Shipping from Germany to Vietnam: VU CARGO or DHL — which costs less in total?

Short answer: on freight alone, DHL Paket International is cheaper at several weights. But a DHL recipient in Vietnam may have to pay import tax, handle customs and travel; VU CARGO's price already includes tax, customs and door delivery. Counting all of that, shipping with VU CARGO can be cheaper — see the table and examples below (updated 19 Oct 2026).

Comparison: the gap DHL has to make up

DHL price: dhl.de, read on 19 Oct 2026, booked online (post office +€3), delivered to the recipient, excluding tax and customs in Vietnam, 13–20 working days. VU CARGO price: air freight Germany → Vietnam, Dreieich warehouse (from 5 kg €7/kg, from 20 kg €6.60/kg), plus €2 door delivery in Hanoi; tax and customs included; 4–7 days to the Hanoi warehouse. Under 5 kg is charged as 5 kg. Provinces: +€0.50/kg.

Why a DHL recipient may pay more

• Since 18 Feb 2025 Vietnam no longer exempts express consignments worth up to VND 1 million from import duty and VAT (Decision 01/2025/QD-TTg).
• Gifts to individuals are only tax-free within a set allowance (commonly cited as a value of up to about VND 2 million). Cosmetics, supplements and electronics easily exceed it.
• Import VAT is currently 8% for many goods until 31 Dec 2026 (Vietnam Government portal), plus import duty depending on the item.
• If a parcel needs extra documents or the recipient has to go to a customs point, people in the provinces can spend from a few hundred thousand to around a million VND on travel and a lost working day (as reported by VU CARGO customers).

3 examples counting the full cost

1. Sending 5 kg of sweets as a gift to a mother in Hanoi

Hypothetical example — not a real customer story.

DHL €45.99; VU CARGO €37.00 delivered to the door. VU is about €9.00 cheaper and faster. Whether or not the gift is tax-free, VU is still cheaper.

2. Sending 20 kg of cosmetics and supplements worth about €600

Hypothetical example — not a real customer story.

This shipment exceeds the gift allowance, so tax applies. VAT at 8% alone is about €48.00, before import duty on each item. DHL: €100.99 freight + €48.00 or more ≈ €149.00 or more. VU CARGO: €134.00, including tax, customs and door delivery. VU is at least about €15.00 cheaper. (The tax figure is an illustrative estimate; actual tax is set by customs.)

3. Sending 20 kg of used clothes of low value to a sister in Thanh Hoa

Hypothetical example — not a real customer story.

If the shipment is tax-free as a gift and the post office delivers to the door, DHL (€100.99) is about €41.00 cheaper than VU (€142.00 to the provinces), but slower (13–20 working days). If the recipient has to provide extra documents or travel to the city for customs, travel and a lost working day can exceed that €41.00. Low-value, non-urgent goods with guaranteed door delivery: DHL can be the cheaper choice. Recipients far from the city who want no risk: choose VU.

Which service suits which shipment

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