Hi there,

I have a Swedish passport. Previous stamps: Transferred ED visa (used) and double entry tourist visa (expires soon). There are no red or blue warning stamps in this passport.

Is it possible to get a single entry visa in Ho Chi Minh City now?

Would they ask me for additional documents such as bank statements, ticket out and in of Thailand and so on? If they do, would a bus ticket suffice or would it have to be a flight ticket?

BP

I hope so I am going to HCMC May 10th to get a SETV and look around for a couple

of weeks. There was a report a couple of weeks back of someone being denied but

I am hopeful that whatever the issues were will have been sorted out.

See the HMC website for their requirements.

http://www.thaiembassy.org/hochiminh/en/services/33685-Tourist-Visa.html

There was a recent report of refusal (the official refused to even accept the application), so if you intend to apply at HCMC, have a backup plan in place.

I checked the website already, but I wonder if they strictly ask for all documents in general at the embassy in Ho Chi Minh City?

Compared to Thailand Vietnamese tourist or business visas are easy to get. Just depends how long you want to stay. One month or three months? Both are easily obtainable at your local Vietnamese Embassy. Vietnam makes you feel welcome. I have resisted getting married so I cannot get a Marriage Visa which is the ultimate. I am resident in Vietnam for and 10 years and I just come and go to and from BKK to renew my 3 month multiple visa. Many expats work as teachers and can get a work visa organised by their employer.

Check out this link

http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/life-in-vietnam-a-lark-say-expats-58934.html

Compared to Thailand Vietnamese tourist or business visas are easy to get. Just depends how long you want to stay. One month or three months? Both are easily obtainable at your local Vietnamese Embassy. Vietnam makes you feel welcome. I have resisted getting married so I cannot get a Marriage Visa which is the ultimate. I am resident in Vietnam for and 10 years and I just come and go to and from BKK to renew my 3 month multiple visa. Many expats work as teachers and can get a work visa organised by their employer.

Check out this link

http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/life-in-vietnam-a-lark-say-expats-58934.html

Thanks. I was actually asking about applying for a visa to Thailand in Saigon. BUT, what you're saying is interesting too : ) I would be happy to spend some time over in Hanoi or Saigon some time so that information might come in handy one day.

Compared to Thailand Vietnamese tourist or business visas are easy to get. Just depends how long you want to stay. One month or three months? Both are easily obtainable at your local Vietnamese Embassy. Vietnam makes you feel welcome. I have resisted getting married so I cannot get a Marriage Visa which is the ultimate. I am resident in Vietnam for and 10 years and I just come and go to and from BKK to renew my 3 month multiple visa. Many expats work as teachers and can get a work visa organised by their employer.

Check out this link

http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/life-in-vietnam-a-lark-say-expats-58934.html

The link you posted was interesting too. Makes me want to go to Saigon and check it out. Maybe I will, if I go to Phnom Penh anyway it's not so far to go to Saigon before heading back.

As Swedish you can go to Vietnam without visa for 15 days to check it out. Last year they changed the rules so now more countries can do that, but when I went there 2014 only 17 countries (ASEAN and the Nordic countries, Russia and China) didn't need a visa.

At least Hanoi and Ho Chi Min are more (much more) expensive than Thailand, I bought souvenirs "made in Vietnam" in Hanoi for 2$ (70Baht), I found the same souvenirs in Jatu Jak for 20Baht! Also food is more expensive, street food that would cost 25-30Baht in BKK is about 100Baht in Hanoi.
On the other hand is Vietnamese food and beer is much more tasty than Thai food, at least according to my taste buds!

I checked the website already, but I wonder if they strictly ask for all documents in general at the embassy in Ho Chi Minh City?

------------------

I have been to HCMC 4 times in the last 3 years.

However, I have never applied for a single entry Thai tourist visa there.

On t their website they say they will require a ticket out of Thailand to issue you a SETV.

Hanoi has the same requirement on their website also, but I don't know if either Thai consulate actually requires it or not.

I don't drink beer but I would like to see Saigon some day, or at least try to find something specific that I would like there.

IMA_FARANG, yes that's the question. You never know what is really applied. Or, you have to make some extra research to find out.

The HCMC and Hanoi consulates are quiet and not unpleasant. You can get an SETV there if you have not had one from there before. You need to show onward travel out of Thailand. If you have previous tourist visas, expect to be warned that immigration are cracking down on people spending too much time in Thailand on tourist visas and you could be denied entry. I think all the consulates are being told to tell you that.

I don't think so, I have recently been denied there with all proper paperwork, and I have heard reports of most people being denied as well. Hanoi, on the other hand, is a breeze.

The HCMC and Hanoi consulates are quiet and not unpleasant. You can get an SETV there if you have not had one from there before. You need to show onward travel out of Thailand. If you have previous tourist visas, expect to be warned that immigration are cracking down on people spending too much time in Thailand on tourist visas and you could be denied entry. I think all the consulates are being told to tell you that.

They are being told to give us a warning?

The HCMC and Hanoi consulates are quiet and not unpleasant. You can get an SETV there if you have not had one from there before. You need to show onward travel out of Thailand. If you have previous tourist visas, expect to be warned that immigration are cracking down on people spending too much time in Thailand on tourist visas and you could be denied entry. I think all the consulates are being told to tell you that.

They are being told to give us a warning?

That is my impression, yes. While not officially announced, I think there is a move to restrict long-term stay on tourist visas. We can speculate why. I think the immigration computers are also programmed to flag frequent entries on tourist visas, frequent visa exempt entries and frequent extensions. Whether legitimate long-term tourists will actually be denied entry we will have to wait and see.