Vietnam e-Visa

[onthemoon]

I use the e-visa for Cambodia all the time, very convenient.

Now I read that e-visa is also available for Vietnam. Has anybody tried it yet?

[Patronus]

It is not the same.

You use a Vietnam visa agency (Google it) and pay a fee. They get the approval and send you a letter with names of people arriving that day - your name will be on. Complete the visa application and take everything to the visa desk at Hanoi/Saigon where you pay your $45, hang around for about 15 mins and get your visa.

[lekatai]

Two things people should be aware of.

a)The Cambodian e-visa is usually a good way to get a Cambodian Visa-but you must be aware it isn't valid for entry to Cambodia at all borders,there is a list of valid entry points on the Cambodian Governments website

b)as the last poster says,the Vietnamese visa mentioned is not the same thing.The correct name for it is a pre-approved visa.It's only valid for entry to Vietnam at an international airport-currently that's only Saigon,Hanoi and Da Nang.There's a fee to pay to get the approval letter,which ranges from 10-15 USD approx,and then the stamping fee on arrival,which is currently 45USD for a single entry 30 day tourist visa.It's still one of the cheapest ways to get a visa for Vietnam,but you can't use it to enter via a land border.Also,whilst the waiting time at the airport can be as little as 15 minutes,there are many reports of people having to wait far longer

Edited September 22, 2013 by lekatai

[NanLaew]

I have applied for 10 Vietnamese visas through an online Vietnamese travel agency since 2005, I apply online and pay via their secure website one day and the official visa approval letter is emailed back to me the following day. They have also on a couple of instances managed to secure a same day visa approval letter for a surcharge. Never had any problems with them although the visa collection desk at Saigon airport can get busy at times. To speed things up, I have a pdf copy of the blank visa application form that one needs to fill in on arrival.

[onthemoon]

It is not the same.

You use a Vietnam visa agency (Google it) and pay a fee. They get the approval and send you a letter with names of people arriving that day - your name will be on. Complete the visa application and take everything to the visa desk at Hanoi/Saigon where you pay your $45, hang around for about 15 mins and get your visa.

Sounds good enough to me.

[onthemoon]

I have applied for 10 Vietnamese visas through an online Vietnamese travel agency since 2005, I apply online and pay via their secure website one day and the official visa approval letter is emailed back to me the following day. They have also on a couple of instances managed to secure a same day visa approval letter for a surcharge. Never had any problems with them although the visa collection desk at Saigon airport can get busy at times. To speed things up, I have a pdf copy of the blank visa application form that one needs to fill in on arrival.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Do they still take up a whole page in your passport for this pre-approved visa?

[bobbyd1]

I have applied for 10 Vietnamese visas through an online Vietnamese travel agency since 2005, I apply online and pay via their secure website one day and the official visa approval letter is emailed back to me the following day. They have also on a couple of instances managed to secure a same day visa approval letter for a surcharge. Never had any problems with them although the visa collection desk at Saigon airport can get busy at times. To speed things up, I have a pdf copy of the blank visa application form that one needs to fill in on arrival.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Do they still take up a whole page in your passport for this pre-approved visa?

Yes the Visa takes up one whole page in your passport. As a note, make sure your passport is not deteriorated, got challenged because my passport had been through the washing machine. Stupid me, 555

[technologybytes]

There is one big problem with the Vietnam online visa in advance. You only get a letter of permission that allows you to fly it Vietnam, then you have to wait for sometimes over an hour whilst the actual visa is prepared and placed in your passport. In this time you still have not passed through passport control and are unable to pick up your luggage, by the time you get through and to your luggage carousel your luggage has been removed and just left lying around.. it's not worth the stress, better to get a real visa in your passport before you travel if you can... unless you are traveling with just hand luggage.

[shaurene]

There is one big problem with the Vietnam online visa in advance. You only get a letter of permission that allows you to fly it Vietnam, then you have to wait for sometimes over an hour whilst the actual visa is prepared and placed in your passport. In this time you still have not passed through passport control and are unable to pick up your luggage, by the time you get through and to your luggage carousel your luggage has been removed and just left lying around.. it's not worth the stress, better to get a real visa in your passport before you travel if you can... unless you are traveling with just hand luggage.

I have an APEC card as I am from New Zealand which is part of the Asia Pacific group and I do not need a visa for over 20 Asia country's and I get 90 days all the time. Australia is part of the Group and you apply at the Labour department, you need to have a business in your country to do with international trading, exporting/importing.

[theduderule]

Used it a couple of times. The other option ofcourse is to travel to your closes Vietnamese Embassy- drop up your passport with appliction and travel back the next day to collect it. The pre approved letter is worth the $15-20. Unless you believe your luggage will be less safe when removed from the carousel than it would be when out of sight while loading unloading.

[Catmatix]

It is not the same.

You use a Vietnam visa agency (Google it) and pay a fee. They get the approval and send you a letter with names of people arriving that day - your name will be on. Complete the visa application and take everything to the visa desk at Hanoi/Saigon where you pay your $45, hang around for about 15 mins and get your visa.

