Jeroen

I am not even 100% certain I know enough to apply successfully next time. I am especially concerned that it seems that certain requirements are not officially listed, like: needing to see a copy of the ID of the thai person that provides the hotel reservation and the new USD bank notes. Seems like they can make requirements up on the fly. Good thing is that I can probably fall back on the visa exemption, although I would have liked more certainty by having a visum. On a second note I am thinking of staying more in Vietnam now as they rolled out their 3 month evisa and I really liked Danang.

In case there are people still interested in this interesting thread, here are my lessons learned from trying to get a Tourist Visa from the Thai Consulate In HCMC. All in all I did waste money in the process and have to fall back to the visa exemption.

I guess I should be ok then. I applied last weekend.

Hi DrJack, I appreciate the info about Bui Vien. Luckily the hotel I booked is only a couple of minutes away. Are you sure I am Visa Exempt for Vietnam? When I checked last week, I found that people from the Netherlands are required to get a tourist visa for Vietnam.

Thank you for your reply. I might be spending more time in Saigon. I haven't been there in a long time and if I like it I might stay longer. What does Ripper joint mean? I have already had two visa exemptions this calendar year. Are you saying that you can only have 2 visa exemptions in a calendar year?

Dear all, I am 54 years old from the Netherlands. I intend to spend most of my time living and working in Asia. I consider Chiangmai as one of my bases and I have been staying here for the last 2 months, based on visa exemption and extension. I booked a flight to Vietnam on August 8th and I intend to fly back to Thailand a couple of days after that. This year I have already have been in Thailand for these periods: - 20 Dec 2022 - 2 Mar 2023, Tourist Visa & - 18 Apr - 27 Apr, Visa exemption - 10 Juni - 8 Aug, Visa exemption & extension When I get back to Thailand I intend to stay in Thailand shorter than 30 days, so ideally I would go for a visa exemption. - How big is the risk that I get refused on entry to Thailand? - Alternatively I can get a tourist visa in HCMC, but I just read the unsettling post where someone was refused entry to Thailand while in the possession of a tourist visa. Any information or advice is much appreciated. Best regards, Jeroen PS. I do intend to apply for a retirement visa when I am sure I will be staying in Thailand long term.