Sending a parcel from Vietnam in 2026: post, EMS, prices and what gets refused

Most of the work is getting past the counter. EMS refuses fish sauce, dried squid, anything made from durian and lithium batteries, and that is where most souvenir boxes get stuck. Below: which service to pick, current prices, what the post office will not take, and where to send from in Nha Trang, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

Your options: EMS, air parcel, small packet

EMS is the fast, predictable option: up to 30–31.5 kg for most Western countries and 3–12 working days by the published standard. A Vietnam Post air parcel is slower and priced only at the counter. For anything under 2 kg there is a registered small packet.

The limits come from Vietnam Post's tables for EMS, air parcels and air parcel times. EMS times are counted from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City to the destination capital. Add 1–2 days from other provinces and 1–2 more if the address is outside a major city. Weekends, holidays in both countries and customs holds are not included.

Quick rule: documents and anything with a deadline go EMS. Clothes and souvenirs with no rush can go as an air parcel if the counter price beats EMS for your weight.

How much it costs to send a parcel from Vietnam

A 1 kg EMS parcel of goods costs between 1,310,299 ₫ (~$50) to the UK and 1,831,162 ₫ (~$70) to the US. Five kilos run from 3,165,826 ₫ (~$122) to 4,871,103 ₫ (~$187). These are EMS Vietnam calculator figures for 24 October 2026, and the price is the same whichever province you send from.

The calculator calls itself an estimate. The final figure comes after the counter weighs and measures the box. Air parcel rates are published as a file behind a login, so ask at the counter with the weight and dimensions ready.

Rates as of 10/2026. Check the EMS Vietnam calculator before you pack.

What the post office will refuse

Weapons, drugs, cash, precious metals and stones, lithium batteries and any dangerous goods are out. EMS also refuses strong-smelling food by name: fish sauce, soy sauce, dried squid and fish, and anything with durian. On top of that, the destination country's import bans apply.

UPU rules

Under Universal Postal Union rules, as published by Vietnam Post, you cannot mail:

• narcotics, psychotropic substances, obscene material;
• Vietnamese or foreign cash, securities;
• gold, silver, precious stones and items made from them;
• explosives, flammables, radioactive material;
• anything the destination country bans;
• a parcel containing several parcels for different addresses.

Vietnam-specific refusals

The EMS international conditions are where souvenir boxes usually fail:

• Smelly food. Named outright: nước mắm (fish sauce), nước tương (soy sauce), mực khô (dried squid), cá khô (dried fish), sầu riêng (durian) in any form.
• Batteries. No lithium batteries or items containing them. Power banks, old phones and battery toys stay behind.
• Powders and liquids. Spices, rice flour, face powder, juices and liquid cosmetics need packaging that meets postal rules, a signed "not dangerous goods" declaration and a material safety data sheet (MSDS). A shop-bought shampoo will not come with one, so liquids are easier in checked luggage.
• Fakes. Counterfeits (hàng giả, hàng nhái) are explicitly excluded.

Leaving Vietnam

Vietnam barely restricts exports, but antiques and CITES species will not leave without paperwork. Since 5 September 2026 the export ban lists are set by Decree 292/2026/NĐ-CP, while the Vietnam Post page still cites the old 69/2018. Item-by-item details, from coral to "antique Buddhas", are in our Vietnam customs guide.

Sending a parcel to Russia

Postal mail to Russia works: Russia is on Vietnam Post's list of accepted destinations (updated 10 June 2025), with "4 flights" against "daily" for most countries. EMS takes up to 31.5 kg, 1 kg costs 1,696,334 ₫ (~$65). Air parcels take up to 20 kg and need 9.5–27.5 days.

The big couriers do not deliver there. DHL Express states:

"Services to Russia and Belarus are currently suspended"DHL Express, checked 10/2026

FedEx stopped deliveries to Russia at the end of February 2022 and shipments from and within Russia on 4 March (Interfax), and Interfax reported on 26 April 2022 that UPS had suspended operations there (Interfax). The Russian courier CDEK still runs a Vietnam office: cdek.vn lists one, in Da Nang, and advertises Vietnam–Russia delivery "from $17 and 7 days". On arrival, Russia applies the EAEU limit for personal items by mail: up to €200 and 31 kg gross duty-free, 15% on the excess above that, at least €2 per extra kilo (EEC Council Decision No. 107, as amended 24 February 2026).

Private cargo consolidators also advertise Russia routes. They are not postal services: no postal delivery standard, no postal compensation, and the goods are declared by the company, not by you. If you use one, get the terms in writing.

How to send a parcel from Vietnam, step by step

One visit to a post office with EMS service is enough: bring the items unpacked, pack at the counter, fill in the declaration, pay and keep the receipt with the tracking number.

1. Check your items against the refusals. Take out batteries, liquids and smelly food. Keep receipts for anything valuable, the declared value is based on them.
2. Find a post office with EMS. A city's main post office works, addresses below. For the nearest one, use "Tìm kiếm bưu cục" on vietnampost.vn or "Tra cứu bưu cục" on ems.com.vn. Hotlines: Vietnam Post 1900 54 54 81, EMS 1900 54 54 33.
3. Don't seal the box at home. If the clerk asks to see the contents or spots a battery, you will be repacking anyway. Wrap fragile items in bubble wrap and fill gaps with paper.
4. Fill in the customs declaration. CN 22 is for small items, CN 23 once contents exceed 300 SDR. List each item on its own line in English with quantity and value. A single word "Gifts" for the whole box does not describe the contents.
5. Write your Vietnamese return address the new way. Since the 1 July 2025 reform there are no districts: street, phường or xã, province. More in our guide to Vietnam's administrative reform.
6. Pay and keep the receipt. It carries the tracking number, in the format EB…VN. Track it on ems.com.vn, the Vietnam Post portal and, after hand-over, on your national post's site. Loss claims for EMS are accepted for 6 months after the standard delivery time ends.

Where to send from in Nha Trang, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City

• Saigon Central Post Office (Bưu điện Trung tâm Sài Gòn): 2 Công trường Công xã Paris — Daily 07:00–22:00 per OSM
• Khanh Hoa Province Post Office (Bưu điện Tỉnh Khánh Hòa): Off Pasteur street, Nha Trang ward — Check hours
• Da Nang Post Office 3 (Bưu điện Đà Nẵng 3): 4 Trần Quang Diệu, An Hải ward — Check hours

The Saigon post office dates from 1891 and is a sight in its own right. More about each city in our guides to Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang and Da Nang.

Common mistakes

• Packing fish sauce as a gift. EMS will refuse it, and dried squid too. It is written in the acceptance rules.
• Guessing the declared value. Your home customs compares it against its own duty-free limit. Use receipts.
• Ignoring volumetric weight. A pillow in a big box is billed as 10 kg.
• Sending a power bank. Lithium batteries are refused and you will repack on the spot.
• Assuming home customs is free. Duty and import rules are set by the destination country, not by Vietnam Post. Check your own customs authority before sending anything valuable.

Shopping first? See our guides to shopping in Vietnam and Hoi An tailors.

FAQ

Read next: Vietnam customs · Shopping in Vietnam · Vietnamese coffee · Addresses after the reform

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