How do I ship lost jewelry from Vietnam?

November 2, 2009 4:08 PM

Miraclefilter: help me get my lost engagement ring back from Vietnam.

While travelling in Hoi An, Vietnam, I dropped my brand-new engagement ring on the beach. Tears and much sand-raking ensued. By some amazing luck, I've just received word that it's been turned into the police station. Unfortunately, I've since returned home to NY.

What's the best way to ship it back? Can I get it through customs without paying duties on it? How do I thank my travel agency in Vietnam, who have been incredibly helpful this entire time?

posted by snickerdoodle to travel & transportation (5 comments total)

Your best bet is probably to contact your consulate there. They've probably dealt with this kind of thing before.

Be very, very careful. People are ready to believe good news when they are emotionally attached to something. If anyone starts to bring up fees or asks you to send them money for shipping costs, then you ought to be wary.

I hope you get your ring back. If things go well, write about it on travel websites and let the agency know you have done so.


US Citizen Services Hanoi:
http://vietnam.usembassy.gov/uscitizenservices.html
posted by chris p at 5:20 PM on November 2 [1 favorite]

Can you not just ask them to put it in a registered-post package with your address on it? Registered post is generally insurable, though I'm not sure how that works coming out of Vietnam, and regardless, registered packages tend not to get lost because the tracking system means you know who lost it.
posted by polyglot at 5:26 PM on November 2

I'm living in Saigon, and happy to help however I can. If I were you, I'd be reluctant to send the the ring by international mail from Vietnam. FedEx would be better, but finding someone trustworthy to hand-carry back to the US should be fairly painless. Feel free to Memail me to discuss further.
posted by Etaoin Shrdlu at 6:06 PM on November 2 [1 favorite]

I'm definitely cautious -- I do have people I trust locally to verify that the it's the correct ring (it's very unique, and unlikely to be considered valuable in Vietnam).

I also have family in Saigon, but unfortunately no one who can get to Hoi An on short notice.

E-mailed the embassy; I'll update when/if I hear back.

Thanks, Mefites!
posted by snickerdoodle at 8:17 PM on November 2

I actually did find someone to hand-carry it back. Who knew Facebook was actually good for something?
posted by snickerdoodle at 6:41 PM on December 3