Bringing Pets from South Korea to Vietnam in 2026: APQA Export Certificate, Flights and Arrival

Bringing pets from South Korea to Vietnam means meeting three sets of rules: Korea’s export check, Vietnam’s import checks and the airline’s pet policy. In Korea, a vet certificate and a government quarantine certificate must both be issued within 10 days of the flight. Many airlines fly nonstop, but the airline and the arrival airport decide whether your pet can travel with you.

Quick Answers: Can You Bring a Pet from Korea to Vietnam?

• Is it allowed? Yes. One or two personal pets need no import permit, no titer test and no quarantine stay in Vietnam.
• Can my pet fly with me? Yes. A small pet can ride in the cabin on most airlines. Korean Air, Asiana and Vietnam Airlines also carry pets in the hold.
• Which airlines do not take pets? Vietjet and Sun PhuQuoc Airways carry no pets on these routes.
• Which airport should I land at? One with an animal quarantine station: Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai or Da Nang. Phu Quoc has no station.
• How long does it take? About five weeks if the pet needs a new rabies shot. About ten days if the vaccine is still valid.
• Can my pet go back to Korea later? Yes. Plan the rabies antibody test before you leave Korea.

Rules that apply to pets from every country are set out in our Vietnam pet import service guide.

What Does Your Pet Need Before You Book Anything?

Any item below can stop the move. Check each one before you pay for tickets or vet visits.

Vietnam’s Entry Conditions

• Microchip: required by Vietnam. Use a 15-digit ISO chip, implanted before the rabies vaccine.
• Rabies vaccine: given at least 30 days before the flight, and no more than 12 months old when the pet lands.
• Age: the vaccine is given from 12 weeks of age. With the 30-day wait, the earliest trip is at about 16 weeks.
• Number of pets: one or two pets are a personal import. With three or more, each extra traveller can bring up to two pets. Otherwise the pets follow Vietnam’s commercial import process.

Our guide to how long a rabies vaccine counts for travel explains why a 3-year vaccine still counts for 12 months in Vietnam.

Airline Limits That Can Stop the Trip

• Short-nosed breeds: Korean Air and Asiana do not carry them in the hold. Vietnam Airlines Cargo refuses Bulldogs, Boxers, Pugs and Terriers. Eastar Jet refuses short-nosed breeds even in the cabin.
• Dangerous dog breeds: Korean Air, Asiana and most Korean low-cost airlines refuse dangerous dog breeds such as the Pit Bull, Rottweiler and Tosa.
• Heat and cold: Korean Air warns that temperatures above 29°C or below −7°C can harm a pet in the hold. Vietnam Airlines may refuse a pet in very hot or cold weather.
• Arrival airport: the pet must land where Vietnam has an animal quarantine station. Phu Quoc has none on the island. For Cam Ranh (Nha Trang), check with us before you book.

Neither Korea nor Vietnam bans a breed by law. Check your dog against our list of dog breeds restricted on flights to Vietnam.

Which Airlines Can Take a Pet from Korea to Vietnam?

Nonstop flights link Incheon (ICN) and Busan (PUS) with Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc. Ask the airline to confirm space for the pet before you buy your ticket. Each flight takes only a few pets.

In the Cabin With You

• Korean Air: up to 7 kg with the carrier, in a carrier up to 32 × 45 × 19 cm.
• Asiana: up to 7 kg with the carrier.
• Vietnam Airlines: up to 6 kg with the carrier, in a carrier up to 35 × 30 × 20 cm.
• Air Premia: under 7 kg with the carrier, on its Incheon–Ho Chi Minh City flights.
• Jeju Air, Air Busan and Air Seoul: up to 9 kg with the carrier.
• Trinity Airways (formerly T’way): up to 9 kg, but only on Incheon–Da Nang among its Vietnam routes.
• Eastar Jet: up to 9 kg, only to Da Nang and Phu Quoc.

Jin Air also carries cabin pets, but its pet page could not be checked. Ask the airline directly for its limits.

