Pity the Fool

I've learned a few important lessons today:

1. All countries have some kind of Customs Form that may have to be filled in
2. No matter how tired you are when you land, you should always try and read every sign with English instructions, no matter how small or obscurely placed they are.

Today I had to go back to the airport where we arrived on the 10th of Feb, to fill in the customs form I should have filled in when we landed. That form had a section where I needed to declare unaccompanied luggage - the 12 boxes that we had sent on ahead by ship.

Without that customs form, our possessions would be treated as imports and we would have to pay import tax on every item. Or worse - the boxes would just disappear into some warehouse forever.

Normally, when travelling to other countries, the customs form is given out on the plane for you to fill in. But in the four trips I have now made to Vietnam, no form was ever given.

The actual information about customs is accessed after you go through the border patrol (where you get the stamp on your passport), and down the stairs to the area where you pick up your luggage. There, hidden among the great throng of newly landed passengers, is a little table with a stack of custom forms. Oh, and there is a small blue sign on the corner counter where you place your luggage for scanning that says something to the effect of "You must declare stuff that is prohibited".

But even if I had read that in my sleep deprived state after landing, I doubt I would have concluded from that sign, that I should have filled in a customs form and declared "unaccompanied luggage" of 12 boxes being sent by ship.

I had some trouble conveying my story of ineptitude in one and two syllable words to the customs officer and in the end relied on a quick phone call to the office manager at work; she was able to explain very clearly in Vietnamese that I am obviously incompetent and can he please take pity on me.

He very kindly acquiesced, with the admonishment that "just this once, ok?". I assured him that it would never happen again - which shouldn't be too hard right? After all - how many times in my life am I going to come and live in Vietnam long term?