipping & Moving
For most people, the real question isn't how to ship — it's whether to.
Shipping household goods internationally is one of the few relocation decisions where the obvious-sounding answer (bring everything) is usually the wrong one financially.
Should you ship your belongings?
For most people relocating with a normal amount of furniture, the honest answer is: probably not. Shipping household goods internationally is expensive and slow, and a lot of what people own — furniture especially — can be bought new or secondhand in Vietnam for less than the cost of shipping it. The calculation changes if you have specific items that matter to you personally (not easily replaceable, sentimental, or genuinely expensive to rebuy) — those are worth shipping even if the rest of your stuff isn't.
Choosing a mover
International movers who specialise in household relocations (not general freight-forwarders built for e-commerce parcels) are the ones set up for door-to-door moves, including handling Vietnamese customs paperwork for personal effects. Get more than one quote — pricing varies a lot between operators for what's functionally the same shipment, and a specialist residential mover will usually walk you through the customs documentation up front rather than leaving you to work it out.
Customs for personal effects
Household goods shipped as part of a genuine relocation are generally treated differently from commercial imports, but the specific paperwork and any duty exemptions depend on current customs rules, which are worth confirming directly with your mover or Vietnamese customs rather than assuming last year's process still applies.
Indicative pricing
Price guides are coming soon.
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Common questions
- Can I ship household goods to Vietnam?
- Yes, through international movers who specialise in household relocations rather than general parcel freight-forwarders. For most people with a typical amount of furniture, it's usually cheaper to buy new or secondhand locally than to ship it — worth doing the maths before you commit to a shipment.
- Is it cheaper to buy furniture locally than ship it from home?
- For most ordinary furniture, yes, once you account for international shipping costs. It mainly stops being true for items that are expensive or impossible to replace locally, or that have genuine personal/sentimental value.