In the Hold on Your Ticket

• Korean Air: up to 45 kg with the crate, up to 291 cm in total dimensions. It takes no checked pets on narrow-body aircraft such as the Boeing 737 or Airbus A321. This matters on Busan–Da Nang.
• Asiana: up to 45 kg with the crate, and none on the A321. From 17 December 2026, Asiana flights run under Korean Air’s rules, so check with Korean Air.
• Vietnam Airlines: up to 32 kg with the crate. A heavier pet must fly as cargo.
• Air Premia: under 45 kg with the crate.
• Korean low-cost airlines: no pets in the hold on Vietnam routes.

How these carriers compare on the Vietnam side is shown in our guide to airlines for pet imports into Vietnam.

When Does a Pet Fly as Cargo?

A pet above the hold limit, or a pet travelling alone, flies as cargo on an air waybill. Korean Air and Vietnam Airlines accept pets as cargo through a shipping agent. Korean Air asks for the booking about 10 to 14 days ahead. Cargo is charged on the actual weight or the volume weight of pet and crate, whichever is higher.

In Vietnam, an agent must receive a cargo pet. The customs declaration needs a declarant with a customs account, which a private owner does not have.

Carrier sizes for cats are covered in our guide to bringing a cat to Vietnam. Weight points for large dogs are in our guide to bringing a dog to Vietnam.

Bringing a Pet from Korea to Vietnam in 6 Steps

This plan starts with a pet that has no chip and no valid rabies vaccine. If both are in place, skip Step 1. The other steps fit into about ten days.

The general version for every departure country is our Vietnam pet import timeline.

Step 1 (Day 1): Microchip, Then the Rabies Vaccine

Who: you and a vet clinic in Korea.

The vet implants the chip first, then gives the rabies vaccine. Ask for a vaccination certificate with the vaccine name, batch number and expiry date. If your pet may return to Korea, read the last section of this guide now.

Step 2 (Days 2–7): Book the Pet on Your Flight

Who: you, or a shipping agent for cargo.

Request pet space when you book your seat. Korean Air needs the request at least 48 hours before departure. It also asks for a pet travel form 7 days before the flight. Its rules are on the Korean Air pet travel page.

Step 3 (Within 10 Days of Departure): Vet Certificate

Who: a vet clinic in Korea.

Any vet clinic in Korea can examine the pet and complete the Vaccination & Veterinary Inspection Certificate. The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA) accepts it only if it is issued within 10 days before departure. Ask for two copies: one for APQA and one for the airline.

A Korean vet records only the care that clinic gave. If another clinic gave the rabies shot, bring that clinic’s vaccination certificate too. For a vaccine given outside Korea, ask the APQA office first. APQA does not accept every foreign certificate.

Step 4 (Same Window): APQA Export Quarantine Certificate

Who: you, or our partner agent in Korea, with the pet present.

Take the pet, the vet certificate, the application form and your ID to an APQA office. APQA accepts originals only. An officer scans the chip, examines the pet and can issue the export certificate the same day. The fee is 10,000 KRW per application.

APQA has offices at airports such as Incheon, Gimpo and Gimhae, and in regional cities. If you use a regional office, you do not need to visit the airport counter on flight day.

• Hours: weekdays 09:00–18:00, closed 12:00–13:00.
• Weekends: most offices close, but Incheon Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 stay open, including public holidays.
• Flight day: reach the airport counter at least 2 hours before check-in.
• Booking: APQA runs an online booking system for export pets. Booking ahead shortens the wait.

APQA describes the process on its pet quarantine page (in Korean).

Step 5 (Before Landing): Form 3 and Departure

Who: Daisy Pet files the declaration; you check the pet in.

Form 3 asks Vietnam’s airport quarantine station to inspect the pet. It is not an import permit. For one or two pets flying with you, you may also declare the pet yourself on arrival. Daisy Pet files it before landing, so any error can still be fixed. For cargo, the agent files it before the pet arrives.

Each field of the declaration is explained in our walkthrough of Vietnam’s quarantine declaration.

Carry the original documents with you, not in checked bags. That means the APQA certificate, the vet certificate and the vaccination record. For cargo, the shipper attaches them to the crate.

Step 6 (Arrival Day): Inspection, Form 15a and Customs

Who: the airport quarantine station, then you or Daisy Pet.

