Double entry tourist visa in Hanoi, Vietnam. Report

[Maddick]

I have a russian passport, with one single entry tourist visa with 30 day extension, plus one entry without a visa right before that.

Applied on Monday, June 30, 2014 in Hanoi. Asked for double entry. Provided all the plane tickets Hanoi - Bangkok - Kuala Lumpur - Bangkok - Kuala Lumpur. Paid $80 in US dollars, as they dont accept any other currency, which I find weird.

I was at the embassy around 10.30, there were 2 other people, so basically it was empty.

No questions was asked. Next day I picked up my passport with a double entry visa.

Again at the Suvarnabhumi Airport, no questions asked by the immigration officer. People were worried if they require to show cash upon entry - didnt happen. Also it was one of the first days when customs started to collect fees for anything more expensive than 10000 Baht in your luggage. No one asked me to show what was in my backpack. I didnt have check in luggage.

[Tomtomtom69]

Interesting that they don't accept VND, which is the national currency. The reason I find it weird is because the Vietnamese government has successfully stopped USD from being used for nearly every other transaction, except in the most touristy areas where travel agencies, restaurants etc. simply take your USD and exchange them for dong as a convenience to tourists.

However, unlike 10 years ago, petrol stations, supermarkets and many other businesses can not accept USD anymore. Even banks will only sell USD if you have proof of going abroad (such as airline tickets and deposits for university fees abroad etc., merely stating that you plan on going to Cambodia is not enough.) Moneychangers of course don't need any documents and will happily sell you some because ATMs only dispense Dong.

Thanks for the heads up should I ever find myself needing to apply for a Thai visa in Vietnam, because I haven't used USD in Vietnam for years and normally don't bring any except leftovers from Cambodia. Although it's easy to just go down to a moneychanger if you bring the wrong currency, last time in Cambodia I spent about an hour trying to exchange my Chinese Yuan before I had enough USD to come back to pay for my Vietnamese visa. Almost didn't make it back before lunch time but since I didn't know how much the visa fees were going to be (they had increased not long before I applied) I didn't bring enough cash and that's the only form of payment accepted.

[paz]

Interesting that they don't accept VND, which is the national currency. The reason I find it weird is because the Vietnamese government has successfully stopped USD from being used for nearly every other transaction, except in the most touristy areas where travel agencies, restaurants etc. simply take your USD and exchange them for dong as a convenience to tourists.

However, unlike 10 years ago, petrol stations, supermarkets and many other businesses can not accept USD anymore. Even banks will only sell USD if you have proof of going abroad (such as airline tickets and deposits for university fees abroad etc., merely stating that you plan on going to Cambodia is not enough.) Moneychangers of course don't need any documents and will happily sell you some because ATMs only dispense Dong.

Thanks for the heads up should I ever find myself needing to apply for a Thai visa in Vietnam, because I haven't used USD in Vietnam for years and normally don't bring any except leftovers from Cambodia. Although it's easy to just go down to a moneychanger if you bring the wrong currency, last time in Cambodia I spent about an hour trying to exchange my Chinese Yuan before I had enough USD to come back to pay for my Vietnamese visa. Almost didn't make it back before lunch time but since I didn't know how much the visa fees were going to be (they had increased not long before I applied) I didn't bring enough cash and that's the only form of payment accepted.

Thai consulate is a very different thing from the local gov.t

Every time a gov.t limits purchase of foreign currency, that means there is a big spread between official and grey/black market rate. And that the local currency is prone to devaluation in a very short time.

In these conditions any smart business or organization will try to protect their interest, getting paid in USD whenever possible.

VND has bee relatively stable since 2011, but there is no guarantee it will continue like that.

http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&to=VND&view=10Y

[John1thru10]

Wait a minute....there is now a fee for anything worth more than 1,000 baht in your luggage? What is that?

If you have a laptop, or a telephone, or any item other than your underwear, you have to pay them a fee now? What is the fee?

[transam]

Wait a minute....there is now a fee for anything worth more than 1,000 baht in your luggage? What is that?

If you have a laptop, or a telephone, or any item other than your underwear, you have to pay them a fee now? What is the fee?

10,000

[Maddick]

Wait a minute....there is now a fee for anything worth more than 1,000 baht in your luggage? What is that?

If you have a laptop, or a telephone, or any item other than your underwear, you have to pay them a fee now? What is the fee?

10,000 baht. Not sure if you will need to pay for your own laptop. I guess it will be at the discretion of the officer.

