diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 37c28439c..b888db751 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -237,6 +237,16 @@ jobs:
       - run: curl https://get.ignite.com/cli@v0.23.0 | bash && mv ignite /usr/local/bin/
       - run: cd wormchain && make proto -B && make test
 
+  # Verify go sdk unit tests
+  sdk_vaa:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-20.04
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
+      - uses: actions/setup-go@v2
+        with:
+          go-version: "1.19.3"
+      - run: cd sdk/vaa && go test
+
   # Run Go linters, Go tests and other outside-of-Tilt things.
   lint-and-tests:
     # The linter is slow enough that we want to run it on the self-hosted runner
diff --git a/sdk/vaa/payloads.go b/sdk/vaa/payloads.go
index 3c5bc8481..bfe8015c1 100644
--- a/sdk/vaa/payloads.go
+++ b/sdk/vaa/payloads.go
@@ -99,22 +99,26 @@ func (b BodyGuardianSetUpdate) Serialize() []byte {
 }
 
 func (r BodyTokenBridgeRegisterChain) Serialize() []byte {
-	return serializeBridgeGovernanceVaa(r.Module, 1, r.ChainID, r.EmitterAddress)
+	payload := &bytes.Buffer{}
+	MustWrite(payload, binary.BigEndian, r.ChainID)
+	payload.Write(r.EmitterAddress[:])
+	// target chain 0 = universal
+	return serializeBridgeGovernanceVaa(r.Module, 1, 0, payload.Bytes())
 }
 
 func (r BodyTokenBridgeUpgradeContract) Serialize() []byte {
-	return serializeBridgeGovernanceVaa(r.Module, 2, r.TargetChainID, r.NewContract)
+	return serializeBridgeGovernanceVaa(r.Module, 2, r.TargetChainID, r.NewContract[:])
 }
 
 func (r BodyWormchainStoreCode) Serialize() []byte {
-	return serializeBridgeGovernanceVaa(WasmdModuleStr, ActionStoreCode, ChainIDWormchain, r.WasmHash)
+	return serializeBridgeGovernanceVaa(WasmdModuleStr, ActionStoreCode, ChainIDWormchain, r.WasmHash[:])
 }
 
 func (r BodyWormchainInstantiateContract) Serialize() []byte {
-	return serializeBridgeGovernanceVaa(WasmdModuleStr, ActionInstantiateContract, ChainIDWormchain, r.InstantiationParamsHash)
+	return serializeBridgeGovernanceVaa(WasmdModuleStr, ActionInstantiateContract, ChainIDWormchain, r.InstantiationParamsHash[:])
 }
 
-func serializeBridgeGovernanceVaa(module string, actionId GovernanceAction, chainId ChainID, payload [32]byte) []byte {
+func serializeBridgeGovernanceVaa(module string, actionId GovernanceAction, chainId ChainID, payload []byte) []byte {
 	if len(module) > 32 {
 		panic("module longer than 32 byte")
 	}
diff --git a/sdk/vaa/payloads_test.go b/sdk/vaa/payloads_test.go
index 832e6e8c9..2ac0dc34c 100644
--- a/sdk/vaa/payloads_test.go
+++ b/sdk/vaa/payloads_test.go
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ func TestBodyContractUpgradeSerialize(t *testing.T) {
 	bodyContractUpgrade := BodyContractUpgrade{ChainID: 1, NewContract: addr}
 	expected := "00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000436f72650100010000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000004"
 	serializedBodyContractUpgrade := bodyContractUpgrade.Serialize()
-	assert.Equal(t, hex.EncodeToString(serializedBodyContractUpgrade), expected)
+	assert.Equal(t, expected, hex.EncodeToString(serializedBodyContractUpgrade))
 }
 
 func TestBodyGuardianSetUpdateSerialize(t *testing.T) {
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ func TestBodyGuardianSetUpdateSerialize(t *testing.T) {
 	bodyGuardianSetUpdate := BodyGuardianSetUpdate{Keys: keys, NewIndex: uint32(1)}
 	expected := "00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000436f726502000000000001025aaeb6053f3e94c9b9a09f33669435e7ef1beaed5aaeb6053f3e94c9b9a09f33669435e7ef1beaee"
 	serializedBodyGuardianSetUpdate := bodyGuardianSetUpdate.Serialize()
-	assert.Equal(t, hex.EncodeToString(serializedBodyGuardianSetUpdate), expected)
+	assert.Equal(t, expected, hex.EncodeToString(serializedBodyGuardianSetUpdate))
 }
 
 func TestBodyTokenBridgeRegisterChainSerialize(t *testing.T) {
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ func TestBodyTokenBridgeRegisterChainSerialize(t *testing.T) {
 	bodyTokenBridgeRegisterChain := BodyTokenBridgeRegisterChain{Module: module, ChainID: 1, EmitterAddress: addr}
 	expected := "000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000007465737401000000010000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000004"
 	serializedBodyTokenBridgeRegisterChain := bodyTokenBridgeRegisterChain.Serialize()
-	assert.Equal(t, hex.EncodeToString(serializedBodyTokenBridgeRegisterChain), expected)
+	assert.Equal(t, expected, hex.EncodeToString(serializedBodyTokenBridgeRegisterChain))
 }
 
 func TestBodyTokenBridgeUpgradeContractSerialize(t *testing.T) {
@@ -82,5 +82,5 @@ func TestBodyTokenBridgeUpgradeContractSerialize(t *testing.T) {
 	bodyTokenBridgeUpgradeContract := BodyTokenBridgeUpgradeContract{Module: module, TargetChainID: 1, NewContract: addr}
 	expected := "00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000746573740200010000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000004"
 	serializedBodyTokenBridgeUpgradeContract := bodyTokenBridgeUpgradeContract.Serialize()
-	assert.Equal(t, hex.EncodeToString(serializedBodyTokenBridgeUpgradeContract), expected)
+	assert.Equal(t, expected, hex.EncodeToString(serializedBodyTokenBridgeUpgradeContract))
 }