USA to Vietnam
Pet Shipping from the USA to Vietnam
We provide international pet transport from the USA to Vietnam, planned around its import rules, the season and your move date.
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- The travel crate
- The export and import paperwork
- Check-in at your US airport
- Pickup in Vietnam with delivery to your new address
Vietnam at a glance
Full requirementsAPHIS’s Vietnam page links a health certificate of its own for pet dogs and cats, dated September 2025, and that is the form the rest of the preparation is built around.
- Number of pets
- Up to two per traveler, for keeping as pets, household purposes or accompanying travel, are declared at the border gate. More need the Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health’s written agreement first
- Microchip
- Required, and the number is recorded on the certificate
- Rabies vaccination
- Must be current at the time of export, with the date, vaccine name, batch number and end of validity recorded
- Rabies titer test
- Not required
- Rabies status of origin
- The animal must come from an area not under rabies quarantine and must not have been exposed to rabies
Pet Shipping from the USA to Vietnam
Vietnam asks for less than almost anywhere else, so the work is in timing rather than in tests. The rabies vaccination has to be current on the day of export. The certificate is valid for 30 days from the date it is issued to the date of departure, which means it is the last thing prepared, not the first. And the number of animals decides which procedure applies at the border.
For Up to Two Pets, Registration Happens at the Border Gate
This is where a general summary of Vietnam goes wrong. Vietnam’s rules on animal quarantine are Circular 01/2026/TT-BNNMT of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, which replaced Circular 25/2016 on January 1, 2026 (its consolidated text of June 12, 2026, read October 29, 2026). For up to two animals brought in by a traveler, the circular says the owner registers the import quarantine directly at the border gate quarantine agency. There is no permit to apply for from a ministry weeks ahead, which is what many pet shipping pages tell you.
That route, in Article 14, is for no more than two animals for keeping as pets, for household purposes, or for bringing along on a trip. A traveler bringing more applies first to the ministry’s Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health, which answers within 4 working days of a complete file, and then declares the animals to the border gate agency before they arrive. At the border gate the officer checks the exporting country’s quarantine certificate and carries out a clinical examination of the animal. The gate agency also vaccinates an animal not yet vaccinated against dangerous infectious diseases and takes samples from one suspected of an infectious disease. The import quarantine certificate is issued within 1 working day of the check, or within 1 working day of the test results where samples were taken.
A pet shipped unaccompanied as cargo is a different procedure with different paperwork. We confirm which one your move falls under before anything is booked, because it changes both the documents and the timeline.
Route details: USA to Vietnam
- Route
- USA to Vietnam
- How the pet flies
- With its owner: Vietnam’s Circular 01/2026 sets a border gate process for no more than 2 animals carried by a traveler
- Quarantine declaration
- Up to 2 pets with a traveler: declared on arrival at the border gate quarantine agency. More: registered first, reply in 4 working days
- Health certificate
- APHIS’s Viet Nam form (Sept 2025) by a USDA-accredited vet, endorsed by APHIS through VEHCS. Valid 30 days from issue to departure
- Quarantine on arrival
- Officer checks the export certificate and examines the pet; vaccinates or tests if needed. Import certificate within 1 working day
- Since January 1, 2026
- Circular 01/2026/TT-BNNMT replaced Circular 25/2016 as Vietnam’s rules on quarantine of land animals and their products
From official sources, read October 29, 2026: Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Viet Nam, Consoli; Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Viet Nam, 67/VBHN-BNNMT full text; USDA APHIS, Pet Travel From the United States to Vietnam; USDA APHIS, Veterinary Health Certificate for Export of Dogs and Cats from the United States of America to Viet Nam.
Arrival Checks and Quarantine
Import Eligibility for Pets
For up to two dogs or cats arriving with you, the circular sets no quarantine period. It provides for the check at the border gate described above, not a stay.
That makes the certificate the whole game. It has to be accurate, current, and inside its validity window when you depart, because there is no second chance to correct it once you have arrived.
Before scheduling vet steps or flights, we confirm what applies to your pet against the Vietnamese animal quarantine rules and the USDA export requirements, so nothing in your plan rests on an outdated summary.
Health Preparation and Documentation
The sequence is short. Microchip first, so the number on the certificate matches the animal. The rabies vaccination has to be current on the day of export, and the certificate records its date, the vaccine name, the batch number and the end of its validity. Then the examination and the certificate, endorsed by APHIS through VEHCS.
The certificate is valid for 30 days from the date it is issued to the date of departure, so it is prepared last and the flight is booked inside that window. There is no titer, no waiting period and, for up to two pets, no permit to chase, which is why this route moves faster than almost any other we handle.
