Hello, I live in Thailand and on 1 year retirement status. I would like to go visit Viet Nam for a week. What is the process. I have a valid US passport current and up today with 10 years left on it and lots of pages.

Would be happy for any insight.

Thanks

First of all, you need to visit your Immigration Office in Thailand and get a (so called) Re-Entry Permit. If you don't get one, when you come back you will only get 15-30 days and have to start new with your Extension of stay based on Retirement.

After you have done that, you get a Visa for Vietnam.

For more info about the visa for Vietnam, read here: https://vietnamvisa.govt.vn/united-states-citizens/

Don't waste your time going to immigration for reentry permit. Cheapest flights to Vietnam are generally air asia fly out if Don Mueang. There is office just on other side of immigration and you hand in your form.with photo. Think it's 1000baht for single entry. 3800 multiple .

Some passport holders can have visa exempt stamp. UK gets 15day. Not sure about USA. Check embassy page.

If required you need to obtain letter from embassy. This is done online for about $16USD . Takes 48 hours.

At airport you hand in another form with appropriate

Just checked. Yes USA passport holders require visa. You can download the form for reentry permit and visa on arrival to Vietnam from.web..

Allow and extra 20/30 minutes at airport for your reentry permit.

If you wish you can pm for visa mob I use online. Used them many times. Good

BTW if you forget forms or photo don't panic. At the airport they care of filling in form etc for 200b. In Vietnam they will provide photo for $5usd.

Don't waste your time going to immigration for reentry permit. Cheapest flights to Vietnam are generally air asia fly out if Don Mueang. There is office just on other side of immigration and you hand in your form.with photo. Think it's 1000baht for single entry. 3800 multiple .

Some passport holders can have visa exempt stamp. UK gets 15day. Not sure about USA. Check embassy page.

If required you need to obtain letter from embassy. This is done online for about $16USD . Takes 48 hours.

At airport you hand in another form with appropriate

Cheapest flights to Vietnam are virtually NEVER Air Asia, cheapest flights to Vietnam are in 99% of the cases NOK AIR, and even VietJet and Jetstar are usually cheaper than AirAsia

Don't waste your time going to immigration for reentry permit. Cheapest flights to Vietnam are generally air asia fly out if Don Mueang. There is office just on other side of immigration and you hand in your form.with photo. Think it's 1000baht for single entry. 3800 multiple .

Some passport holders can have visa exempt stamp. UK gets 15day. Not sure about USA. Check embassy page.

If required you need to obtain letter from embassy. This is done online for about $16USD . Takes 48 hours.

At airport you hand in another form with appropriate

Cheapest flights to Vietnam are virtually NEVER Air Asia, cheapest flights to Vietnam are in 99% of the cases NOK AIR, and even VietJet and Jetstar are usually cheaper than AirAsia

Say what. I fly Hcmc every 5 weeks. I do book in advance

Jetstar happen to have excellent sale on but still more expensive than air asia. Just did several searches mom air were not even close.

OP if going to travel around in Vietnam try Jetstar. Have some cheap internal flights.

Don't waste your time going to immigration for reentry permit. Cheapest flights to Vietnam are generally air asia fly out if Don Mueang. There is office just on other side of immigration and you hand in your form.with photo. Think it's 1000baht for single entry. 3800 multiple .

Some passport holders can have visa exempt stamp. UK gets 15day. Not sure about USA. Check embassy page.

If required you need to obtain letter from embassy. This is done online for about $16USD . Takes 48 hours.

At airport you hand in another form with appropriate

Cheapest flights to Vietnam are virtually NEVER Air Asia, cheapest flights to Vietnam are in 99% of the cases NOK AIR, and even VietJet and Jetstar are usually cheaper than AirAsia

Say what. I fly Hcmc every 5 weeks. I do book in advance

I actually said NOK AIR is the cheapest, particularly if you book weeks in advance. They have promotions virtually every week.

No AirAsia flight to be had for just 1.090 or 1.190, if you check in luggage.

NOK AIR offers all-inclusive fares, no "convenience fee", 15 kg checked-in luggage is free, no fee for seat assignment, snack is free as well

The OP mentioned a visit. Carry on 7kg fly 13/10 return 20/10 . Airasia 2140 baht. Select 7/11 counter booking.

2270 ,all up. There were numerous other dates same price or less. Put up or shut up

The price for Nok Air is rubbish. Go to the final payment (as I have done) and it's 3500baht

Do not recommend visa on arrival at HCM. I did that last time...it was a zoo and took over an hour.

Over an hour would be rare. Your alternative is to go to embassy in bkk. Twice. How long will that take. Not to mention travel cost.

The process at Vietnam is generally 40 minutes or less

The price for Nok Air is rubbish. Go to the final payment (as I have done) and it's 3500baht

I've just booked Nok flights to HCM, 2,063 Baht each, all in.

The OP, reading between the lines, sounds like he wanted to visit Vietnam in near future. I put dates in for couple of weeks time. I personally fly Hcmc Dec 14. $1600baht return. My posts have been in reply to member that stated nok air is less than air asia 99% of time.

Do not recommend visa on arrival at HCM. I did that last time...it was a zoo and took over an hour.

Arrived in Hanoi Airport on a Saturday about two weeks ago at 9pm. Visa on arrival counter was very quiet. It took about 20 minutes to issue the visa. You hand in passport, with approval letter and one passport photo. Then take a seat in the seating area opposite the counter. There was about 5 people waiting.

When your passport is ready for pickup, a computer hollers out your name on the tanoy (PA system) and it comes-up on the screen above the counter called Payment and Visa (or something like this). That counter is on left.

Pay the fee of 45 USD at that counter and pick-up passport. I checked the passport, and there it was, Visa sticker attached. Takes one whole page of passport. Wish the sticker was attached to the next available page though rather than a random page at the back of the passport, but that's just a minor inconvenience. (not for me..but for other immigration officers and hotels...the first hotel I went to could not see the visa, so asked me where it is, then I had to show him the correct visa page on passport).

While I was waiting at the seating area, a couple of flights landed and most seem to have Vietnam passports or already have the visa, so they just went straight to the immigration counters. Yep, there were lots of counters with Immigrations officers in them.

Good report meltingpot. I just got back took me same 20 minutes. Breeze. Also you were smart to elect for letter of approval.

A number of off topic posts removed, this thread is about visas, it's not a travel blog.

If you wish to post about flights please do so on the appropriate forum.