traveling from Thailand to Vietnam ("post-covid")

[rahil627]

so, from my understanding:

 

motorcycle:

nope. customs is amongst the worst. only with tour company for a short period.

 

flight:

yay, but make sure you sort the visa beforehand. (I met a person recently who couldn't even do a lay-over because they didn't have "a letter"; they re-routed ???? what is wrong with the world!!)

 

bus:

"international buses" from Bangkok or DIY via standard public transport

 

several routes?: pakse, savannakhet, vientaine, luang prabang(?), etc. tha kaek is delayed. The northern routes are rough, undeveloped roads? So for a smooth sail, maybe Savannakhet to central Vietnam?

 

i just looked at the US travel.state.gov web-site and it still shows a level 2 advisory:

 

• Areas of Savannakhet, Xieng Khouang, Saravane, Khammouane, Sekong, Champassak, Houaphan, Attapeu, Luang Prabang, and Vientiane provinces, as well as along Route 7 (from Route 13 to the Vietnam border), Route 9 (Savannakhet to the Vietnam border), and Route 20 (Pakse to Saravane) due to unexploded bombs.

 

???? (they would know)

 

this is awful. i feel awful. it's 2022! irreversible damage.

 

also:

level 2 alert (take caution) for bandits along the Myanmar border, and

level 3 alert (reconsider) for Xaisomboun province.

 

conclusion?:

and so, with that, i feel maybe that the Air Asia flight ain't so bad... especially since i just want to skip straight to Vietnam anyway, and Vietnam at the moment virtually has no restrictions... Now to just find a proper visa with 90-days (not e-visa)!

Edited August 7, 2022 by rahil627
emoji causes bold

[ubonjoe]

Moved to the travel forum.

[2baht]

Travelled to Vn 3 weeks ago, no problem.

[GoRover]

18 minutes ago, 2baht said:

Travelled to Vn 3 weeks ago, no problem.

Was there any entry requirements because of Covid?

[2baht]

Just now, GoRover said:

Was there any entry requirements because of Covid?

No

 

[Caldera]

10 hours ago, rahil627 said:

Now to just find a proper visa with 90-days (not e-visa)!

The 3-month tourist visa that Vietnam had pre-Covid still hasn't been brought back, so unfortunately, at this point the 30-day eVisa is the only tourist visa currently available. 

[thecyclist]

The agent I have been using for 2 years offers an alternative to the evisa. Fly into Saigon and she will arrange a VOA (for 200 bucks), which gets an initial stay of 30 days, but is extendable indefinitely for 50 $ a month. Not sure how legit this is, but the woman has a good reputation in Vũng Tàu. 

[rahil627]

hmmmmmmmm...

 

so, i checked about visas a bit more...

 

it seems although the Vietnam embassy in Thailand (and maybe consulate too) offers a 30-day and 90-day visa, i can't find a travel agent web-site that'll give an approval letter for picking one up at the embassy. The process seems to be similar to the process to get a visa-on-arrival at airport, but there's a tiny difference, and you must tell them to specifically pick up at embassy.

 

im trying:

visa-vietnam.org

  - only offers e-visa at $60 (which you can officially get for $25..?)

vietnam-visa.com

  - the folks here are pretty direct about the inner-workings of this mess... they say border runs are still possible (both: Laos and Cambodia), and can maybe even give you a "sponsor letter" to get a business visa (shhhh...) but the  They didn't mention how much.

  - but they also said "You should be aware that you can not a visa from the Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok because visa on arrival has been inactive recently." And i actually feel like they are right!

 

official e-visa site (just fyi):

https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/

  - terrible name for an official gov site...

 

1 hour ago, thecyclist said:

The agent I have been using for 2 years offers an alternative to the evisa. Fly into Saigon and she will arrange a VOA (for 200 bucks), which gets an initial stay of 30 days, but is extendable indefinitely for 50 $ a month. Not sure how legit this is, but the woman has a good reputation in Vũng Tàu. 

i've never been to Vietnam, but yeah, it already feels like the sort of country to have this kind of travel agent bullcrap culture. ???? 

 

i also read a proper visa (not e-visa) is extendable... just have to deal with the right agents to procure one. ???? 

 

i guess ill keep trying for now.. i'll keep that in mind thecyclist. thanks!, but $200 is a bit much for me for just 30-days...

 

if anyone knows some decent online vietnam visa agencies, i'll ask them all! ????

Edited August 8, 2022 by rahil627

[rahil627]

upon a bit more research... youtube videos(!), not outdated web-sites... i've kinda come to the conclusion to just avoid the agents.

 

it's just visa-exempt for certain countries (UK, ASEAN...), 30-day e-visa (US...), and i believe the 90-day visa is for business visa only (not tourist), and that it's more strict now (need a legit business sponsor, not a bullshoot agent).

 

it generally sounds like the Vietnam gov used the pandemic as an opportunity to purge people who aren't paying them money (taxes) out (illegal English teachers 'n tutors amongst the many), and hopefully purge the agents out as well(??). i dunno.. it's either very slow progress or chaos... hard to tell.

 

an e-visa run is possible, but it sounds like a pain, especially for every 30-days. you'd have to apply for another e-visa a week or so before expiration (the e-visa site sucks), and plan a visa run: the land borders to Cambodia and Laos do not sound fun nor cheap as it creates two opportunities for corruption (entry and re-entry) and you'd need to somehow get US$ in cash; an international flight might just be cheaper, more secure, and more convenient.

 

so, the long-stay dream just has to wait until they announce something. i'll wait 'til the 15th. otherwise, i'd prolly just look for a contract job online.

 

it sucks, but gotta accept it!

 

i'm a little afraid 30-days might not be enough time to get a motorcycle, find a cozy spot in Vietnam to make a home, and find some work... there's just too much to explore!

 

i truly wonder if the visa at the Thai embassy is legit, even just the 30-day one! a proper visa (not e-visa) used to be extendable for $10 at an immigration office! that's by far the best option... i'd go if i had one of those asap!! i mean, is it considered "visa-on-arrival" if you get it at an embassy, before arrival? lol

Edited August 11, 2022 by rahil627