so im heading to vietnam for about 3 weeks, hitting hanoi, hoi an, and probably da nang. ive been reading up on the drone laws there and honestly its a mess. technically you need permits from the civil aviation authority but like half the people i see on youtube just... fly anyway? i dont want to get my mavic 3 confiscated at the border or fined or whatever so trying to figure out what people actually do in practice vs what the law says on paper.

also wondering if anyone knows if they check your bags at customs for drones specifically. ive heard they can flag it when it goes through the scanner

went last year with my mini 2 and just declared it at customs, they didnt really care. the permit stuff is technically required but enforcement is super inconsistent depending on where you are. rural areas nobody cares, tourist spots like halong bay they are much more strict and the boat operators will actually tell you not to fly because of past incidents. hoi an old town is also a no fly zone officially. just use common sense and dont fly near airports or military stuff obviously

i cant speak to vietnam specifically but i traveled through southeast asia last year with my drone and the biggest thing i learned is the laws on paper mean almost nothing compared to whoever is standing in front of you lol. that said i wouldnt risk halong bay, ive read too many stories of people getting their stuff taken there. the scenery is worth it to try but maybe wait until youre leaving the country just in case haha