Flying Internationally with a Pet From Vietnam to Los Angeles During COVID - 2021
Serenity at HCMC airport
I recently traveled from Da Nang, Vietnam to Los Angeles, California with my 1-year- old teacup poodle. I never planned on being an expat with a pet but here we are.
Here is the process we took to get her here. I will follow up on our next journey as America is not our final destination. Honestly, I was overwhelmed with the process but in the end it was pretty easy.
I decided to leave Asia pretty impulsively so I had to scramble to get things done rather quickly.
Getting her to HCMC from Da Nang.
Since we were not flying to the US directly from Da Nang we first had to get her to HCMC which required additional steps.
Vietnam Airlines is the only airline that allows pets.
Due to COVID restrictions pets are no longer allowed in the cabin and can only fly as cargo as special checked baggage.
I had to get a hard carrier just for this flight since she would be with me in the cabin on our flight from HCMC to Da Nang.
Called Vietnam Airlines to book a flight for her. I was told to go the main office to get her cleared to fly 24 hours or less before my flight.
I brought the following :
Serenity's Health Certificate
My passport
Shot records with rabies certificate
Flight Confirmation
Hard crate for measurements.
The fee for her to fly is based on weight with crate. Serenity is 3.7 kg and came to 8.5 kg with the crate so the fee was 550,00 VDN/ $23.85 USD
Up to 9kg/20lb : 550,000 $23.85 USD
Over KG/20lb up to 16Kg/35lb : 880,000 $38.17 USD
Over 16kg/ 35lb up to 32kg/70lb :1,320,000 $57.23 USD
On the day of the flight we arrived to the airport 1.5 hours before our flight and checked in. They checked her paperwork and weighed her. I also signed a Waiver of Responsibility Then they told me to wait until about 45 minutes before the flight to get the OK from the pilot. This is based on weather. It can't be too hot or too cold. Our flight was scheduled for June 11th 2021 at 14:55 which could mean very hot weather but we were cleared. The weather . I then went to the Vietnam Airlines counter and paid my fee. Her cage was then taped and zip tied shut.
Our original flight was cancelled due to Covid so we had to rebook for a day sooner.
When we arrived in HCMC I went to the counter to retrieve my precious cargo only to find her on the baggage carousel. I thought they would be holding her in the Princess Holding Area but she was happy and unharmed.
Luckily I have amazing friends and one of them allowed me to stay with her rather than having to find a pet friendly hotel in HCMC. But there is a filter on both Air BnB & Booking.com.
Getting her from HCMC to LA.
1. Researched the requirements for bringing her into the United States.
I needed to know what Vietnam required to export her and also what the United States required for me to import her. There were also two sets of requirements since I was taking her from Da Nang to HCMC before departing Vietnam.
Check out this website for the United States requirements.
If you are flying to Europe there are very different requirements which take up to three months.
Checklist for Vietnam's requirements.
Health Certificate - You can get this at Paws for Compassion. Needs to be obtained 7 days before departure.
Pet's vaccination records including rabies certificate.
Copy of your the first page of your passport or the person traveling with the pet.
Airline approved travel cage with food and water.
2. Took her to Paws for Compassion.
We told them we planned on leaving Vietnam and taking her to the US and they walked us through the entire process. They were extremely friendly and helpful. We booked our appointment with the government for the following week.
During our first visit, We got her microchipped (this is mandated by the USA ) and made sure all her vaccines were up to date. We ended up having to get her revaccinated for rabies because of the new certificate laws in Vietnam. We also got her tested for tick fever as this is more common in Vietnam and she had a few ticks. Thankfully her results were negative.
We also treated her for ticks. The total for this was about 2.5millon VND/ $100.00 USD
About 5 days before our flight we were scheduled to get her flight clearance by the government. Paws arranged this completely and all I had to do was drop her off to Paws and they handled the rest. A few days later I received her paperwork via Grab delivery.
The price of this was 550k.
3. Researched airlines that allowed her to fly.
Due to Covid there are a lot of restrictions and changes right now. I went to each airline's website to get the most updated information on flying with pets. I went with Korea Airlines because they allowed Serenity to fly in the cabin with me. I called the airline before paying for my flight to request travel with pet. They booked my flight and did not recommend that I pay for the flight until Serenity was approved to fly. I received an email a few moments later approving the request but this can take up to 48 hours. They booked the flight I wanted them gave me a few days to complete the payment. I paid online so that I could save $30 on the booking fee as its free to pay on the website.
I would recommend booking your flight with the airlines directly as there are many ghost flights on websites like Skyscanner.com
On the day of our International Flight
I took her to the pet shop and got her some special treats, wipes, puppy pads, and a new toy. I also took her on an extra long walk so she would be very sleepy on the ride. Since our flight was at 23:50 I did not feed her or give her much water because this was after our usual bedtime.
We arrived late to the airport because I was doing sound healing with a friend so I only arrived one hour prior to the flight. Luckily the airport was a ghost town so we made our flight. The airline took a photo of her in her bag and reviewed her paperwork.
Then I paid $300 at the ticket counter with my debit card. It was a breezy process.
She had to be in her carrier bag under the seat during the enter flight. She did not have to wear a muzzle but have heard of this being a requirement. She slept during the entire flight from HCMC to Korea. She did not poop, pee during the flight.
Our Layover in Korea
Our layover in Seoul Korea was 7 hours. She was allowed to walk around the airport freely. We walked around and window shopped at Gucci, Tiffany & Co, Chanel and others. We took a nap in the nap lounge and played in the empty eating section. Security and airport staff waved and petted her.
I took her into the bathroom with her puppy pads but she decided to relieve herself on our way to our boarding gate. I cleaned it up with her pads and wipes and kept it moving. We boarded the flight with no issue. They just looked at my boarding pass and allowed us on the flight.
Arrival to The United States
When we arrived to the United States customs they asked if I was declaring anything. I told them I had a puppy and they asked me for my paperwork and if I planned on selling her. I then had to go thru another line and the man checked my paperwork and then asked me how long I had her and then asked for proof of photos in my phone of her. I have her as my lock screen & wallpaper and showed him how cute she was. He explained to me that people were coming from other countries to sell animals since the pandemic.
Overall getting Serenity from Vietnam to Los Angeles was very easy! She was absolutely perfect on the plane and I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the world with her.