[Maddick]

I got USD before travelling to Vietnam, so I dont know how easy it is to get USD in Vietnam. However my hotel charged me in USD, and I even payed with my credit card in USD (the bill was also in USD). Seems like USD is a valid currency in Vietnam.

[AYJAYDEE]

Wait a minute....there is now a fee for anything worth more than 1,000 baht in your luggage? What is that?

If you have a laptop, or a telephone, or any item other than your underwear, you have to pay them a fee now? What is the fee?

10,000 baht. Not sure if you will need to pay for your own laptop. I guess it will be at the discretion of the officer.

that would cost virtually EVERY tourist to thailand just on their cameras alone. are u sure about this?

[stevenl]

Wait a minute....there is now a fee for anything worth more than 1,000 baht in your luggage? What is that?

If you have a laptop, or a telephone, or any item other than your underwear, you have to pay them a fee now? What is the fee?

No, there is not.

[theoldgit]

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[rumbo1]

I must of arrived on a bad day !

I am a uk passport holder and when I applied for a double entry tourist visa on 19/06/2014 at Hanoi they would only issue me a 60 day single entry

[Maddick]

I must of arrived on a bad day !

I am a uk passport holder and when I applied for a double entry tourist visa on 19/06/2014 at Hanoi they would only issue me a 60 day single entry

I had my 4 air tickets to and from bangkok ready, so they wouldnt have any questions.

[Maestro]

Removed an off topic post.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[jackspade]

I'm thinking of going to Hanoi, Jan 15 - 18, to get a Double entry tourist visa for my return back to BKK, where I've been living and working for 1 year on tourist visas.

I currently have 2 Thai double entry tourist visas in my passport, along with 2 Cambodia visas and 2 Laos visas. Do you think I'll run into any problems going to Hanoi for my Double entry and flying back in through Don Mueang?

Edited December 22, 2014 by jackspade

[IMA_FARANG]

The Thai consulate in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh don't want to accept Vietnamese Dong for visas .... not because of any policy of the Vietnamese government, but because the Vietnamese dong is almost unusable outside of Vietnam.

You will find it very difficult to exchange Vietnamese dong anywhere in Thailand. and Thai baht is basically useless in Vietnam.

When traveling to Vietnam, always convert your Baht cash into Dollars, Pounds, or Euro before you leave.

If you have leftover Dong before you leave Vietnam , either spend it or convert it to one of those three currencies.

If you carry Vietnamese Dong back to Thailand, just throw it away. It's almost impossible to convert it to Baht.

[tookwan cottage]

Love threads like this, as they are purely composed of useful information. Thanks guys.

[bigt116]

Interesting that they don't accept VND, which is the national currency. The reason I find it weird is because the Vietnamese government has successfully stopped USD from being used for nearly every other transaction, except in the most touristy areas where travel agencies, restaurants etc. simply take your USD and exchange them for dong as a convenience to tourists.

However, unlike 10 years ago, petrol stations, supermarkets and many other businesses can not accept USD anymore. Even banks will only sell USD if you have proof of going abroad (such as airline tickets and deposits for university fees abroad etc., merely stating that you plan on going to Cambodia is not enough.) Moneychangers of course don't need any documents and will happily sell you some because ATMs only dispense Dong.

Thanks for the heads up should I ever find myself needing to apply for a Thai visa in Vietnam, because I haven't used USD in Vietnam for years and normally don't bring any except leftovers from Cambodia. Although it's easy to just go down to a moneychanger if you bring the wrong currency, last time in Cambodia I spent about an hour trying to exchange my Chinese Yuan before I had enough USD to come back to pay for my Vietnamese visa. Almost didn't make it back before lunch time but since I didn't know how much the visa fees were going to be (they had increased not long before I applied) I didn't bring enough cash and that's the only form of payment accepted.

You pay for your visa at the airport in USD !

[Tomtomtom69]

I got USD before travelling to Vietnam, so I dont know how easy it is to get USD in Vietnam. However my hotel charged me in USD, and I even payed with my credit card in USD (the bill was also in USD). Seems like USD is a valid currency in Vietnam.

It isn't anymore. The hotel did you a favor and are probably accepting USD discreetly, but aren't really supposed to be. However, I've noticed more and more businesses charging credit card transactions directly in Dong - some years ago all transactions were in hard currencies usually USD. Some give you a choice between the two, I don't mind either but usually choose Dong if the option is given to me. I was very surprised when a government hotel I stayed at recently charged my credit card directly in USD, which is something I haven't seen in Vietnam for years, but I guess it depends on the merchant. However, restaurant chains like Pizza Hut, supermarkets etc. are unable to charge your credit/debit card in USD anymore - all transactions must be made in Dong.

