I'm interested in a Guild Guitar I saw on the Thomann website. In placing my order I found it's restricted from sale to Vietnam due to it's rare rosewood fingerboard and the CITES convention.
 
https://www.thomann.de/gb/compinfo_cites.html
 
The only shop (Meng's shop) in Vietnam, that sells has stopped supplying Guild, so just have their final stock. 
 
There are companies here that buy from Amazon in the US and import in bulk, deal with the import duties (which is really fiddly here with a massive hierarchy of different duty rates). Basically there website is a portal to Amazon, so everything on Amazon shws on their websites. So I contacted one and asked abut CITES, and she kept asking me questions. From what I can tell, my one item cud hld up their entire container, and she didn't 'get it' that as the importer it was their responsibility to understand the regulations, and this is why if I tried to buy from Amazon myself, it's marked as not available to ship to my country.
 
Being Vietnam I can see one of three things happening with the shipment.
The item goes past unchecked
The item get held up, the importer gives them a shifty 500,000vnd
They insist n a Certificate.
 
So I email Guild. I just asked a simple question. 'Does the guitar come with a CITES certificate?'. The reply was, CITES regulations vary from country to country. I replied back explaining further about it not being available, so I can either import or travel with the guitar. But to import I would need the certificate, and even if regulation did vary wouldn't the certificate come from the ****ry of manufacture.
 
Today they replied with a contact address in Vietnam for CITES and a suggestion I buy from Thailand. I've just replied, that if I import from Thailand, the US or Germany, I'd still need a CITES certificate, which was my initial question.
 
'Does the guitar come with a CITES certificate?'
 
This is a yes or no question, in Vietnam there is no word for yes, so getting a yes or no answer can be difficult, but Guild customer service are in the US, so this really should be s difficult.
 
Anyone clued up on CITES
 
 
 

The best you could expect to get from the manufacturer is some kind of official statement that the guitar was manufactured on or before a certain date, and a list of materials used. If the government is using CITES as the criterion then the date of manufacture would need to be prior to when the material fell under CITES jurisdiction. The manufacturer cannot issue any type of permit or visa to import into any country, and each country can set its own standards so long as they are at least as restrictive as the treaty. Import permits are legal forms that need to be obtained from the appropriate agency in the country whose border the guitar is crossing. Such agencies might or might not accept the manufacturer's date of manufacture statement to qualify the instrument. If the instrument was made after the regulation was in place, then there is probably no way to obtain a visa. 
 
https://www.fretboardjournal.com/features/guitar-lovers-guide-cites-conservation-treaty/
 

Thanks for the link. But I think it's out dated. But it's rambling format made it hard to take in.
 
Sweetwater is saying persna use is fine, when carried as luggage
https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/new-cites-regulation-impacts-international-importexport-of-rosewood-instruments/
 
Guild have confirmed, no certificate is included and suggest I buy a Nylon Guitar the Cordoba sell in Vietnam. Yeah Thanks Guild Customer Service, that was really helpful. Especially as the model I was asking for include a soundhole humbucker, I'm guessing that rep hasn't the foggiest.
 
I'm Back in the UK in 6 weeks, and returning to Viet Nam with my Mountain Bike. It's ging t be tight, but maybe I can get this guitar into my luggage allowance. If I can get confirmation I can take it as carry on, then I should be all clear.  
 
 
 
 

This supports Sweetwaters post
https://www.pmtonline.co....w-on-rosewood-guitars/