VERY good advice this. Also, for this specific company I opted to pay a tad more for 'assistance'. Oh boy, it worked like a charm! It was so easy and painless I was left quite perturbed, somewhat deflated and suspicious! After the initial shock had passed, I decided that for once the unexpected turned out well!

[bangkokrick]

I have used this service numerous times and its very efficient. I even got a business visa this way.

http://www.vietnamvisacorp.com/faqs/how-vietnam-visa-works.html?gclid=CIm9gZ3V4LkCFatV4godxTkA7w

[lekatai]

With regards to the last poster but 1.I live in Vietnam and have done so for 3+ years,before that we lived in Thailand 4+ years and Cambodia 1+ year.In my view Vietnam is catching up rapidly with Thailand in respect of infrastructure and amenities,and in a few years will be far ahead.it's hardly surprising that in the 60's,after years of war,the country was in a poor state,but,wherever you go now,there are road improvements,new bridges,ports and airports,as well as golf courses,marina's,hotels and condo developments .I think Vietnam now has 9 International airports.Tourism has started to take off,it's much cheaper in Vietnam for hotels and entertainment,and there are some exceptionally beautiful areas of the country.There are some downsides-English is not widely spoken outside the major tourist sites,and Vietnamese people can sometimes be rather abrupt,but generally speaking it is by far the best of the three countries we have lived in,taking everything into account.Well worth visiting

Edited September 23, 2013 by lekatai

[Sydebolle]

I have applied for 10 Vietnamese visas through an online Vietnamese travel agency since 2005, I apply online and pay via their secure website one day and the official visa approval letter is emailed back to me the following day. They have also on a couple of instances managed to secure a same day visa approval letter for a surcharge. Never had any problems with them although the visa collection desk at Saigon airport can get busy at times. To speed things up, I have a pdf copy of the blank visa application form that one needs to fill in on arrival.

Thanks for your posting. Could you name/URL the agency you're using and could you email me the blank visa application PDF to ****emailed removed, please PM***

Thanks in advance for all!

Edited September 24, 2013 by sbk
email removed

[seasia]

With regards to the last poster but 1.I live in Vietnam and have done so for 3+ years,before that we lived in Thailand 4+ years and Cambodia 1+ year.In my view Vietnam is catching up rapidly with Thailand in respect of infrastructure and amenities,and in a few years will be far ahead.it's hardly surprising that in the 60's,after years of war,the country was in a poor state,but,wherever you go now,there are road improvements,new bridges,ports and airports,as well as golf courses,marina's,hotels and condo developments .I think Vietnam now has 9 International airports.Tourism has started to take off,it's much cheaper in Vietnam for hotels and entertainment,and there are some exceptionally beautiful areas of the country.There are some downsides-English is not widely spoken outside the major tourist sites,and Vietnamese people can sometimes be rather abrupt,but generally speaking it is by far the best of the three countries we have lived in,taking everything into account.Well worth visiting

Hi

Thanks for your useful posts.

I live in Thailand, have never been to Vietnam and looking on line was considering Da Nang for a 5 or 6 day visit next January.

Have you been there?

If it is suitable for some day time sightseeing then out in the evening for a nice meal( preferably international/continental ) followed by a beer or two, I`d likely be more than happy.

Difficult question I know but if you`ve been would appreciate your thoughts.

[NanLaew]

There is one big problem with the Vietnam online visa in advance. You only get a letter of permission that allows you to fly it Vietnam, then you have to wait for sometimes over an hour whilst the actual visa is prepared and placed in your passport. In this time you still have not passed through passport control and are unable to pick up your luggage, by the time you get through and to your luggage carousel your luggage has been removed and just left lying around.. it's not worth the stress, better to get a real visa in your passport before you travel if you can... unless you are traveling with just hand luggage.

Out of my 10 or so visa's on arrival, the longest I ever had to wait was about 20 minutes as there was a fair sized line up at the Visa On Arrival window. That's when I started filling out the application form on the plane BEFORE getting there. The problem is all the less savvy and totally clueless travelers that hover around the window waiting for their visa instead of sitting down and waiting for their name to be called. There's usually some travelers that have no passport photo or didn't bring US$ which is the EASIEST thing to do and that can slow things down too. Usually it's less than 10 minutes. I have never had an issue with my checked bags being "just left lying around". When the carousel was cleared, my bags were waiting beside that carousel.

The visa sticker is a 1-page affair but the VN passport stampers are like (most) of the ones at Suvarnabhumi in that they economize on stamping and you can get up to 4 entry/exit stamps on the facing page.

The Vietnam visa on arrival is only as stressful as you want it to be. I think it is a whole lot less stressful than getting in line at the Bangkok Embassy two days running.

[NanLaew]

I have applied for 10 Vietnamese visas through an online Vietnamese travel agency since 2005, I apply online and pay via their secure website one day and the official visa approval letter is emailed back to me the following day. They have also on a couple of instances managed to secure a same day visa approval letter for a surcharge. Never had any problems with them although the visa collection desk at Saigon airport can get busy at times. To speed things up, I have a pdf copy of the blank visa application form that one needs to fill in on arrival.

