Hi Guys,

Sorry if this is the wrong place for getting info and hopefully a member will point me to the correct area.

I plan to have a holiday near a beach in Vietnam with my Thai family and also get a retirement visa at the same time.

Suggestions for the best place and easyist city to apply along with any advice from our great members would be great, thanks in advance.

James

From the Thai Consulate criteria you would not qualify to apply for an OA Long stay visa in Vietnam. IMO re-enter Thailand and then reapply for an OA visa locally, lot less paperwork and easier. However, one of the Mods may have a different recommendation.

 

http://www.thaiembassy.org/hochiminh/en/services/7440/86302-Non-Immirant-O-A-(Long-Stay)-|-Thị-thực-cư-trú-lâu.html

 

At this time of year a bit cold in Norther Vietnam, depends what you want from your holiday. Personally would recommend a few days in HO Chi Minh then head for places such as Danang, Hoi An, Dalat.  Internal domestic flights are cheap, otherwise travel by train.

You can only obtain an O-A Non Immigrant Visa in your home country

Dalat is nice if you like golf. 

6 hours ago, Trujillo said:

Dalat is nice if you like golf. 

Dalat my favourite place in Vietnam. Nearly stayed there on a permanent basis.  In the highlands, coolish all year round

 

However the OP is looking for recommendations somewhere near a beach,long way from Dalat????

 

Recommend www.travelfish.com for no nonsense,realistic, beach side options

Ho Chi Minh seems popular for visa's.

 

Lets move this to the Vietnam forum for better localised advice and info.

 

 

HCMC is currently easy for a marriage multi-entry, but not sure about O-A. If you are formally connected to your "THai family" it would probably be the better bet anyway.

Combine with a trip a short distance south to the beaches of Vung Tau. Easy boat ride from central Saigon.

cold in Hanoi this time of year (TET) and most places shut down for the month long holiday 'roll up the sidewalks' etc..not sure what it's like on the southern coast, Danang, Nha Trang, etc...hot and humid all year around in HCMC...Vung Tau on the coast near HCMC is probably OK...ain't much of a beach there though, mostly sexually deprived western oil workers...some good restaurants...'hey, lets get a pizza and a bottle of red wine and have a party and play hide the pepperoni...' three hours later 'goddam pizza is cold...'

 

oops, forgot that the OP is with his family...HCMC is OK for marriage visas from advice on this forum, not sure about retirement visas...

 

 

15 hours ago, spinner2020 said:

HCMC is currently easy for a marriage multi-entry, but not sure about O-A.

OP cannot get an O-A, unless he is a permanent resident of Vietnam, which I doubt  

OP is probably going for a Non O

http://www.thaiembassy.org/hochiminh/en/services/2886/46902-Non-Immigrant-Visa-"O"---Accompanying-Th.html 

 

I enjoyed Nha Trang when I was last there.

On 2/11/2020 at 4:03 AM, jamden said:

I plan to have a holiday near a beach in Vietnam with my Thai family and also get a retirement visa at the same time.

Retirement VISA No, NON o multi for staying with wife YES, Single entry o to stay with child YES.

HCMC would be the place to get the VISA, and there's an express ferry (about 1 hr) down the river to the beach at Vung Tau.

Mui Ne on the south coast is nice but two hours on bus from HCM. Favourite with kite surfers and has some sand dunes but not really sure for families as ten years since I visited.

Fly to Saigon and for the beach take the ferry to Vung Tau.