Hanoi - Post Report Question and Answers
Are qualified veterinarians and/or good kennel services available? Do animals need to be quarantined upon entry to the country? Are there other considerations regarding pets that are particular to this country?
Great vet care is available, and no quarantine needed. We have two indoor cats, and are able to easily find all pet supplies we need. There are challenges for dog owners as it's a very dense urban place without much space to walk dogs within the city. Not to mention the heat. There have also been incidences of poison being left out to intentionally poison dogs. Extreme caution should be taken as dogs (outside of the American mission) have been killed this way. That being said, many people have dogs within our mission and throughout the city, expats and locals alike. It's required that they are leashed and muzzled in public space. Most dog owners take advantage of local doggy day cares who will come and pick up your pet for all day care and play time, and then deliver them home at the end of the day. I think it's around $12-15/day. Quality boarding is also available when you're away for longer trips. - Aug 2026
No quarantine. We flew our cat excess baggage on Qatar through Doha. Very easy to do. We used the pet expediter the Embassy recommended and it worked well. While the USDA site says you need the physical printed wet-signed USDA health form to enter Vietnam, we only had the digital version b/c the wet-signed version did not arrive in time (I suggest flying out on a weekday not a Sunday like we did). We emailed the digital form to the expediter ahead of time and he literally met us at baggage, helped with bags, walked us through customs by talking to a guy, and got us to our sponsor without showing anything. There are some great vets. We use Asvelis in Tay Ho. French and Vietnamese vets. Our cat is, unfortunately, very ill from kidney disease, and they have been wonderful and affordable. Exam, massive amount of blood work, x-ray, and a day's stay at the vet with monitoring and IVs cost about $300. Good English and very caring team. They check in via Whatsapp. Bloodwork came incredibly quickly. They do it in house and had results within 30 minutes. - Dec 2025
We do not have pets, but services are plentiful and we know people that trust them. There is no quarantine at the moment. The Vietnamese have a wide variety of dogs and cats, and there are also mongrel dogs on the streets. I've been told they disappear into the cooking pot eventually, - Aug 2021
We used Asvelis and were pretty happy with them. They do a nice job taking care of pets when kenneled. Entry into Viet Nam was a bit a maze from office to office to get various forms stamped, but otherwise was not a major hassle. No quarantine. There has been a boom in pet supply stores in the past couple years, and it's fairly easy to get certain brands of imported pet food (particularly Royal Canin from Europe). - Dec 2019
There are a few vets that cater to expats; I really liked Asvelis in Tay Ho. There is no quarantine for Vietnam. - Jul 2019
We don’t have pets, but I know friends with pets have had trouble leaving town due to the lack of and poor quality of kennels. - Apr 2018
Vet and kennel services are widely available (there are multiple providers throughout the city) but we would rate the overall service as so-so. Our dog got fleas during one stay, and the facilities at some of the places (which cater to expats and rich Vietnamese) are spartan. No quarantine for pets. Vietnamese increasingly have pets (influenced particularly by Japanese and Korean trends in having pets) so there's a growing pet culture around the city. You'll still see plenty of roast dog meat stalls around the city so avert your eyes if that makes you uncomfortable! - Dec 2017
No. Minimal vet care available. - May 2016
No. - May 2010
No. - Feb 2009