Tet Parcel Shipping in Vietnam: Deadlines and Packing

Tet parcel shipping works best when you find your courier's holiday dates now, send early, and pack for a long trip. Tet 2015 falls on February 19. That leaves about three weeks. Parcels sent in the last few days before the holiday are the ones most likely to arrive late.

This guide covers four steps. Find the cutoff date. Work backward from the holiday. Pack well. Pick a way to prove delivery.

Find your courier's cutoff date

Every courier sets its own last day for sending before Tet. It also sets its own date for starting work again. These dates are not the same across companies. They can also differ between a city route and a rural one.

Look for the holiday notice on the courier's own website. Many firms post one in the weeks before Tet. You can also ask at the counter or call the hotline. Ask three plain questions. What is the last day to send to my destination? When will parcels move again after the holiday? Will my parcel wait at a depot over the break?

Write the answers down. Keep the name of the person who gave them. If a promise is made, you want to be able to point to it later.

Sources: courier holiday notices are published on each courier's own site, so read the current notice for your route.

Work backward from Tet

Tet 2015 begins on February 19, the first day of the Year of the Goat. Tet follows the lunar calendar, so the date moves each year. Do not use last year's dates.

Start from the day you want the parcel in your receiver's hands. Most families want gifts and goods before the New Year's Eve meal. Subtract the courier's normal delivery time. Then subtract at least a few more days as a buffer. Long routes, such as Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, or any trip to a remote province, need the biggest buffer.

Many people travel home to their families in the days before Tet. Roads, buses and trains fill up. Offices and shops close for several days. A parcel that reaches a depot just before the break can sit there until staff return. Sending in the first week of February, or sooner, gives you more room than sending in the last week.

Tet is also a time when people prepare for one or two weeks before the new year. They clean homes, buy food and flowers, and visit family. Courier counters get busy during that time. Expect queues and plan your visit for a quiet hour.

Sources: Wikipedia, Goat (zodiac), for the start of the Wood Goat year on February 19, 2015; Wikipedia, Tet, for the one or two weeks of preparation before the new year.

Pack for a long trip

A parcel on a long route is handled many times. It is loaded, unloaded, sorted and carried again. Pack as if it will be dropped once.

• Use a strong new box, not a worn one. Old boxes lose strength.
• Fill empty space with paper or foam so the contents cannot shift.
• Wrap fragile items one by one. Put heavier items at the bottom.
• Seal every seam with wide tape. Tape the bottom in an H pattern.
• Write the address clearly on the box in block letters. Add the receiver's phone number.
• Put a second copy of the address inside the box, in case the outside label tears off.

Food is a common Tet gift. Check with the courier first, because many companies limit fresh or liquid goods. Seal sweets, dried fruit and tea in tight wrapping so smells and spills do not spread. If you are not sure whether an item can travel, ask before you pay.

Sources: packing advice here is general practice; each courier lists what it will and will not carry, so confirm with your own courier.

Choose a way to prove delivery

A receipt is your first proof. Keep the one the courier gives you and photograph it. It shows the date, the weight, the address and the fee.

Next, ask whether the service gives a tracking number. If it does, send the number to the receiver. Then both of you can check progress. Some services also give a signed delivery record, where the receiver signs when the parcel arrives. For gifts of real value, this extra step is worth the small fee.

Ask about insurance too. Find out what the courier covers if a parcel is lost or broken, and what you must show to make a claim. If a problem arises, a written receipt and a record of your questions make your case much stronger.

Sources: courier terms for tracking, signed delivery and insurance differ by company, so read the terms printed on your receipt.

Prepare the receiver, too

Many parcels fail at the last step. Nobody is home, or the phone number is wrong. At Tet, many households are away visiting relatives.

Call the receiver before you send. Confirm the address, the best phone number and who can sign. If the family will travel, send to a place where someone will be present, such as a relative's home or a workplace that stays open. Send the tracking number as soon as you have it.

After the holiday, check the status again. If the parcel has not moved within a day or two of the courier's restart date, call the hotline with your receipt number. Be polite and specific. Give the date you sent it and the route.

The short version is simple. Ask for the dates now. Send early. Pack for rough handling. Keep your proof. Tell the receiver what to expect.

Sources: general guidance; see the courier's own pages for current rules.

Sources

• Wikipedia, "Goat (zodiac)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goat_(zodiac)
• Wikipedia, "Tet": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%E1%BA%BFt

General information only. Check each courier's own notice for exact dates.