Hope someone can help, I've asked all over and I'm struggling for a decent answer.

I'm a UK citizen and will be taking 3 Thai citizens to Hanoi for a 7 day break, departing/returning by way of Bangkok.

I know we are all visa exempt but the hotel we are staying at in Hanoi has sent me an attachment headed " Application for Visa" and they state we must each provide 2 passport sized photo's and the completed forms when we enter.

I was hoping it would be just a matter of landing, getting a stamp In our passports and then straight through.

If it is true what he say's i'd like to get it all done up front but I don't want to bugger about doing all that if it's not required.

So, can anyone enlighten me to what actually happens for "Visa Exempt" tourists at the airport in Hanoi?

 

Upon landing at Hanoi as a UK citizen you should be stamped in visa exempt for 15 days.  Your Thai companions should be stamped in visa exempt for 30 days.  None of you need to apply for a visa.  I can only imagine the hotel is overlooking the citizenship status of the people in your party, or in an abundance of caution is raising the issue by sending you the application form and relying on you to determine whether you need to make the application or not (just easier to send the application form to all foreigners and let them figure out for themselves whether they need to use it or not).

 

I have visited Hanoi as a US citizen and of course was not eligible for visa exempt entry so had to arrange for a visa, which I did through an online agency.  I don't believe you or your party should have to do this.  Since I'm not a UK or Thai citizen I can't confirm what happens in Hanoi for someone who qualifies for visa exempt entry, but logically it should be similar to what happens in Thailand for a visa exempt entry, that is, you fill in an arrival form and submit to the immigration officers with your passport and you get stamped in.

There's no arrival forms required in VN.