New Vietnam Visa Policy for US Citizens

[ovenman]

Just a heads-up for any US citizens planning to visit Vietnam. The tourist visa policy for US citizens appears to have been changed on 26 August 2016. The only tourist visa that is apparently now available for US citizens is a one-year, multiple-entry visa that allows for a ninety-day stay with each entry. If you go the visa-on-arrival route, the stamping fee at the airport is $135, plus whatever your agency is charging for the pre-approval letter (going rate at most agencies is $30 from what I can see). I was previously paying $45 in visa fees for a visit to Vietnam: $20 for my pre-approval letter, $25 at the airport as a stamping fee. Under the new system, one needs to make four visits to Vietnam per year to come out ahead of the old method.

[BKKdreaming]

OUUCH , makes it not as interesting to go for a weekend trip and check it out , 

 

I  hope they put it back to the old way , and get rid of the  pre-approval letter which really is just an added money grab and not doing th country any good

[ovenman]

3 minutes ago, BKKdreaming said:

OUUCH , makes it not as interesting to go for a weekend trip and check it out , 

 

I  hope they put it back to the old way , and get rid of the  pre-approval letter which really is just an added money grab and not doing th country any good

 

This new policy doesn't make much sense given that Vietnam's stated goal when the tentative go-ahead for a one-year visa was given in 2015 was to boost tourism. Hard to see how raising the visa fee four-fold will accomplish that. Realistically, most US tourists to Vietnam are coming from the US and unlikely to be making multiple entries into VN within a year's time. IMO - The smart play would be for Vietnam to allow a fifteen-day visa exempt entry for US citizens as they have done for a number of other countries and have the one-year, multi-entry visa available for those who wish to stay in VN longer.

[IMA_FARANG]

Where did you get this info?

I went to Vietnam in June 2016, and I got a 30 day tourist visa at the Vietnamese embessy  in Bangkok.

Cost was $25 dollars for a 30 day stay and it took 3 days for visa processing.

A drop of $20 dollars from the previous $45 of 2014.

Applied on a Wednesday morning and picked up the tourist visa on Friday after 4 pm at the Vietnamese embassy here in Bangkok.

At the time all you could get in Bangkok for a Vietnam visa was a 30 day single entry tourist visa.

While in Ho Chi Minh City I picked up a Thai SETV visa for my return to Thailand from the Thai consulate in Ho Chi Minh.

I have been to Vietnam 4 times since 2012, all on Single Entry Visas from the Vietnanese embesy in Bangkok.

I am a U.S. citizen with U.S. passport.

 

 

[puchooay]

3 hours ago, IMA_FARANG said:

Where did you get this info?

I went to Vietnam in June 2016, and I got a 30 day tourist visa at the Vietnamese embessy  in Bangkok.

Cost was $25 dollars for a 30 day stay and it took 3 days for visa processing.

A drop of $20 dollars from the previous $45 of 2014.

Applied on a Wednesday morning and picked up the tourist visa on Friday after 4 pm at the Vietnamese embassy here in Bangkok.

At the time all you could get in Bangkok for a Vietnam visa was a 30 day single entry tourist visa.

While in Ho Chi Minh City I picked up a Thai SETV visa for my return to Thailand from the Thai consulate in Ho Chi Minh.

I have been to Vietnam 4 times since 2012, all on Single Entry Visas from the Vietnanese embesy in Bangkok.

I am a U.S. citizen with U.S. passport.

 

 

You went in June. The OP states a rule change in August.

[ovenman]

Not all websites are up to date but here is one that states the change pretty clearly: http://www.vietnamconsulate-sf.org/en/consular-services/visas/

 

If you look at some of the visa agency sites, you'll find that some already reflect the change and some are lagging.

[vaultdweller0013]

Its not just about tourism. Vietnam did it to make it easier for business travel as well, as the only options before were valid for 3 months at most. The US is also responsible as it was part of a new reciprocal agreement: https://vn.usembassy.gov/vietnam-extends-visa-validity-for-us-citizens/

 

The key part of the agreement is that both the US and Vietnam agreed in principle to issue max duration visa to the others citizens. Vietnam appears to be living up to this, so no more single entry visas for US citizens.

[IMA_FARANG]

I must go to the Emirates airline office in Bangkok tomorrow, for otherpersonal  business.

That is close enough to the Vietnamese consulate for me to stop off there at the consulate and see what info, if any, they have

There is a Sandwich shop near by the Vietnamese consulate in Bangkok also which has good  Organic Gluten Free bread and Vietnamese Coffee available, so I will stop  there for lunch   and then see what the Vienamese consulate knows about this.

It is possible that they have no word yet however. they may not have been officially notified yet from Hanoi.

I hope it isn;t true, I live in Bangkok but i liked to visit Ho Chi Minh or the beaches  at Vung Tau or Nha Trang occasionally during the "hot season" in Thailand.

Not really sure i would want a multi etry one year Vietnam visa anyhow.

