Import tax

If its sent into Viet Nam as a new item, you will be slugged tax. Get someone to bring it over and not still in its original box.

I was ordering it of their websites so it would of been sent
buy the manufacturer,
thanks for the reply,

You could try this gtoup and save any tax problems.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/369434370099952/

for asking someone to carry it for you. you can use an app called grabr or xtaypro.

goldenbrown wrote:

I'm going to order a new labtop from either dell or hp it will
be delivered from america

Good question.
I randomly selected a Dell G3, midrange gaming laptop, available at PhongVu ,  big computer store in Saigon.
Price: 24,890.000 vnd or US$1068. That is with tax included, you can pick it up today.

At the Dell website, I found this same model  and has specs that look the same to me.
Price: $775
I don't see where international shipping is available on the Dell US website though, looks like domestic US only.
Let's say you _can_ get it shipped from Dell. Or, you order from a retailer like Newegg that will ship here. (Well not Newegg, they ship to 49 countries but not Vietnam.)
Guess air shipping is $100 for a 12 pound package
And guess you are not paying local US tax (which would be about $70 in Calif).

Then ask, what is the value to me to buy today in Saigon, vs placing an online order that could get messed up, will take at least several days enroute, or may get stuck in customs for awhile. There is also the risk it will be broken and will require return shipping. What is that convenience value? $100?

Then hope that customs would charge no more that $100 duty on your electronics item. Otherwise a local purchase would have been better.
Curious to know your experience was, please post back!

maybe a startnmg point. https://www.export.gov/article?id=Vietn … rt-Tariffs
I can remember, some years ago at least ago, there was a forum, answered by customs for similar cases. I just not kept the link

Use this link:
https://www.customs.gov.vn/SitePages/Ta … uage=en-US

It's not so easy to find the right item in the data base.
It could help if you know the right HS Code for the desired item.

Andy Passenger wrote:

Use this link:
https://www.customs.gov.vn/SitePages/Ta … uage=en-US

It's not so easy to find the right item in the data base.
It could help if you know the right HS Code for the desired item.

The
"Questions and Answers" ... looks like that, which I mean. This time, I gonna safe that link

great result

Andy Passenger wrote:

Use this link:
https://www.customs.gov.vn/SitePages/Ta … uage=en-US

It's not so easy to find the right item in the data base.
It could help if you know the right HS Code for the desired item.

Ok a breakthrough! A 'like' for Andy.
Continuing with my example, I entered "laptop" on that customs page.
Looks like HS code 84713020
Clicking that link, a page with duty percentages.
I don't know. Two lines have Vietnam, Vietnam-Chile, Vietnam-Japan.

Anyway, two different tariffs: 0% and 1%.
So worst case is 1% tariff, or $8 for a $775 laptop.

Feeling skeptical about this answer.
We need the schedule for Vietnam-US, not just Asean.
For 1%, we would be hearing about people pulling in containers of computers from Amazon. 

gobot wrote:

Andy Passenger wrote:

Use this link:
https://www.customs.gov.vn/SitePages/Ta … uage=en-US

It's not so easy to find the right item in the data base.
It could help if you know the right HS Code for the desired item.

Ok a breakthrough! A 'like' for Andy.
Continuing with my example, I entered "laptop" on that customs page.
Looks like HS code 84713020
Clicking that link, a page with duty percentages.
I don't know. Two lines have Vietnam, Vietnam-Chile, Vietnam-Japan.

Anyway, two different tariffs: 0% and 1%.
So worst case is 1% tariff, or $8 for a $775 laptop.

Feeling skeptical about this answer.
We need the schedule for Vietnam-US, not just Asean.
For 1%, we would be hearing about people pulling in containers of computers from Amazon. 

When I enter 84713020 then I get the search result:
Favour    0    01/01/2018    125/2017/NĐ-CP    View
FTAs:    
ASEAN  (ATIGA)     0    01/01/2018    156/2017/NĐ-CP    View
ASEAN - China  (ACFTA)     0    01/01/2018    153/2017/NĐ-CP    View
ASEAN - Korea  (AKFTA)     0    01/01/2018    157/2017/NĐ-CP    View
ASEAN - Japan  (AJCEP)     0    01/04/2018    160/2017/NĐ-CP    View
Vietnam - Japan  (VJEPA)     0    01/04/2018    155/2017/NĐ-CP    View
ASEAN - Australia - New Zealand  (AANZFTA)     0    01/01/2018    158/2017/NĐ-CP    View
ASEAN - India  (AIFTA)     3    01/01/2018    159/2017/NĐ-CP    View
Vietnam - Chile  (VCFTA)

The FTA lists the countries with which Vietnam has a free trade agreement.
And I have assumed that "Favour" means all other countries.

I have already ordered goods from Japan and Taiwan.
All have been shipped with DHL.
The HS codes are also listed in the customs declaration from the Vietnamese customs.
After I received the goods, I compared everything with these HS codes in the customs tariff database (link I already posted) and it all matched.
The Japanese goods under FTA Japan and the Taiwanese goods under "Favour".

The laptop is displayed under "Favour" with 0% tax.
As far as I know you can also import a laptop tax-free in Malaysia.

By the way, for most articles you still have to pay 10% VAT (this can also be seen in the customs declaration).

Update:

Import duty rates are classified into 3 categories:
Ordinary rates, preferential rates and special preferential rates.

Preferential rates are applicable to imported goods from countries that have Most Favoured Nation (MFN, also known as Normal Trade Relations) status with Vietnam. The MFN rates are in accordance with Vietnam's WTO commitments and are applicable to goods imported from other member countries of the WTO.

Special preferential rates are applicable to imported goods from countries that have a special preferential trade agreement with Vietnam. Currently effective free trade agreements (“FTA”) to which Vietnam is a party include FTAs  between ASEAN member states, between ASEAN members and Japan, ASEAN and China, ASEAN and India, ASEAN and Korea, ASEAN and Australia - New Zealand, Vietnam and Japan, Vietnam and Chile, Vietnam and Korea, Vietnam and  Eurasian Economic Union, Vietnam and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan.

Vietnam has concluded 2 important agreements, the European Union FTA (EFTA) and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP – although its future is uncertain given the US withdrawal).  Vietnam is negotiating other agreements including the Regional  comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP),  and FTAs between ASEAN and Hong Kong, and Vietnam-Israel.

To be eligible for preferential rates or special preferential rates, the imported goods must be accompanied by an appropriate Certificate of Origin. When goods are sourced from non-preferential treatment/non-favoured countries, the ordinary rate (being the MFN rate with a 50% surcharge) is imposed.

Source: https://www.pwc.com/vn/en/publications/ … 017-en.pdf , page 34.

Whether goods from the USA still fall into one of the 3 categories I cannot say, because I am not really interested in that. The current POTUS has already once "threatened" with a withdrawal from the WTO.

Hi, sorry to bring up an old topic but I thought somebody here could give some hope of clarification. I've sent my SO in Vietnam packages marked as gifts a number of times and never been hit by any charge but this time was different. I sent more than usual this time, could that be why?

Also, it was mostly tights and a couple of rucksacks, but the duty works out at about 35% of the total value of the contents, which seems wrong as all the items have rates listed in the database as 20-25%. Has anyone ever heard of anyone querying their tax decisions? Is there even any way to contact them?

Thanks to any responses.