Vietnam: Customs And Duties Guide

A traveller entering Vietnam is allowed to bring in, besides a reasonable amount of personal effects in the way of clothing, cosmetics, toiletries and the like, up to 400 cigarettes, 50 cigars and a litre of alcohol free of customs duty. You can’t bring in firearms or ammunition, drugs, pornographic material or anything which could be counted as `seditious’. You may bring in as much foreign currency or jewelry as you like, but this must be declared on arrival, and you must take it out of the country with you.

Any antiques or objets d’art which you might buy while you’re in Vietnam require an export permit to allow you to take them with you. It’s best to check with the Vietnamese authorities for anything old, valuable or `suspect’ in other ways- it’s better to be safe than sorry.