is the vietnam embassy in bangkok legit?

[rahil627]

i went to the embassy of vietnam in bangkok yesterday, and it was... an experience.

 

first off, the bus took 1 hour to go 5km (1 lane gong toward, 5 lanes going back), about the same amount of time it took a wonderfully old "ordinary" train to go from ayyuthaya to bangkok.

 

the "embassy" looks like an abandoned renovated (painted white) jail cell. By 4pm, no one is there, as it's just collection time. Luckily one dude eventually popped up in the window, and he gave me the following outrageous quotes:

 

~2250 baht for 30 days (supposed to be US$25)

~5750 baht for 90 days (supposed to be US$50)

 

so, the prices are 3 to 4 times more at a "real" embassy?

 

theres also a whopping 2.5 hour lunch break to watch out for...

 

i read only 30 days is possible at the moment (post-covid), so, i wonder, is the 90 day even legit? ????

 

i wanted a real stamp, as opposed to an "e-visa", because it's more flexible: possible to get a longer stay, and, possible to change to a work visa without leaving the country...

 

i read that there's a consulate in Khon Kaen, whom i'd guess are infinitely better than Bangkok people (isaan people are chill, imo). I will research more consulates soon, such as ones along the Laos bus route, and even highly-rated travel agents, but i just wanted to share this experience.

 

pick your poison: a government-based travel agent (an "embassy") or a private business travel agent

 

bangkok is indeed a hell-hole. DMK airport is the furthest i'd go.

Edited August 6, 2022 by rahil627

[rahil627]

just thinking out loud here...

 

Vietnam Embassy in Vientaine, Laos:

there's an excellent review by a French person on Google Maps from 2019 that says the following:

$56 - two days (normal)

$66 - next day

$81 - same day

 

another review from 4 years ago said:

$80 for the 90-day visa

 

cash only, USD or Kip?

 

and it generally has good reviews

 

...unfortunately there are no reviews about the "consulate" of Vietnam in Khon Kaen.

 

sooooo, land route it is!? ???? i had no clue about this train to the border. incredible! for some reason i thought it dead-ended in the middle of isaan / northeast Thailand somewhere.

 

i'll likely ride my motorcycle to Khon Kaen, call it my final destination in Thailand, sell it there?, and then escape through Vientaine. yay! trains! ❤️

 

i'm so much happier now after that miserably muggy day in bangkok, lmao

 

 

Edited August 7, 2022 by rahil627

[KhunBENQ]

27 minutes ago, rahil627 said:

...unfortunately there are no reviews about the "consulate" of Vietnam in Khon Kaen.

Yesterday I tried to Google them and the results are more than meager and confusing. Sometimes I ended up at some run down shop house.

I am clueless.

Quite a shame compared to the stylish Laos villa and the China compound.

[rahil627]

5 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Yesterday I tried to Google them and the results are more than meager and confusing. Sometimes I ended up at some run down shop house.

I am clueless.

Quite a shame compared to the stylish Laos villa and the China compound.

i just stumbled upon it in Google Maps, and judging by it's appearance on street view it looks legit: a giant villa-like building, just like the consulates in Laos!

[rahil627]

i might try it out this week.. it'll be a long train from Ayyuthaya, but i love trains. ????

 

about 3km from the train station, close to the general hospital

 

the hunt for a proper Vietnam visa is on!

 

i'll update if i do.

Edited August 7, 2022 by rahil627
bold after smiley face bug?

[rahil627]

at the Bangkok embassy, they said to contact these places to get a letter... but those e-mails don't reply. The e-mails are of the official e-visa site, so i imagine they're very very busy, lol. I haven't tried calling yet..

[buick]

i'm planning to stop by the viet embassy in bkk, in the next day or two.  i live a couple BTS stops from there and just want to clarify what is needed to enter before i book my tickets/hotel.  i have been there many times for a visa (US citizen).  in my experience, it is rarely crowded but you do need to submit before 11:30am and pick up at 4pm.  i think that has been standard for quite some time. 

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

Save a page in your passport and order the e-visa online. $25. I did this in May. You get the approval letter in 3 days, print it off and take it to Saigon Airport. Hand it over. You only get an entry stamp, and you avoid full-page sticker the embassy gives out. (Now, there were some fresh reports of people not getting their visas for many days later or not at all.) 

 

All I handed over was my passport and e-visa letter. Asked for nothing else. There might be a health declaration form to fill out on the plane because of the monkeypox scare.

 

You get 30 days. There is NO visa longer than 30 days. They haven't reinstated the 90-day Tourist visa. There are Business visas but are a lot of work and cost a lot of money. In short, VN is not as easy to get into and stay long-term any more. Important: You cannot extend the Tourist visa in-country so you have to leave and re-enter.

 

The correct government portal for the e-visa.

 

https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn

 

PS: Recent Google reviews rate VN embassy services as really, REALLY bad.  

Edited August 16, 2022 by Kaoboi Bebobp
More details

[rahil627]

passport, photo, letter, form (you should be able to get at the embassy)

 

but, as i said, i have no clue how to get a letter at the moment, because it seems only e-visa is possible for tourist visa.

 

my research agrees with everything cowboy bebop said.

 

i decided it's not even worth taking a trip to khon kaen to check. i personally trust the e-visa over an embassy/consulate. i just have to suck it up, settle for 30 days e-visa, or find a job--which is probably a bad time.