I know you can apply for a Vietnam visa online and it costs about $17, but then you have to pay another $50 plus $25 if you want it fast tracked on arrival. My question is what do you present to the airline in Bkk before flying? A friend went a year ago and the airline knocked him back because he didn't have all the required paperwork, even though he had printed off everything. He had to ring the Vietnamese embassy and get the necessary paperwork emailed to him before he could fly.

Sounds like you're referring to the visa agencies that issue letters and then you get your visa on arrival.

 

The VN government now has it's own eVisa process where you pay direct and get the visa sent to you by email and have nothing more to do on arrival.

2 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said:

Sounds like you're referring to the visa agencies that issue letters and then you get your visa on arrival.

 

The VN government now has it's own eVisa process where you pay direct and get the visa sent to you by email and have nothing more to do on arrival.

This is the website I found (VN government) and they only issue the application, you still have to pay on arrival in Vietnam. https://vietnamvisa.govt.vn/apply-online

You have to be careful with VN websites, there are a lot that purport to be government sites that are not.

 

The pukka sites (2 of them) have been posted on TV previously when they were first announced a year or 2 ago, a search might throw them up.

I went over last Xmas... Showed the airline my “Letter of Invatition” that was sent to me by the online visa firm....

 

I also paid for the prepaid visa stamp fee & fast track service which saves you time on arrival as you just hand an agent all the paperwork & photo before the visa on arrival counter and he walks in behind the counter (you don’t have to wait in line - you just take a seat and he handles everything without delay)... We’ll worth the extra $25

 

https://www.vietnam-evisa.org/apply-visa.html

 

This is where you apply for an e visa, cost US$25. https://immigration.gov.vn/

30 minutes ago, giddyup said:

This is where you apply for an e visa, cost US$25. https://immigration.gov.vn/

Here also https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/trang-chu-ttdt

 

35 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said:

Here also https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/trang-chu-ttdt

 

With this evisa do you still need to go to the visa on arrival desk to get a visa sticker placed into your passport prior to immration counter?

4 hours ago, sfokevin said:

With this evisa do you still need to go to the visa on arrival desk to get a visa sticker placed into your passport prior to immration counter?

No need to get a visa sticker, just be sure to have a print out of your eVisa and have one for departure also.

15 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said:

No need to get a visa sticker, just be sure to have a print out of your eVisa and have one for departure also.

So there's no actual stamp in your passport that says you've been to Vietnam?

3 minutes ago, giddyup said:

So there's no actual stamp in your passport that says you've been to Vietnam?

The entry and departure stamps put in at the immigration counter

3 minutes ago, giddyup said:

So there's no actual stamp in your passport that says you've been to Vietnam?

Your passport gets an entry and an exit stamp, same as Thailand gives you.