Vietnam Embassy - Don'T Question The B2,300 Charge For A Tourist Visa

[kurnell]

Well, at least the beef noodle soup is something to look forward too...and the norks

[PattayaParent]

You all seem to be misreading my original points; I applied for a 1 month tourist visa, I was asked for B2,300, I asked why it was more than double the price it should be and the 'creature' behind the counter got arsey, not me, I am a polite person(despite the head-in-bottom remark^), anyhow, I asked how much it would be(politely) if I was to collect it on the same day and 'B2,700' was the reply - so it would seem B2,300 was for collection on Thursday/Friday.

What on earth did I do wrong? Question the inflated cost?

As I have told you before and you have now confirmed yourself you were not quoted an inflated price, you just wanted to get the visa at the same price as an online website, on top of which you also have to pay an additionaal fee at the airport anyway, making it no cheaper.

I was told that a 30 day visa received on the same day as the application is B2,800. A next day visa is B2,300, and a 4 day visa is B1,800.

[surayu]

you were not quoted an inflated price

Inflated or not inflated, the creature shouldn't have throwed the passport at him and showed his anger for just an understandable question, can you imagine if every people start doing

just that for any questions you might have? i understands we are aliens, but there are enough ufo's already, we don't need to create more

[PattayaParent]

you were not quoted an inflated price

Inflated or not inflated, the creature shouldn't have throwed the passport at him and showed his anger for just an understandable question, can you imagine if every people start doing

just that for any questions you might have? i understands we are aliens, but there are enough ufo's already, we don't need to create more

Well when you have someone who doesn't want to pay the correct visa fee but is insisting on explaining 'complex mathematics' about something completely irrelevent to the visa application I'm surprised he got off so lightly and security weren't called.

And given the guys attitude on this thread I doubt he was the angel he pretends to be and even begin to doubt the veracity of his story.

[surayu]

All was needed is some clear price on display to eliminate any possible doubts, i believe we all know here in Asia, how a price can suddenly change from person to person, plus the greed behind many requests backed up by being sure of the impunity for any malfeasances.

I always made questions, even when i have the feeling everything sounds about right, if the question is not welcomed then that's already a good reason to walk away from the "deal", but if it's answered with something i can't understand or sounds dodgy, then more questions are to follow.

In this case, all the embassy employee had to do, is to produce some official proof of the rates, he didn't even needed to open his mouth if the workload for that day was so stressing for him, that would have worked as a piece of cake, but guess what? he choose a different way to deal with it....ehhhrmm

[PattayaParent]

All was needed is some clear price on display to eliminate any possible doubts, i believe we all know here in Asia, how a price can suddenly change from person to person, plus the greed behind many requests backed up by being sure of the impunity for any malfeasances.

I always made questions, even when i have the feeling everything sounds about right, if the question is not welcomed then that's already a good reason to walk away from the "deal", but if it's answered with something i can't understand or sounds dodgy, then more questions are to follow.

In this case, all the embassy employee had to do, is to produce some official proof of the rates, he didn't even needed to open his mouth if the workload for that day was so stressing for him, that would have worked as a piece of cake, but guess what? he choose a different way to deal with it....ehhhrmm

But the embassy guy gave the OP the correct price.

But the OP thought that he should be different than everyone else and get the visa for the same price as from an online website and made an arse of himself over it.

How do you think your embassy staff would have handled it? Or the OPs staff? Do you think he'd be out of the lock up by now?

[surayu]

But the embassy guy gave the OP the correct price.

That's just one more reason to have kept his cool and just hand over some unquestionable material to give his words a more solid standing.

As i said, the question was perfectly fine, there is no needs for this sort of attitude, i also know the OP and surely it's one of the more balanced and well do person you can deal with, complitely different, or lets say just the opposite of the way you are assuming he is, i don't have any interests/profit to say that, just thought you liked to have some sort of "personal reference" (Maidong, that makes 2 beers now ), now please just leave the argument to his deserved rest, otherways the OP he's going to end up with a huge tab for the drinks

I encountered some similar attitude myself at my own embassy, so i can rely to the OP's report, i also witnessed some favourable opening toward some people and just some stubborn denials against others, for no apparent reasons, just like that, to make some light on things like this is a must, we have to do something to counteract this sillyness, making others aware of it it's already a good step forward, we should only be thankfull to see somebody taking the hassle of informing us and not having a go at them...

[PattayaParent]

But the embassy guy gave the OP the correct price.

That's just one more reason to have kept his cool and just hand over some unquestionable material to give his words a more solid standing.

As i said, the question was perfectly fine, there is no needs for this sort of attitude, i also know the OP and surely it's one of the more balanced and well do person you can deal with, complitely different, or lets say just the opposite of the way you are assuming he is, i don't have any interests/profit to say that, just thought you liked to have some sort of "personal reference" (Maidong, that makes 2 beers now ), now please just leave the argument to his deserved rest, otherways the OP he's going to end up with a huge tab for the drinks

I encountered some similar attitude myself at my own embassy, so i can rely to the OP's report, i also witnessed some favourable opening toward some people and just some stubborn denials against others, for no apparent reasons, just like that, to make some light on things like this is a must, we have to do something to counteract this sillyness, making others aware of it it's already a good step forward, we should only be thankfull to see somebody taking the hassle of informing us and not having a go at them...