Vietnam’s airport quarantine stations always have an officer on duty. The officer checks the original documents, scans the chip and examines the pet. A pet that passes receives Form 15a, the import quarantine certificate, valid for 60 days.

For a pet travelling with its owner, the rules allow one working day from the inspection to issue Form 15a. If samples are taken, they allow five. Complete papers and a pet that meets every condition keep clearance short.

You then pay the quarantine fee and import duty. One or two pets are taxed too. A cargo pet is cleared at the cargo terminal, where the agent named on the air waybill collects it. Clearance happens at the first airport in Vietnam where you land.

How Much Does It Cost to Bring a Pet from Korea to Vietnam?

The cost comes in three parts, and each is billed separately.

• In Korea: the vet visits, chip and rabies vaccine, the vet certificate, the APQA fee of 10,000 KRW and a carrier or crate. If our partner agent in Korea handles the paperwork, we quote it per case.
• The flight: Vietnam Airlines charges USD 400 in the cabin and USD 200–300 in the hold, by weight, before tax. Asiana charges KRW 210,000 up to 32 kg and KRW 440,000 up to 45 kg. Korean low-cost airlines charge KRW 90,000–200,000 for a cabin pet. Korean Air prices by distance band, so confirm the fee when you book.
• In Vietnam: the quarantine fee, import duty and the clearance service. Daisy Pet quotes the clearance per case, whether the pet flies with you or as cargo.

Price ranges for other routes are in our pet shipping cost guide for Vietnam.

Can Your Pet Return to Korea Later?

Yes. Leaving Vietnam is a new export, so the pet needs a Vietnamese export quarantine certificate. Korea does not list Vietnam as rabies-free, so it also asks for the following.

• Microchip: required at every age.
• Rabies antibody test: a result of at least 0.5 IU/mL, by the FAVN or RFFIT method. The blood must be drawn within 24 months before the pet arrives in Korea. Korea sets no waiting period after the blood draw.
• Laboratory: an internationally recognised laboratory or a government laboratory of the exporting country. A test done in Korea before departure also counts if APQA recognises that laboratory. Keep the original report.
• If something is missing: a pet without the export certificate is sent back. A pet without a chip or a passing test is held in quarantine at the owner’s cost.

The easiest plan is to do the antibody test in Korea before you leave. Without it, a vet in Vietnam draws blood at least 30 days after the rabies vaccine. The sample goes to a recognised laboratory, and the pet flies once the result arrives.

Tiantian, a Poodle from Seoul, had her antibody test done before the trip, and her Vietnamese export certificate was issued three days before the flight home. Her round trip between Seoul and Da Nang shows each step.

Tell us early if your pet may go back to Korea or on to another country. We then check the next country’s rules before the first flight. APQA answers common questions in its pet import FAQ (in Korean).

The full Korean entry rules are in our guide to South Korea’s pet import laws.

FAQ: Bringing a Pet from South Korea to Vietnam

Can my pet fly in the cabin from South Korea to Vietnam?

Yes, if it is small. Korean Air and Asiana take up to 7 kg with the carrier, and Vietnam Airlines up to 6 kg. Most Korean low-cost airlines take up to 9 kg in the cabin.

Does Vietjet carry pets from Korea to Vietnam?

No. Vietjet’s pet service covers domestic flights in Vietnam only. Sun PhuQuoc Airways does not carry pets either.

Can I fly my pet into Phu Quoc or Nha Trang?

Phu Quoc has no animal quarantine station on the island. For Cam Ranh (Nha Trang), check with us before you book. Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai and Da Nang all have stations.

Is the APQA office open at weekends?

Most APQA offices close at weekends and on public holidays. The offices at Incheon Airport Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 stay open on those days.

Does Vietnam require a titer test for pets from South Korea?

No. One or two personal pets need a microchip, a valid rabies vaccine and the Korean export certificate. A titer test matters only if the pet may return to Korea later.

How many pets can I bring from Korea to Vietnam?

One or two pets count as a personal import. Three or more follow Vietnam’s commercial import process, unless other travellers each bring up to two.

Vietnam Airlines lists its pet rules for flights from Korea on its travelling with pets page.

Questions about Vietnam’s side that apply to every route are answered in our pet import FAQ for Vietnam.