answered about 13 months ago by Mike
I wouldn't ship anything, for two reasons. Firstly, all your household requirements are available locally, and ae not so expensive. Secondly, shipping can be a hassle, especially if things go off the tracks with customs.
answered about 13 months ago by sandyg
It depends on how long you are coming for - everything is pretty much available here but the equivalent quality is sometimes expensive and some household things are simply not available.
If it is a long term stay then it is probably worth bringing things that you use a lot. Especially as someone is offering to cover the shipping, why waste money buying things you already have!
We shipped things here and didn't have any problems with customs etc. Though that doesn't mean there are never any problems.
answered about 13 months ago by Annett
I think it really depends on you and your expectations.
My personal experience: I was also paid at least the main part of the shipping cost and decided to ship most of my goods from Europe. I had also no problems at all with the customs. I was glad to have my old things, in particular furniture, here, because of the following reasons. You might be able to buy all the furniture here. But first of all you have to know where to buy. And in case you have a little bit a different taste, it might be hard to find the right things here. And don't forget the language which is also sometimes a problem.
You may like to look at the Hanoi International Womens Club website as they provide some good information about what to bring etc.(google it, but something like www.hiwc.com)
I agree with Annett and Sandy and to extend- although there certainly is a reasonable selection of products in Hanoi it depends on what you items you want/need sooner, rather than later (if you are staying in a hotel), and how long you have to source items ( before starting work?) and also you may have more flexibility and patience with these things if you are not bringing children with you. It can be extremely time consuming finding the items you are looking for and even more of a hassle if you have to return them for any reason (explaining fine details can be hard with the language barrier). Some items are not very high quality. I sometimes find it disappointing to pay high prices for items I need that are not to my taste. Furniture can be bought "off the floor" however many companies have catalogues from which you order and this can take some time for them to be built. On the other hand (as Mike said) there are heaps of furniture shops (mostly wooden, but also rattan, and some faux leather, and I think even leather) if you are ready for a furntiure makeover.
There are plenty of electrical shops-big tvs are a thing here, and kitchen things-knives, pots, rice cookers, microwaves, melamine, pottery, wine glasses, ironing boards, irons, blow dryers, fans,electric kettles, water coolers, heaters, etc, .but you may have to go to a few places to find them. If you like to bake, I have only seen very small food processors and hand mixers (cake) . If you have a family who likes toast bring a BIG (4 slice) toaster, you - can find an occasional small toaster. Many houses do not have ovens so you either have to negotiate this with the landlord or buy a benchtop oven. I do not think alot of electrical and furniture items are cheap, however you can buy many utensils cheaply. Although there are lots of mattress shops (and a couple of better ones) it is not that easy to find the ideal mattress for "western" tastes (or sheets for really big beds). If you don't bring one perhaps you could bring a fleece style underblanket-unless you like your mattress really firm. You can get nice quilts and blankets etc. An idea i had while my icecream was melting today was to bring some soft insulated (eski) bags to get your cold items home from the supermarket on a hot day.
Good luck.!
answered about 13 months ago by cheapie
As others said, it all depends on you.
For pots and knives and the like, if you are familiar with All-Clad and Henckels, then bring your stuff. If not, then don't bother.
You can easily get pots and pans and stuff, but for high quality ones, it is difficult to get. I haven't seen anything around town - and even if you can find it, it's difficult to justify buying another set of $300+ knives or what not.
I just decided not to cook and bought cheap knives here. Other than cursing for cutting my finger on the knife blade that's honed all the way to the heel, I haven't really missed anything. Ok, maybe I wished I brought a quality paring knife.
The other thing you may want to bring, as mentioned, is a counter top oven. If you splurge and get something big enough to roast a chicken, you'll make a flock of friends.