You should say 'just the opposite of the way he is portraying himself with his posts"

I have also witnessed the behaviour of US embassy staff and would say he got off lightly.

[surayu]

I have also witnessed the behaviour of US embassy staff and would say he got off lightly.

That's interesting, did you wrote about it? i am sure somebody can benefit from your experience if you tell us what happened.

I would probably never step inside that place, but if i will ever do, at least knowing what sort of problems i might get into, can take away the "surprise-shock" of when something complitely unexpected ( and bad) take place, c'mon, be our hero of the day, write it up!

[PattayaParent]

I have also witnessed the behaviour of US embassy staff and would say he got off lightly.

That's interesting, did you wrote about it? i am sure somebody can benefit from your experience if you tell us what happened.

I would probably never step inside that place, but if i will ever do, at least knowing what sort of problems i might get into, can take away the "surprise-shock" of when something complitely unexpected ( and bad) take place, c'mon, be our hero of the day, write it up!

It wasn't in Thailand and it didn't involve me.

[stiggy]

Apply on line pay on arrival very easy and straightforward.

As for the Vietnamese good luck very different attitude to Thais, certainly not afraid of confrontation.

Personaly quite like the country and the people a lot.

[londoedan]

Apply on line pay on arrival very easy and straightforward.

As for the Vietnamese good luck very different attitude to Thais, certainly not afraid of confrontation.

Personaly quite like the country and the people a lot.

I've only been a couple of times, to the major cities, but I can certainly second all of the above :jap:.

Simon

[MarkBKK]

I love Vietnam. The people seem very friendly. Less of a language barrier than here. I tend to go to Hanoi. I love it. Food is a problem (certainly for the wife ... great seafood, but they don't seem to use chillies much, and the rice can be ... a bit hard, at least up north.) Been to Da Nang, Hoi An and other places halfway to HCMC and the food was much better. The beer hoi keeps dragging me back to Hanoi though. Along with the vibe and the people. Brilliant kebabs too (well, for 25 satang or whatever they cost). And with the weather from October to February.

Please do not confuse the surly and abusive Thai woman who seems to run the visa section at the embassy with Vietnamese people. She would appear to be in it only for the money (that she can skim off the top.)

Twice I've applied for (and paid for) multi-entry visas only to receive single-entry. Both times she told me I'd filled the form out incorrectly (I hadn't, as she admitted when I asked to see it both times). Both times I was given the choice of paying an extra 2,000 baht or so to get the correct visa or to simply <deleted> off. Both times I refused. (I fcuked off. I wasn't going to give her the extra cash.)

The last time I queued up with three other English people. Each of us was charged a different price for our identical single entry visas. Bloke at the head of the queue was even older than me, and he simply said ''She always does this.''

As for the Vietnamese not being afraid of confrontation ... the second or third time my wife and I were in Hanoi we saw a fight between a motorsai guy and someone else.

We both stood there mouths agape.

We watched the whole thing in shock.

It was ONE motorsai guy against one other person.

That's when I knew we were really in tune (me and the wife, not me and the motorsai guy). On the same wavelength.

Or maybe I've just been here too long.

We looked at each other and said ''But it was one on one! Why didn't all his friends join in?''

(And then I realised that they'd kicked Yankee arse, so why not?)

[surayu]

We looked at each other and said ''But it was one on one! Why didn't all his friends join in?''

yes that's really an unusual sight for somebody used at one of the be(a)st thai's "rule"....

[MarkBKK]

We looked at each other and said ''But it was one on one! Why didn't all his friends join in?''

yes that's really an unusual sight for somebody used at one of the be(a)st thai's "rule"....

It really was weird at the time. One-on-one rather than 17-to-one. What must he have been thinking?

[frankr]

rudeness was always situation normal for the vietnamese embassy when i used to go there, but that was a while ago. I sure would not pay 2,300 baht when I knew I was being ripped off.

[PattayaParent]

rudeness was always situation normal for the vietnamese embassy when i used to go there, but that was a while ago. I sure would not pay 2,300 baht when I knew I was being ripped off.

But we've already established that the OP wasn't ripped off, he was being charged the express fee to get the visa the next day.

The OP just wanted to be treated as a special case and get the visa for 600 Baht as that is the cost he thinks it would be buying it online.

[phuturatica]

Why do you keep referring to the person behind the counter as being a creature? Hell I'd throw your passport back into your face too with an attitude like that!

[phuturatica]

Why do you keep referring to the person behind the counter as being a creature? Hell I'd throw your passport back into your face too with an attitude like that!

[taxout]

The official rate for a Vietnamese single entry visa is USD30.

http://www.vietnamco.../nr080219145649

I'm not aware of any embassy or consulate in Asia that actually charges this amount, certainly not in Hong Kong or Mainland China where the going rate is about double that.

Note that the official rules also require the consulate or embassy to "Publicly post up consular charge and fee rates in Vietnamese and English or in the official language of the host country at the places of collection." Yet fees are not in fact posted in Hong Kong or Nanning or Bangkok.

So there are some reasonable grounds for feeling that you're getting ripped off by somebody when you apply for a Vietnamese visa, and it's probably not the Vietnamese government. And if you ask -- very nicely, as I have -- why the charge isn't the official USD30 rate, you will in fact get a very rude comeback with your passport tossed back to you. The places reek of corruption.

Edited October 7, 2011 by taxout