Heads up - customs clearance for post from abroad

Update: Contacted vnpost support via online chat again on Monday 21 December 2020.

Agent said my parcel is going through customs clearance and gave me contact details of Saigon Foreign Service Department for guidance on customs clearance:

Tel.:  0283 865 0456 or 0283 866 3489 (during office hours from Monday to Friday)

Address: 270 Bis Lý Thường Kiệt Street, Ward 14, District 10 TPHCM
E-mail: bcngoaidich@hcmpost.vn

I emailed them (in english) soon after online chat hoping for a quick response. No cigar. Was going to saigon that day for some other matters, so planned to drop by that address.

When in Saigon, ordered bE ride there. Take note there are several number 270's. Just tell your ride 'tòa nhà bưu điện' (post office building). It's a gigantic building. Can't miss it.

Security guard at front of building said foreign service department is on the side of the building and that I have to walk along the street that runs on the side (off Lý Thường Kiệt Street) for about 20 meters.

Easy enough to find. While there, a staff member took my parcel number. Entered it into computer then said parcel should clear customs and I should be receiving parcel in 2-3 days.

That night after returning from Saigon I checked online for parcel status. It had cleared customs:

21/12/2020 13:08 EDC - Đang chờ hoàn thành thủ tục HQ(Item returned from import customs) VNSGNA

Pretty sure I checked status before asking at Saigon office at about 3:30pm. So, it seems online status can be a bit slow updating sometimes.

The next day morning (Tuesday 22 December 2020) i checked online and it was showing as arrived in vung tau.

Visited vung tau central post office and parcel picked up at around 11am on Tuesday 22 December 2020.

For anyone interested, parcel was posted from Uk on
02 December 2020 using Royal mail international signed service (which states delivery aim is 5-7 working days).

The online chat feature with vnpost is available when you check status of parcel:

http://www.vnpost.vn/en-us/dinh-vi/buu-pham?key=

The agent that gave me contact details wrote in English.

Although, basic spoken Vietnamese skills will be useful if you visit the Saigon foreign service department.

Hi Sanooku.

i have sent two 20 kilo parcels from the UK to my wife's family in Binh Duong in the last couple of weeks. one was delivered to the house in 8 days from me dropping it at the post office here, the other took 12 days door to door so to speak. Both were posted using Parcel force worldwide's global priority service. £85 for 20 kilos. 60 x 40 x 30 cm box.

Merry Christmas everyone !

bertieboy123 wrote:

Hi Sanooku.

i have sent two 20 kilo parcels from the UK to my wife's family in Binh Duong in the last couple of weeks. one was delivered to the house in 8 days from me dropping it at the post office here, the other took 12 days door to door so to speak. Both were posted using Parcel force worldwide's global priority service. £85 for 20 kilos. 60 x 40 x 30 cm box.

Merry Christmas everyone !

Thanks for that.

Yes, looks like your first parcel was on time, because the delivery aim for ParcelForce worldwide global priority is 'from 8 days'.

The second one  is slightly late though. Even for the ParcelForce worldwide globalvalue service (the cheapest version of ParcelForce Worldwide) the delivery aim is 9-11 days.

My parcels/letter bundles are always less than 2kg and not so urgent, so I've been using the ROyal Mail International signed service (formerly known as 'International Tracked and Signed').

Pre covid-19 it used to take just a week to receive letter bundle/small parcel using above service.  Post Covid-19, it became two weeks. The latest one took even longer. I sensed a pattern developing. Hopefully, it will return to two weeks or better still one week. If not, those looking for the 5-7 working day delivery aim (International signed service) will have to opt for a service that is the next level up. Perhaps the ParcelForce worldwide global priority or ParcelForce worldwide globalvalue.

Pricewise, for small packages/parcels it may not be worth sending using those Royal Mail services, and there may be other companies that are cheaper and faster. e.g. DHL.

Update: letter bundle (500g) sent from u.k. using royal mail 'signed for' service, received in Vũng Tàu in exactly 2 weeks. Posted from u.k. 19.03 arrived in vietnam 30.03. Arrived In vung tau on 01.04. Looks like this one didn't go through customs. Pretty much all previous ones had.

sanooku wrote:

Update: letter bundle (500g) sent from u.k. using royal mail 'signed for' service, received in Vũng Tàu in exactly 2 weeks. Posted from u.k. 19.03 arrived in vietnam 30.03. Arrived In vung tau on 01.04. Looks like this one didn't go through customs. Pretty much all previous ones had.

Can you recomment a real estate agency in Vung Tau. I'm contemplating living there