If you’ve been following the DHL Vietnam saga, you’ll know this story has gone well past the point of farce. Their latest excuse is that my shipment — personal effects sent via Pack & Send — has somehow fallen foul of a 30-day customs rule.
Here’s the problem: I’ve already provided DHL Vietnam with a copy of my visa many times over. It clearly shows that I re-entered Vietnam within the required timeline. The only reason this is even in question is because DHL themselves failed to file accurate paperwork, delayed lodging documents with Customs, and created the mess they are now trying to blame on me.
And today, yet again, I’ve had to send them the same visa copy. DHL call it “due process.” I call it wilful incompetence.
Each day this drags on, the damage to DHL’s credibility grows. The lesson here isn’t just about a shipment stuck in limbo — it’s about how organisations behave when caught in their own mistakes. Do they own them, or do they double down?
Lesson for DHL
Leadership is tested not when everything runs smoothly, but when mistakes threaten to surface. Repeating requests for documents already supplied doesn’t solve the problem — it deepens reputational damage and erodes trust.