Anyway, as I've stated before, try buying USD at a bank in Vietnam. You'll need a heap of paperwork and may not be successful. Only money changers can realistically sell you foreign currency.

10 years ago everything was in dollars in Vietnam, but there's been a big turnaround made by the government.

[bkkflyer]

The Thai consulate in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh don't want to accept Vietnamese Dong for visas .... not because of any policy of the Vietnamese government, but because the Vietnamese dong is almost unusable outside of Vietnam.

You will find it very difficult to exchange Vietnamese dong anywhere in Thailand. and Thai baht is basically useless in Vietnam.

When traveling to Vietnam, always convert your Baht cash into Dollars, Pounds, or Euro before you leave.

If you have leftover Dong before you leave Vietnam , either spend it or convert it to one of those three currencies.

If you carry Vietnamese Dong back to Thailand, just throw it away. It's almost impossible to convert it to Baht.

Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? Would love to buy Dong at the "right price". I see Superrich is buying and selling them at a quite tight spread.

[paz]

It isn't anymore. The hotel did you a favor and are probably accepting USD discreetly, but aren't really supposed to be. However, I've noticed more and more businesses charging credit card transactions directly in Dong - some years ago all transactions were in hard currencies usually USD. Some give you a choice between the two, I don't mind either but usually choose Dong if the option is given to me. I was very surprised when a government hotel I stayed at recently charged my credit card directly in USD, which is something I haven't seen in Vietnam for years, but I guess it depends on the merchant. However, restaurant chains like Pizza Hut, supermarkets etc. are unable to charge your credit/debit card in USD anymore - all transactions must be made in Dong.

When you are billed in USD or whatever the native currency of your credit card, that is done with DCC or CPC

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_currency_conversion

Basically you're overcharged of 3 - 5% over normal Visa or MC conversion rates.

[CaptainS]

Please note the embassy in Hanoi moved beginning of this month.

When you search Google Maps for "Thai embassy Hanoi" it should show you the updated address already.

Please note there are two entrances to the building, only one of them is open, if your one is closed just walk around the corner to the other road. The closed one also got a guard, but he had no idea when I asked him for the Thai embassy

If you use the address in the below document, it will (should) get you to the right way anyhow. Just in case you use the position on google maps you may end up at the wrong side, just like me. I hope they later will install a sign there showing the right way.

[Maestro]

Is this the entrance you used:

Image source: https://www.google.com/maps/views/view/114673305763612590303/gphoto/6135649536842468546?gl=sg

[Fatman666]

walk to the corner, go left side in LY THUONG KIET street, about 30 meters on the left side is the entrance. Easy to find.

As a tip: opposite the embassy on the corner of LY THOUNG KIET street is a offical VIET JET AIR office, where u can buy cheap flight tickets.

Edited July 3, 2015 by Fatman666

[Leunig]

Please note the embassy in Hanoi moved beginning of this month.

When you search Google Maps for "Thai embassy Hanoi" it should show you the updated address already.

Please note there are two entrances to the building, only one of them is open, if your one is closed just walk around the corner to the other road. The closed one also got a guard, but he had no idea when I asked him for the Thai embassy

If you use the address in the below document, it will (should) get you to the right way anyhow. Just in case you use the position on google maps you may end up at the wrong side, just like me. I hope they later will install a sign there showing the right way.

By way of update:

After reading these posts, I changed Dong into USD at the 'gold store' at 27-29 Ha Trung. The rate was 22,425 VND - which is the current rate, so no complaints, no hassle and no haggling required.

I arrived at the Thai Embassy 08:30 to see the sign said Vias 9am-12pm, but a lady working there arrived at same time and let me in, gave me the form, and said I needed BOTH a copy of my flight INTO Thailand, as well as my flight out of Thailand.

I printed these documents at a little Photo Copy shop on Duong Le Duan - turn left out of embassy onto Ly Thuong Keit, then turn right at the end, the Mecure hotel is on the corner, and just past it is a tiny photo-copy shop which has Internet, computers etc to print docs cheap (5,000VND).

I submitted the copies of both flights, along with 1 passport photo, passport, application form and US$40 cash. I was given a receipt and told to come back at 4pm the next day. It was 9am when I left.

I returned just after 3PM the next day and collected my passport with new 60 day visa.