Looking for help getting my computer here from the U.S.

Are you talking about a desktop computer?

People travel in and out of VN with their laptops on a constant basis.

Forget about bringing the whole desktop PC, if that's what you have. Clone your hard drive to a new SSD or a big SD card(s), stick it in a laptop, and bring that.

My travel laptop in an old Thinkpad X230 that I got off ebay and threw some more RAM and an SSD in. Under $300 total, if it gets lost, stolen, or explodes, no big deal, I'm religious about backups, I can buy another laptop and be up and running again in under an hour. Bought a nice monitor and a kb/mouse over here from lazada.vn, prices about the same as the West.

Or, you can get much better battery life out of a newer, lower powered laptop for about the same money, depends on your needs.

I think the distinction is between shipping a computer, whether new or used, and bringing it in as luggage.  Shipping is where you run into trouble.  I brought in my iMac in its huge original suitcase type box.  It had a lot of old tape and luggage tags but I would have added more if I thought it needed them.  When I crossed customs in TSN the young man said "New or used?" to which I of course said "Used" while pointing to the beat up box.  He sent it in to the x-ray machine which fortunately didn't scramble anything and I picked it up on the other side.  Like Brick23 I had a full clone backup on a portable drive in my carry-on just in case.

johnross23 wrote:

Are you talking about a desktop computer?

People travel in and out of VN with their laptops on a constant basis.

I know laptops are easy.  My wife and I have each taken our travel laptops with us and back again.

I want to bring my network attached storage unit so it is a bit of special kit.

Brick23 wrote:

Forget about bringing the whole desktop PC, if that's what you have.
[snip]

The computer is not a desktop unit - it is too bulky -  so it will sit on a shelf of a roll-able table I had custom built here as do all 5 of my desktop computers.  I process science data as a volunteer, and want my NAS unit for added data storage space since I will be adding another computer later this year.  I get components from a dealer in HCMC and build them myself.

The projects I support, in case anyone has an interest, are SETI, Einstein, Rosetta, and LHC.

THIGV wrote:

I think the distinction is between shipping a computer, whether new or used, and bringing it in as luggage.  Shipping is where you run into trouble.

I researched checking it in as part of my baggage allowance, but the airlines all list computers and computer related equipment as prohibited.  That is when I found it is prohibited.

As an aside, can anyone enlighten me as to the "why" they are prohibited?  They are available here new if you can afford the price!

I brought in my iMac in its huge original suitcase type box.  It had a lot of old tape and luggage tags but I would have added more if I thought it needed them.  When I crossed customs in TSN the young man said "New or used?" to which I of course said "Used" while pointing to the beat up box.  He sent it in to the x-ray machine which fortunately didn't scramble anything and I picked it up on the other side.  Like Brick23 I had a full clone backup on a portable drive in my carry-on just in case.

I would not like losing my unit and possibly paying a fine for bringing a prohibited item to VN, so I am looking for the proper means to get an exception permit for it.

Travelfar wrote:

As an aside, can anyone enlighten me as to the "why" they are prohibited?  They are available here new if you can afford the price!

I have travelled in and out of Vietnam several times and I do not recall any prohibition.  This is including the aforementioned trip in which I brought in the clearly identifiable iMac with pictures on the case, and the trip where it was returned to Hawaii, both as luggage.  The iMac was handled by both airline and customs agents who never said anything except the new vs. used question by customs. 

Could the prohibition be new or might it only be on new computers?  I know there seems to be an unwritten policy on how many new iPhones can be brought in and still be called gifts, but I doubt that you could find it in any government regulation.  (I don't recall the number exactly but three comes to mind.)   Perhaps the ban is with the airline so that they do not have to pay claims if it is lost.  I would simply try another airline.  I usually make airline choices based on the combined total of ticket and excess baggage costs so I scour the airline websites for baggage policies even if I plan to buy the ticket elsewhere.  Did you get this information by calling airlines on the Vietnam end?  Maybe you could try making contact on the US side.

