Pet Transport from Thailand to Vietnam
For one or two pets travelling with their owner, Vietnam asks for no import permit at all. That single fact removes most of the friction people expect, and it surprises owners who have read about …
Get your free quote →The Thailand to Vietnam import process
Responsible: You (or your pet transport agent)
Responsible: You + airline
Responsible: Animal Quarantine Station, CE-1 Building
Responsible: DLD official veterinarian
Responsible: You + Vietnamese airport quarantine unit
Which Vietnam rules depend on a pet coming from Thailand?
None of the Vietnam rules we have verified names Thailand on its own.
The rules that apply to every pet entering Vietnam, whatever the origin, are listed with their official sources in our Vietnam guide.
What does Thailand require before your pet leaves?
- Export permit: To export a pet the owner applies to the animal quarantine checkpoint on Form R1/1; the checkpoint issues an animal export licence (Form R.9) together with a health certificate (DLD Region 9, published 17 October 2025). Applies to dogs and cats leaving Thailand.
ขั้นตอนการส่งสัตว์เลี้ยง (สุนัข แมว นก ฯลฯ) ออกนอกราชอาณาจักร, checked 2 October 2026 - Export health certificate: The health inspection must be no more than 2 to 3 days before travel; supporting documents are the owner's passport copy, the exporting agent's ID and a rabies vaccination certificate (DLD Region 9, published 17 October 2025). Applies to dogs and cats leaving Thailand.
ขั้นตอนการส่งสัตว์เลี้ยง (สุนัข แมว นก ฯลฯ) ออกนอกราชอาณาจักร, checked 2 October 2026 - Other conditions: Passengers taking pets out must apply for the export permit (Form Ror.1/1) and have the pet health-checked at the AQS no more than three days before departure (Thai Customs, Suvarnabhumi, updated 11 July 2023); consistent with DLD Region 9's 2 to 3 days. Applies to dogs and cats leaving Thailand with passengers.
Passengers taking pets out of Thailand, checked 2 October 2026 - Other conditions: Pets exported as cargo need the export permit for animals (Form Ror.9) and a health certificate meeting the destination country's requirements, and a Customs export declaration submitted through one of four channels, followed by green or red line clearance (Thai Customs, Suvarnabhumi, updated 11 July 2023). Applies to dogs and cats exported as air cargo via Suvarnabhumi.
Procedures for exportation of pets at the Customs Office at Suvarnabhumi Airport, checked 2 October 2026
What this route typically costs
Critical points
Vietnam restricts Pit Bulls, Japanese Tosa and Dogo Argentino. Check before booking if your dog is a bully breed.
Bangkok's hot season (March to May) regularly exceeds Thai Airways' 29.4C limit; book early-morning departures or use Vietnam Airlines cabin carriage for small pets.
Arriving late at night? Tan Son Nhat's quarantine unit runs 24/7; Noi Bai in Hanoi runs reduced overnight staffing, so HCMC clears faster after dark.
Approved carriers on this route
| Airline | Notes | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Thai Airways | No pets in the cabin. Dogs and cats travel as checked baggage (AVIH) in the hold or as cargo. Snub-nosed breeds excluded from AVIH; American Staffordshire Terrier, Pit Bull and Staffordshire Bull Terrier banned entirely. No pets on A320 aircraft or when temperatures exceed 29.4C on the routing. | Cargo Only |
| Vietnam Airlines | The one cabin option: pet plus kennel up to 6kg in a 35x30x20cm cage. Checked baggage pets up to 32kg with cage. Maximum 9 pets per flight, 3 per passenger, booking at least 24 hours ahead. | Cabin and Cargo |
| Thai AirAsia and VietJet | Neither works for this corridor. AirAsia carries no pets at all; VietJet's pet cabin service applies to Vietnam domestic flights only. | No Pets |
The Suvarnabhumi export run
Thailand’s side is the more procedural half. You file form R.1/1 through the DLD’s e-Movement system about two weeks out, then bring the pet for its mandatory health examination no more than 2-3 days before the flight. The examination happens at the Animal Quarantine Station on the 1st floor of the CE-1 Building in the airport Free Zone, the cargo customs area, not the passenger terminal. Budget an extra hour to find it the first time.
Pass the exam and the DLD issues the R.9 export licence and health certificate. The cargo counter runs 08:30 to 16:30 on weekdays; hand-carried pets are processed around the clock.
Choosing the flight: a two-airline corridor
Despite dozens of daily Bangkok to Vietnam flights, only two carriers matter for pets. Thai Airways takes dogs and cats in the hold (never the cabin), with three bully breeds banned outright, snub-nosed breeds pushed to cargo, no pets on its A320s, and a hard 29.4C temperature ceiling that bites in the March to May hot season.
Vietnam Airlines is the only cabin option: pet plus kennel up to 6kg in a soft cage no bigger than 35 by 30 by 20 centimetres, booked at least 24 hours ahead. It also takes hold pets to 32kg, capped at nine animals per flight and three per passenger. The budget carriers are a dead end: AirAsia carries no animals at all, and VietJet’s much-advertised pet cabin service covers Vietnamese domestic sectors only.
Landing in Vietnam: inspection, not quarantine
Compliant pets are not quarantined. Instead the airport quarantine unit inspects documents and animal, then issues the Import Animal Quarantine Certificate, form Mau 15a, usually the same hour. Well-documented arrivals clear in one to three hours.
Two practical notes from the ground. Clearance fees are real money: Vietnam-based shippers quote roughly 350 to 450 US dollars for a checked-baggage pet and 950 to 1,150 dollars for manifest cargo, so the arrival can cost more than the flight. And the two airports differ after dark: Tan Son Nhat’s unit (Region VI) is staffed 24/7, while Hanoi’s Noi Bai runs reduced overnight cover, which makes late-night arrivals smoother in Ho Chi Minh City.
Common questions about this route
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Requirements on this page were checked against the authorities below. Rules change, so confirm current conditions with the relevant authority before you travel.
- IATA · International Air Transport Association, Live Animals Regulations