Thanks for your posting. Could you name/URL the agency you're using and could you email me the blank visa application PDF to

Thanks in advance for all!

Here's the blank form if anyone else wants it.

VN VOA application form.pdf

The mods will be taking out your email address shortly (forum rules).

I PM'd you with the agency contact info.

Edited September 24, 2013 by sbk

[ESCAPIS]

is there a vietnamese embassy in bkk where one could get a visa stamped and avoid the loitering routine at a border cross?

[lekatai]

With regards to the last poster but 1.I live in Vietnam and have done so for 3+ years,before that we lived in Thailand 4+ years and Cambodia 1+ year.In my view Vietnam is catching up rapidly with Thailand in respect of infrastructure and amenities,and in a few years will be far ahead.it's hardly surprising that in the 60's,after years of war,the country was in a poor state,but,wherever you go now,there are road improvements,new bridges,ports and airports,as well as golf courses,marina's,hotels and condo developments .I think Vietnam now has 9 International airports.Tourism has started to take off,it's much cheaper in Vietnam for hotels and entertainment,and there are some exceptionally beautiful areas of the country.There are some downsides-English is not widely spoken outside the major tourist sites,and Vietnamese people can sometimes be rather abrupt,but generally speaking it is by far the best of the three countries we have lived in,taking everything into account.Well worth visiting

Edit:- just noticed you said you were thinking of going in January-be aware that Tet (Vietnamese/Chinese New Year) is at the end of Jan 2014.Travel around this time,and for quite some time before and after can be difficult and expensive,as millions of people travel to Vietnam and move internally during this period.If you are going then it's essential to book transport and preferably hotels in advance,as many places are fully booked months in advance.

Hi

Thanks for your useful posts.

I live in Thailand, have never been to Vietnam and looking on line was considering Da Nang for a 5 or 6 day visit next January.

Have you been there?

If it is suitable for some day time sightseeing then out in the evening for a nice meal( preferably international/continental ) followed by a beer or two, I`d likely be more than happy.

Difficult question I know but if you`ve been would appreciate your thoughts.

Yes I have been to Da Nang by train ,but not actually stayed there,we went there in order to go to Hoi An,which is not on the train line.Hoi An is definitely worth visiting,it's full of old buildings,there are some good cheap (c 15-20USD) hotels,and some great bars and restaurants.It's about 40 minutes from Da Nang by taxi (c12-15USD) The only downside of Hoi An is that it is very touristy,and it can occasionally be annoying to be pestered to buy shoes/clothes etc etc,but a polite "NO" usually suffices.But,because there are so many hotels.restaurants etc it's actually quite cheap to go there

Edited September 23, 2013 by lekatai

[khaowong1]

With regards to the last poster but 1.I live in Vietnam and have done so for 3+ years,before that we lived in Thailand 4+ years and Cambodia 1+ year.In my view Vietnam is catching up rapidly with Thailand in respect of infrastructure and amenities,and in a few years will be far ahead.it's hardly surprising that in the 60's,after years of war,the country was in a poor state,but,wherever you go now,there are road improvements,new bridges,ports and airports,as well as golf courses,marina's,hotels and condo developments .I think Vietnam now has 9 International airports.Tourism has started to take off,it's much cheaper in Vietnam for hotels and entertainment,and there are some exceptionally beautiful areas of the country.There are some downsides-English is not widely spoken outside the major tourist sites,and Vietnamese people can sometimes be rather abrupt,but generally speaking it is by far the best of the three countries we have lived in,taking everything into account.Well worth visiting

Thanks Lekatai, I've heard similar things. And I still speak better Vietnamese than Thai. I go to Vietnamese restaurants in the US to practice.

[Konini]

I have applied for 10 Vietnamese visas through an online Vietnamese travel agency since 2005, I apply online and pay via their secure website one day and the official visa approval letter is emailed back to me the following day. They have also on a couple of instances managed to secure a same day visa approval letter for a surcharge. Never had any problems with them although the visa collection desk at Saigon airport can get busy at times. To speed things up, I have a pdf copy of the blank visa application form that one needs to fill in on arrival.

Thanks for your posting. Could you name/URL the agency you're using and could you email me the blank visa application PDF

Thanks in advance for all!

Here's the blank form if anyone else wants it.

VN VOA application form.pdf

The mods will be taking out your email address shortly (forum rules).

I PM'd you with the agency contact info.

It's really, REALLY worth having this form, as you will have the advantage of being one of the first in line with the completed form whilst everyone else is scribbling - we spent well over an hour after arriving on a full plane to Da Nang. Having the US dollars to pay for the visa is important.

[onthemoon]

is there a vietnamese embassy in bkk where one could get a visa stamped and avoid the loitering routine at a border cross?

Yes, of course there is a Vietnam Embassy in Bangkok. See here.

Edited September 24, 2013 by onthemoon