Your move, week by week.

Confirm the full scope of your relocation package: visa category, shipping allowance (volume and air freight provision), look-see trip entitlement, temporary housing provision on arrival, school search assistance, and whether a trailing spouse employment search is supported. Get this in writing. Misunderstandings about package scope are the most common source of friction during corporate relocations.

For Vietnam, work permit applications require authenticated documents. Before 11 September 2026 that means the consular-legalisation chain, six to ten weeks from most Western countries and not expedited; from that date a single apostille from your home country’s designated authority replaces it. Either way the underlying documents — the criminal-record check, the certified degree — are the long pole, so when you start matters more than which method applies. Read the Visas article in full and confirm with your relocation agent which visa category applies to your assignment. The visa timeline drives everything else in this list.

International schools with strong reputations in Saigon operate waiting lists. Contact admissions offices as soon as the assignment is confirmed, even before your look-see trip is scheduled. The schools your child needs a place at will tell you which documents are required and when applications open. Collect school records, transcripts, and teacher reference letters for all children without delay.

Brief your relocation agent thoroughly before the trip — neighbourhood priorities, commute constraints, school requirements, lifestyle preferences. Read the Look-See Trip article and the neighbourhood articles before you fly. Arrive with a shortlist, not an open question.

Establish when your employer’s international health cover begins and whether it covers the transit period and first days of arrival. If there is a gap, purchase separate travel insurance to bridge it. Read the Health Preparations article and begin any vaccination courses that require multiple doses spread over weeks.

Your relocation company will arrange this, but confirm the date early. The survey determines shipment volume, insurance values, and packing logistics. Read the Pre-Move Survey article before the agent arrives. Prepare a room-by-room inventory of high-value or high-importance items.

Obtain officially certified copies of professional qualifications, degrees, and reference letters. Vietnam requires certified translations for many documents used in visa and registration processes; your relocation agent will advise which documents need this treatment. Originals of marriage certificates, birth certificates, and academic credentials should be securely stored — not packed into the sea freight shipment.

Work with your relocation agent on the shipment volume. Most assignees underestimate how little of a typical household is genuinely needed for a two-to-four year assignment. Items you will not use in Saigon’s climate (heavy winter clothing, sports equipment for activities unavailable locally) are good candidates for long-term storage. Selling items locally and purchasing equivalents in Saigon is frequently more practical than shipping bulky furniture.

An account that operates effectively without requiring you to visit a branch in your home country is essential. HSBC’s expatriate banking product is the most commonly used among Saigon expats for this reason. You will also need to manage the currency exposure between your home-country salary or savings and your VND living costs; read the Financial Preparations article.

If you are selling your car, do so three to four weeks before departure rather than at the last minute — forced sales under time pressure produce lower prices. If you are storing it, arrange covered storage and confirm insurance continues in storage mode. Shipping a personal vehicle to Vietnam is technically possible but commercially impractical for most assignees; the duties, the left-hand/right-hand drive question (Vietnam drives on the right), and the registration process make it rarely worthwhile.

Contact your home country insurer regarding property, life, and income protection policies. Some policies are voided by extended residence abroad; others require notification. This is also the time to confirm whether your company’s D&O or professional indemnity cover extends to Vietnam if relevant to your role.

Banks, investment accounts, pension providers, professional licensing bodies, electoral roll, tax authorities, and any subscription services. Compile a complete list and work through it methodically. In most countries, failing to maintain a current address with tax authorities creates complications that take significant effort to untangle from overseas.

Property deeds, wills, powers of attorney, insurance policies, and original certificates should be placed with a trusted person in your home country or in a safety deposit box — not shipped to Vietnam. Consider granting power of attorney to a trusted person for home-country financial and legal matters.

A move is one of the best opportunities to address accumulation. Donate, sell, or discard what you do not need before packing begins — not after. Your moving crew will pack whatever is in the property; items you regret including in the shipment cannot be removed once the container is sealed.

Flight bookings, temporary accommodation in Saigon, and any hotel for the look-see trip or transitional period. Confirm your relocation company’s contact for the Saigon end of the move — you should have a named person and direct number for the local agent managing customs clearance and delivery.

Confirm that all high-value items — jewellery, electronics, instruments, art — have been properly inventoried and that your insurance documentation reflects their value. These items should travel with you or be separately declared.

Cancel or suspend: gym memberships, magazine subscriptions, regular grocery deliveries, streaming services on local plans, and any standing orders that will not transfer. Schedule utility disconnection for the day after moving day, not before.

If you live on a busy street or in a building with restricted loading access, arrange this with building management in advance. Notify neighbours if the move will affect street parking.

Moving day is not a day for children or pets to be underfoot. Arrange for them to be with a trusted caregiver — ideally offsite. It reduces stress for everyone, including the moving crew.

Pack with Saigon’s climate in mind — lightweight clothing for immediate use, one layer for air-conditioned environments. Pack essential medications in your carry-on, not in hold luggage. Read the Shipping and Packing article for a full list of what should travel with you personally rather than in the shipment.

Washing machines, dishwashers, and fridges should be run on their drain/dry cycles and left open for ventilation before packing day. Moisture trapped in appliances during a multi-week sea transit produces mould and, in the case of fridges, permanent odour damage.

Walk the moving crew leader through the property at the start of the day: what is included, what is not, which items require special handling. Walk through again when packing is complete.

Do not leave the property for long periods during packing and loading. You are the person who knows what is in the house and what matters; the crew cannot make those judgments for you.

Read it before you sign it. This is your record of condition and the basis of any insurance claim. Keep the copy with your travel documents, not in the shipment.

Photograph or write down gas, electricity, and water meter readings before leaving the property. File these with your important documents.