vietnam visa situation?

[BananaBandit]

I was recently told at a Vietnamese consulate that obtaining 90-day tourist visas have become more difficult recently.

 

Is this true?

 

Or is it based on the particular consulate?

 

From what I'd read previously on TV, I was under the impression that Vietnam was a more visa-friendly alternative to Thailand.

 

Is it still easy to extend visas once inside Vietnam ? Or has that changed ?

[yellowboat]

Most just go online.   It was painless in 2018.   Took a few days, but the website had good customer service. 

[BananaBandit]

51 minutes ago, yellowboat said:

Most just go online.   It was painless in 2018.   Took a few days, but the website had good customer service. 

Which is the most trusted online service ?    I've read that a number of these Vietnam visa sites are bogus. 

 

Just to doublecheck:

 

even if the online visa is one that works, it's still accepted exclusively by airport immigration, not land border crossings,  correct ?

[Searat7]

Even some Vietnamese airports don’t accept e-visa. I am going to Dalat in December and that airport is not on their list which I believe includes some land entry points too.

Edited October 4, 2019 by Searat7
Typo

[Caldera]

What they might mean is that it has become more difficult and/or more expensive to extend tourist visa in country, especially when attempting to do that multiple times.

 

No recent changes with regards to the application for a new tourist visa though. Three months single and multiple entry visa are both readily available. I use the approval letter route to get a multiple entry tourist visa on arrival at the airport. That suits me best, but there are other options.

[Andycoops]

Someone I met here last week who has been in VN for the last several months told me

that renewing in country is now limited and they are having to do border runs into Cambodia. 

This is from HCM and Vungers area.

[pmarlowe]

I've used this agent recently ==  www.vietnam-visa.com. Several levels of service but they can issue the invitation letter, will meet you at the airport, get your visa inserted in your passport within minutes and will take you to the head of the customs line. each level of service has a price attached depending on how much you want to spend.  i get it that many don't want to spend extra for the convenience so I'm just putting it out there. This service only works at airports in Hanoi, HCMC and DaNang.

[bkk6060]

2 hours ago, Andycoops said:

Someone I met here last week who has been in VN for the last several months told me

that renewing in country is now limited and they are having to do border runs into Cambodia. 

 

????

Sorry, got to laugh at this one.

Good luck to the 1000's who claim have left Thailand for greener pasture easy Visa, easy life Vietnam.

 

 

 

Edited October 4, 2019 by bkk6060

[JimmyTheMook]

Visa process for Vietnam is trash.

 

All that e-visa <deleted> leaves you waiting 2 hours at the airport for a visa stamp.

 

Embassy in Bangkok is a total scam as no prices posted for visas either.

 

 

[thecyclist]

Extension of tourist visas has been an on, off again, can do, cannot do for some time:You usually have to go through an agency, and it can cost up to 200 $. 

I have been doing the 90-day VOA (total cost 40$),or in Phnom Penh (70$ for a 3 month single entry) for 2 years, and, unless there were some very recent changes, it is still an easy, no question asked process. 

[BananaBandit]

3 hours ago, thecyclist said:

Extension of tourist visas has been an on, off again, can do, cannot do for some time:You usually have to go through an agency, and it can cost up to 200 $. 

I have been doing the 90-day VOA (total cost 40$),or in Phnom Penh (70$ for a 3 month single entry) for 2 years, and, unless there were some very recent changes, it is still an easy, no question asked process. 

 

How many days did it take to receive that 3-month Viet visa in Phnom Penh ?
 

[thecyclist]

21 hours ago, BananaBandit said:

 

How many days did it take to receive that 3-month Viet visa in Phnom Penh ?
 

I always go through Cina Travel agency :they are probably the cheapest in PP. For an additional fee, you could even get a  same day express service. Last year the Vietnamese embassy raised their rates and scrapped their express service : I think their standard turnaround time was 3 or 4 days. That, of course, might have changed again, so best to email them for the latest. 

[DEKEM]

for the years 2016 and 2018, I paid 7200 baht at the vietnam embassy in bangkok to get a 1 year visa to vietnam.  no problem.  just paid the money and waited 5 days for the visa to get processed.

 

I plan to go there next month sometime to get another 1 year visa.  not sure what if any changes have occurred since my last 1 year visa.  will find out and post it.

[Roy Baht]

UPDATE on Vietnam visa rules:
Rather than having to make a border run every 30 days, as previously announced, tourists will be given the option of reporting to their local immigration office (for a fee of US$10), or of hiring an agent to do so. That would mean, on a 90 day tourist visa, you would report to the local IO twice, and have to cross the border and return with a new visa (or in the case of Americans, with a one-year visa, cross the border and return, three times a year).
See new Eli the Bike Guy video. New Visa Rules discussion occur roughly 12:30- 21:00

 

[thecyclist]

1 hour ago, Roy Baht said:

UPDATE on Vietnam visa rules:
Rather than having to make a border run every 30 days, as previously announced, tourists will be given the option of reporting to their local immigration office (for a fee of US$10), or of hiring an agent to do so. That would mean, on a 90 day tourist visa, you would report to the local IO twice, and have to cross the border and return with a new visa (or in the case of Americans, with a one-year visa, cross the border and return, three times a year).
See new Eli the Bike Guy video. New Visa Rules discussion occur roughly 12:30- 21:00

 

Big changes are reported to come into effect in July :One of them is that the 90 day tourist visa will not be available anymore. They seem to following the Thai example, and make it harder for visa runners to live in Vietnam.