Will have to consider that, as my pension and money comes to Thailand, not Vietnam.

I don't use those vjsa letter  on arrival places. I prefer to get my Vietnamese visa diect from the consulate if that is still posible.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 14, 2016 by IMA_FARANG

[Bredbury Blue]

Sorry to jump on this thread as a Brit. Have any of you guys used an English language -> Vietnamese language translation service near to the Vietnam Embassy BKK that you could recommend.

[keeniau96]

Not good at all for a simple one- two-week visit to VN. Pity, was thinking of a return trip (prior one was 5 years ago) with my wife.

 

[ovenman]

1 hour ago, IMA_FARANG said:

That is close enough to the Vietnamese consulate for me to stop off there at the consulate and see what info, if any, they have

 

I don't use those vjsa letter  on arrival places. I prefer to get my Vietnamese visa diect from the consulate if that is still posible.

 

Please report back as to what they say at the embassy.

 

Understood about wanting to get a visa directly from the embassy; that's just not a practical option living here in Chiang Mai. That said, I have about a dozen visa-on-arrivals for Vietnam and never had a problem obtaining one.

[yogavnture]

im totally upset. im in usa now and its totally unfair i have to pay 200 bucks to visit vietnam for a week. does anybody have any recent concrete evidence from the bangkok vietnam embassy that the one year crud is only option???????

[tutsiwarrior]

when the visa is obtained from the VN embassy in BKK how long is the validity for the first entry?...I'm in BKK now and can get one from the embassy but I don't intend to travel until after the new year and I live upcountry...anybody know? does the embassy still have the express apply am/issue pm option?

 

and yeah...$200 is steep for a visa, although good for a year and multi entry...before my employers always made the necessary arrangements...now, I'm retired and just a tourist...

[gk10002000]

On 9/13/2016 at 2:01 PM, IMA_FARANG said:

Where did you get this info?

I went to Vietnam in June 2016, and I got a 30 day tourist visa at the Vietnamese embessy  in Bangkok.

Cost was $25 dollars for a 30 day stay and it took 3 days for visa processing.

A drop of $20 dollars from the previous $45 of 2014.

Applied on a Wednesday morning and picked up the tourist visa on Friday after 4 pm at the Vietnamese embassy here in Bangkok.

At the time all you could get in Bangkok for a Vietnam visa was a 30 day single entry tourist visa.

While in Ho Chi Minh City I picked up a Thai SETV visa for my return to Thailand from the Thai consulate in Ho Chi Minh.

I have been to Vietnam 4 times since 2012, all on Single Entry Visas from the Vietnanese embesy in Bangkok.

I am a U.S. citizen with U.S. passport.

 

 

yes but it all changed in September 2016.  only one year multi entry visas for USA citizens. you can go to the viet embassy website and see

[gk10002000]

On 9/14/2016 at 0:39 AM, ovenman said:

 

Please report back as to what they say at the embassy.

 

Understood about wanting to get a visa directly from the embassy; that's just not a practical option living here in Chiang Mai. That said, I have about a dozen visa-on-arrivals for Vietnam and never had a problem obtaining one.

yes but it all changed in September 2016.  only one year multi entry visas for USA citizens. you can go to the viet embassy website and see .  apparently UK and AUS can still get the short term cheaper visa

[gk10002000]

On 9/13/2016 at 10:08 PM, vaultdweller0013 said:

Its not just about tourism. Vietnam did it to make it easier for business travel as well, as the only options before were valid for 3 months at most. The US is also responsible as it was part of a new reciprocal agreement: https://vn.usembassy.gov/vietnam-extends-visa-validity-for-us-citizens/

 

The key part of the agreement is that both the US and Vietnam agreed in principle to issue max duration visa to the others citizens. Vietnam appears to be living up to this, so no more single entry visas for US citizens.

Yes.  That is the crux of things. Frankly I don't get it.  Never mind the obvious deterrent to short term or visa on arrival or visa exempt options like Thailand has, I can't believe the USA is going to let so many vietnamese people get the multi entry visa to the USA.  They may let them apply, but I bet the USA will slow roll or scrutinize them beyond belief, or if the viet tries to actually do multi enties and come and go, he will be subjected to searches, questions for hours on what and why he is traveling in and out so much, etc. 

[IMA_FARANG]

Don't be a fool;, this new Vietnamese visa folly was set up for U.S. bussinessmen to travel to Vietnam.

In our Capitalist society bussinessmen make the rules.

And an ordinary American tourist doesn't rate for s_ _t.

Vietnam wants the bussinessmen for their money they may bring,  not a few U.S tourists with there less than $100 a day to spend.

Even in the U.S. it is a rich man"s world, and now Vietnam is catching the same disease.

I liked to leave Thailand for Songkhran each year when the fool Thais were throwing water  at each other.

Vietnam was a good place to avoid that nonsense.

Looks like next year I will have to find another country to escape to during the annual Sonkkran April  nonsense in Thailand.