A dog from Vietnam needs 4–6 months of preparation under CDC rules, a cat about 3–4 weeks. The cost depends on whether your pet flies with you or travels as cargo.
Last updated 16 Oct 2026i
Four facts that set your timeline and budget.
The CDC lists Vietnam as high-risk for dog rabies, which adds three steps for dogs
With you (cabin or checked baggage) or alone as manifest cargo
Yes, both can go. The CDC sets far stricter rules for dogs than for cats.
The choice depends on your flight, your pet’s size and the airline’s rules.
Your pet flies on your flight, in the cabin or in the temperature-controlled hold as checked baggage.
The pet travels under a separate Air Waybill (AWB) as unaccompanied cargo. Required for unaccompanied shipments and for pets over the airline’s checked-baggage limit.
Nonstop flights: Vietnam Airlines flies nonstop between Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) and San Francisco (SFO). It carries cats from 10 weeks old in the cabin (up to 6 kg with the carrier) or as checked baggage (up to 32 kg). It does not carry dogs on any Vietnam–U.S. flight, so dogs connect through an Asian hub on another airline (Vietnam Airlines pet rules).
Since September 2026: a dog arriving at LAX in the cabin or as checked baggage is first moved to the airline’s cargo warehouse before the ACF can collect it, and the warehouse charges its own handling fee (about USD 300–500, varies by airline). CDC recommends cargo for LAX to avoid clearance delays.
Dogs complete these steps in this order. Cats skip all six and need only Vietnam’s export health certificate.
An ISO 15-digit microchip must be implanted before the rabies vaccine, and the dog must be at least 6 months old at US entry.
A valid rabies vaccine plus the Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip — signed by your vet and endorsed by Vietnam’s DAH.
Blood drawn at least 30 days after the vaccine and at least 28 days before entry; result ≥ 0.5 IU/mL from a CDC-approved lab. See our RNATT titer test guide.
The CDC Dog Import Form is submitted online after the flight is booked; the barcode receipt is then needed to confirm the ACF reservation.
The DAH issues the Export Health Certificate within 5–10 days before departure. A government vet also checks for screwworm within 5 days of departure, as APHIS requires. Vietnam is FMD-affected, so the crate and bedding must be cleaned before the flight.
Dogs may only land at 8 airports with a CDC-registered ACF (JFK, LAX, MIA, ATL, PHL, IAD, DFW, SEA). The ACF confirms the slot in writing before the flight is booked. See our US arrival process guide.
Applied to every pet flying the US route.
Eight weeks and fully weaned is the floor for carriage, and some airlines set it higher. Cabin allowances count pet and crate together. Pregnant animals are not accepted.
IATA and IPATA both advise against sedation, and a pet known to be sedated can be refused at the counter. Crate conditioning on a six-week schedule does that work instead.
One Daisy Pet contact runs your case, from the first titer test to ACF release on arrival day.
What a Daisy Pet quote covers, and what you pay separately.
Four dogs, four different journeys: a smooth LAX arrival, a reroute via Taiwan, two refused check-ins and a senior dog.
A Red Poodle traveling from Ho Chi Minh City to Los Angeles — full CDC compliance, ACF clearance at LAX, and reunited with her owner within 24 hours of arrival.
A 25 kg dog whose destination — Houston — has no facility that can receive a dog from Vietnam. See the full 100-day timeline, the reroute, and the Taiwan transit.
A Pomeranian turned away at check-in twice before a third booking finally got her from Saigon to Miami — what actually went wrong the first two times.
An 8-year-old mixed-breed dog flying checked-baggage to LAX — the real ACF reservation cost, a silently cancelled airline booking, and a new warehouse fee at pickup.
Our process is designed to be simple and fully guided — so pet owners always know what to expect at every stage of the journey.
Pet owners begin by submitting essential information about their pet, destination, and travel needs through our online form.
Our team reviews your case and provides a clear travel plan with a detailed quotation.
We handle all required paperwork, permits, health documentation, and coordinate necessary procedures in compliance with CDC and APHIS regulations.
Your pet travels according to the approved plan, with professional handling from departure through ACF clearance and final handover.
What owners ask us most about cost, timing, airlines and arrival day.
Last updated 16 Oct 2026
Compiled by our specialists from the regulations in force on the date above, for reference only. Rules may change after this date. Please verify with the competent authorities or contact us for the most accurate information.
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