Shipping rules

Customer code

You need a customer code for your first shipment; use the same code every time after that.

• Register on our Register to ship page or message us on Messenger/Zalo with the name, address and phone number of the sender and the recipient.
• The code belongs to the person who registers (sender or recipient). Only the code holder can track orders, make complaints and receive compensation.
• Send us a photo ID whose details match your registration so our team can verify you.

Labelling parcels and the packing list

Packing list

Put the list inside, on top of the goods (or in an envelope stuck to the outside). It should include:

• Sender: name, address, phone number, customer code.
• Recipient: name, address, phone number.
• Goods: quantity, unit price, value; mark special and fragile items.
• At the bottom: “I confirm and take responsibility that the information above is complete and true”, with the date and your signature.

Without a packing list, items missing from a parcel cannot be claimed, and lost goods are only refunded the shipping cost (see Compensation).

What to write on the box

Getting your goods to our warehouse

From Germany and Europe

• VU CARGO postal label: print it, stick it on the parcel and hand it in at DHL, Deutsche Post, La Poste… anywhere in Europe.
• DHL home pickup label (customers in Germany only): print it, stick it on the parcel and pick a date; a DHL courier comes that day between 8:00 and 20:00, so someone must be at home.
• No printer? Show the label photo or QR code on your phone at a DHL counter; staff scan it and print the label for you. Each label is for 1 parcel, used once.
• Send it yourself at any carrier's counter (DHL, UPS, Hermes…), or bring it to our warehouse.
• Large or bulky shipments: send us the size and weight and VU CARGO will arrange a truck to collect from your home or company.

Track your parcel with its tracking number (Sendungsnummer) on the DHL tracking page. If it has not arrived after 3 days, ask the carrier and let VU CARGO know.

The leg from your home to our warehouse is handled by the carrier (DHL, Hermes, UPS, DPD, the post office…): if a parcel is lost, damaged or late, that carrier compensates under its own terms, even when VU CARGO booked the label for you. VU CARGO helps with labels, instructions and claims, and remains responsible for its own mistakes (for example entering wrong shipping details).

From Vietnam

Bring your goods to our Hanoi warehouse, or send them there with Viettel Post, Giao Hang Nhanh, Giao Hang Tiet Kiem…

Banned and restricted items

Vietnam → Germany: banned items found at our Vietnam office can be collected back from the office; if airline security finds them, the goods are destroyed, a fine of €65 per parcel applies and shipping is still charged.

Safe packing

Goods pass through many stages (German warehouse, plane or ship, Hanoi warehouse, domestic delivery), parcels are stacked and often moved by hand. Do not save on packing.

• Use thick, sturdy cardboard boxes; thin or old boxes tear (goods get lost) or get crushed when stacked. Wrap plenty of tape around the box.
• Fill the sides and the space between layers with foam, padding or crumpled paper. Parcels over 20 kg with many small items must have foam and bubble wrap; if you are not used to packing, split it into 2 smaller parcels.
• Pack tightly so nothing moves; fill any empty space.
• Bottles with flip caps or pumps: tape the top shut, fix the pump and wrap it well.
• Glass and fragile items: wrap in several layers of bubble wrap and foam so they cannot knock together.
• Metal milk powder tins: stand them upright with foam dividers between tins (tins ordered online usually have none, so reinforce them).
• Paper boxes (milk, supplements, sweets): keep them away from heavy, hard items with cardboard or a smaller box inside; thin boxes are best flattened and wrapped into one bundle.
• Food: bottles and bags must be vacuum-sealed or shrink-wrapped with no smell escaping; if they burst, the carrier may discard the whole box. Dried food (squid, fish, shrimp, beans) needs packaging, labels and vacuum sealing.
• Large, bulky items (sea freight): wrap in foam, padding, paper or cloth against scratches, with cardboard and tape on the outside.

Volumetric weight

Large but light parcels are charged a volumetric surcharge under airline rules:

• Volumetric weight = length × width × height (cm) : 6000.
• Volumetric surcharge = (volumetric weight − actual weight) × rate: air freight Germany/EU → Vietnam €2.5/kg; Vietnam → Germany/EU €4/kg.

Example (air freight Germany → Vietnam): a parcel of 17 kg measuring 50 × 60 × 40 cm. Volumetric weight = 50 × 60 × 40 : 6000 = 20 kg, which is 3 kg above the actual weight. Volumetric surcharge = 3 × €2.5 = €7.5.

Schedule and transit times

Domestic delivery in Vietnam (post, private car, coach, Grab…) takes from 1 day to a week, depending on the method and the address. Times exclude public holidays; flight and sailing schedules may change.

Payment

Bank transfer or cash (VND or €), in Vietnam or in Germany. Exchange rate: Vietcombank selling rate on the Monday of the shipping week.

Receiving and checking your goods

1. When the courier arrives, check that the parcel still has the VU CARGO seal and is not torn or broken. If in doubt, weigh it and compare with the weight written on it.
2. Open and check it with the courier. If something is wrong, make a joint report stating the quantity, type and value of damaged or missing goods; photograph and film the parcel before and while opening.
3. Tell VU CARGO within 2 hours of receipt, with the evidence — whether the original recipient or someone else accepted the parcel.

VU CARGO handles claims backed by evidence (report, photos, video, weight, seal condition…). If a report could not be made for reasons beyond your control, VU CARGO considers alternative evidence. Claims are handled within 3 weeks of receipt.

Liability and compensation

VU CARGO is responsible for a parcel from the moment it is confirmed as received at a VU CARGO warehouse (scan or receipt) until it is delivered to the recipient address you provided.

• Register the list, quantity and value of goods you want guaranteed and agree the fee before sending them to our warehouse; choose your protection package when you register to ship.
• Guaranteed shipment is required for items with a lot of glass, fragile items, high-value goods and branded goods. For other goods it is your choice.

Broken or damaged goods

VU CARGO checks whether the damage comes from packing or from transport. VU CARGO is not liable for:

• Very thin or fragile products (glasses, cups, thin paper boxes, sweet boxes, milk cartons…) that were not packed carefully.
• Flimsy, weak or carelessly packed parcels.
• Parcels with no sign of tearing, holes or outside impact, where heavy items inside damaged each other, especially parcels over 20 kg.
• Expiry dates or the condition of goods that need special storage (temperature, humidity…).

This does not apply to intentional acts or gross negligence by VU CARGO during transport.

Exclusions of liability

• Force majeure: natural disasters, fire, explosions, epidemics, flight delays or cancellations, prolonged border checks…
• Goods inspected or seized by the authorities.
• Parcels that break VU CARGO's shipping rules or local law.
• Delivery failures caused by wrong details from the sender.
• Late claims or claims without enough evidence of the damage.
• Food, meals, milk… spoiled in quality, smell, leakage, heat or customs clearance time.