| Requirement | Vietnam, from the United States |
|---|---|
| Number of pets | Up to two per traveler, for keeping as pets, household purposes or accompanying travel, are declared at the border gate. More need the Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health’s written agreement first |
| Microchip | Required, and the number is recorded on the certificate |
| Rabies vaccination | Must be current at the time of export, with the date, vaccine name, batch number and end of validity recorded |
| Rabies titer test | Not required |
| Rabies status of origin | The animal must come from an area not under rabies quarantine and must not have been exposed to rabies |
| Clinical examination | By the USDA accredited veterinarian, on the date the certificate is issued |
| Health certificate | Issued by a USDA accredited veterinarian and endorsed by APHIS through VEHCS. Valid 30 days from the date of issue to the date of departure |
| Import permit | None in advance for up to two pets traveling with you: quarantine registration is made directly at the border gate quarantine agency on arrival |
| Quarantine | No quarantine period for up to two accompanied pets. The border gate officer checks the certificate and examines the animal, and vaccinates or takes samples where needed before the import certificate is issued |
| Endorsement fee | No laboratory tests on this route, so the APHIS band is $101 per certificate, whatever the number of pets on it |
| Realistic lead time | About 2 to 4 weeks for a vaccinated pet, our own estimate, set by vet scheduling and the 30 day certificate window rather than by any waiting period |
For what that sequence adds up to, work through our USA to Vietnam pet shipping cost breakdown.
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to Vietnam
Plan on roughly 2 to 4 weeks for a pet whose rabies vaccination is already current. Most of that is scheduling: a vet appointment for the examination and the certificate, then the APHIS endorsement through VEHCS. If the rabies vaccination has lapsed, that has to be brought up to date first.
Two things decide the shape of the move rather than the length of it. The number of animals, which a three-pet household has to settle at the booking stage, because a third pet needs the department’s agreement before the flight. And whether your pet travels with you or as unaccompanied cargo, because the border gate registration route described above is the one for a pet arriving with you.
Planning the budget? See our breakdown of what pet shipping costs, fee by fee. Moving elsewhere in the region: We also cover Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines.
Price the route on our pet shipping cost calculator, and see our USDA health certificate guide for the endorsement step. If Indonesia is also on the list, our Indonesia page explains why the answer there depends on the island.
Every Pet Travels
Differently
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
Because Vietnam is simple on paper and specific in practice, we build a plan that fits your pet, your household and your move date.
Destination-Focused Planning
We work from the Vietnamese animal quarantine circular and the USDA export requirements, then turn them into a checklist and a dated timeline you can follow.
Smart Routing and Logistics
We help choose practical routes and travel windows, and confirm how your arrival airport handles animals before anything is booked.
Personalized Support
Pet Travel Advisors assigns a move coordinator who keeps the certificate inside its window and prepares you for the border gate check.
Questions about moving a pet to Vietnam
Request a QuoteDoes my pet have to go into quarantine in Vietnam?
No, for up to two dogs or cats arriving with you. Vietnam’s animal quarantine circular, Circular 01/2026/TT-BNNMT, provides for a check at the border gate rather than a stay: the quarantine officer verifies the health certificate issued by the exporting country and carries out a clinical examination of your pet, vaccinating or taking samples only where needed. The import quarantine certificate is issued once those checks are complete.
How many pets can I bring to Vietnam?
Up to two go through the simple border gate route. The circular that covers animals brought in by travelers sets that route for no more than two animals for keeping as pets, for household purposes, or for bringing along on a trip. A household with three applies first to Vietnam’s Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health for its written agreement, so it is worth settling before flights are booked rather than after.
Do I need an import permit for Vietnam?
Not in advance, for up to two pets traveling with you. The circular says the owner registers the import quarantine directly at the border gate quarantine agency. A great many pet shipping pages tell you to apply to a ministry weeks ahead, and for those pets that is not what the regulation says. A pet shipped unaccompanied as cargo follows a different procedure, so we confirm which route your move takes before anything is booked.
What are the requirements for bringing a pet into Vietnam from the USA?
A microchip, a rabies vaccination that is still current at the time of export, and a health certificate issued by a USDA accredited veterinarian and endorsed by APHIS through VEHCS. The certificate records the microchip number, the vaccination date, the vaccine name and batch, and the end of its validity, and it attests that your pet comes from an area not under rabies quarantine and has not been exposed to rabies. The certificate is valid for 30 days from issue to departure.
Does my pet need a rabies titer test for Vietnam?
No. Vietnam does not require a rabies antibody test for dogs or cats arriving from the United States. What it requires is that the rabies vaccination itself is current when your pet leaves, which is why this route can be arranged in weeks rather than months.
How long is the health certificate valid for Vietnam?
Thirty days, measured from the date it is issued to the date of departure. That is generous compared with the 5 and 10 day windows some destinations use, but it still means the certificate is the last document prepared rather than the first, and a flight moved far enough can push a departure past it.
How much does it cost to move a pet to Vietnam?
The government side is the smallest of any route we cover. No laboratory tests are required, so the APHIS endorsement sits in the lowest band at $101 per certificate whatever the number of pets on it, and for up to two pets arriving with you Vietnam asks for no permit in advance. Your veterinarian charges for the examination and any vaccination. The large numbers are the flight and the crate. Our cost breakdown walks through each line.
How can Pet Travel Advisors help with USA to Vietnam moves?
We check the household size first, because a third animal needs Vietnam’s agreement before the flight, then sequence the microchip, the rabies vaccination and the certificate with a USDA accredited veterinarian so the 30 day window covers your flight. We prepare the certificate for APHIS endorsement through VEHCS, arrange the crate and the routing, and brief you on the border gate registration and what the quarantine officer will check. One coordinator owns the file from the first vet visit to arrival.
Ready to start?
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.