If it's just a small 2/3 drive NAS unit I'd chuck it in the suitcase and hope for the best. Pretty sure any problems you have would be at the US end, so make sure there's nothing on it that would trigger a copyright lawyer, and nothing encrypted on it that would trigger an alphabet agency goon. Can't see the VN authorities really giving a fig about it.

A better solution though would be to either expose it to the internet through your home router so you can access it from anywhere (it's a NAS box, use it for its intended purpose rather than just as an external drive array), or pay to get it plugged into your local datacentre, or use a datacentre VPS/storage solution that you can access from wherever. Internet speeds in VN are as good as anywhere and better than most, while being hilariously cheap.

My understanding (which may be wrong) is that electronics were banned by the airlines (not the government) from checked baggage about 2 years ago due to fears of lithium batteries causing a fire.

They ask at check-in if you have any electronics in your checked luggage and if so, you need to take then out and put them in your carry-on bag.

You should contact the airlines and ask about their policy regarding this type of computer equipment which does not have this type of battery.

johnross23 wrote:

My understanding (which may be wrong) is that electronics were banned by the airlines (not the government) from checked baggage about 2 years ago due to fears of lithium batteries causing a fire.

They ask at check-in if you have any electronics in your checked luggage and if so, you need to take then out and put them in your carry-on bag.

You should contact the airlines and ask about their policy regarding this type of computer equipment which does not have this type of battery.

I wish this were true.  It is not.  This is the VN government decree about it. 

See Annex II. GOODS THE IMPORT OF WHICH IS PROHIBITED  3.h

Travelfar wrote:

This is the VN government decree about it.

Can you point us to the particular section and line?  Reading this whole thing would be a tough slog.

THIGV wrote:

Can you point us to the particular section and line?  Reading this whole thing would be a tough slog.

Issued November 20, 2013
See Annex II. GOODS THE IMPORT OF WHICH IS PROHIBITED  3.h
I added the bold to the text below.

Decree No.187/2013 of the Government wrote:

II. GOODS THE IMPORT OF WHICH IS PROHIBITED

[snip]

ANNEX I

LIST OF GOODS THE IMPORT OR EXPORT OF WHICH IS PROHIBITED

[snip]

II. GOODS THE IMPORT OF WHICH IS PROHIBITED
No.

Description of Goods

1.
Weapons, ammunition, explosive materials (except industrial explosives) and military technical equipment.

(The Ministry of Defense shall announce a specific List and record the HS code numbers from the Import and Export Tariff Duty List).
2.
Assorted firecrackers (except for flares used for marine safety pursuant to guidelines of the Ministry of Transport), sky lantern and equipment interfering with road traffic speed measuring instruments.

(The Ministry of Public Security shall guide the implementation and announce a specific List and record the HS code numbers from the Import and Export Tariff Duty List).

3.
Second-hand consumer goods, comprising the following groups:

a) Textiles and garments, shoes and sandals, clothing.

b) Electronic goods.

c) Refrigerators.

d) Household electrical appliances.

dd) Medical apparatus.

e) Furniture and items of interior decoration.

g) Household goods comprising porcelain, terracotta and china, glass, metal, resin, rubber and plastic articles and household goods made from other materials.

(The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall specify goods stated from point a thru point g above and record the HS code numbers from the Import and Export Tariff Duty List).

h) Second-hand information technology products.

(The Ministry of Information and Communications shall announce a specific List and record the HS code numbers from the Import and Export Tariff Duty List).

That reads like it is a restriction on 2nd hand stuff that you want to sell, not your own kit.

If industrial explosives are OK, nobody is going to care about a few of your own personal hard drives.

Brick23 wrote:

That reads like it is a restriction on 2nd hand stuff that you want to sell, not your own kit.

If industrial explosives are OK, nobody is going to care about a few of your own personal hard drives.

Definitely, since the list also includes:

3.
Second-hand consumer goods, comprising the following groups:

a) Textiles and garments, shoes and sandals, clothing.

If this were referring to accompanied personal belongings, everyone would have to enter the country without any clothing.

Naked flights and empty suitcases would be the rule.

Depending on the size of the data on the NAS - perhaps cloud storage (Drive, OneDrive, ect) and encrypt the cloud data.