Tips for getting Vietnam visa

According to Immigration Department policy, almost all people coming to Vietnam as foreigners are required to have visa. The below provided tips are aimed at helping travelers with easy steps and important notices of getting visa for Vietnam.

1. Getting Vietnam embassy visa

In fact, Vietnam visa requirements and visa fee are various from different Vietnam embassies. Thus, before going to embassy and request your visa, foreigners are recommended to contact embassy in advance to get exact fee quotation, basic documents and other necessary information. In addition, according to the feedback of many foreigners, procedure to get visa at Embassy of Vietnam will be faster in case applicants apply online for Vietnam visa approval code in advance. This is an electronic document issued by Vietnam Immigration Department that approves foreigners to get visa stamped at the Embassy.

However, in some Southeast Asian countries such as China, Laos, Cambodia, the process of getting a Vietnam visa is very quick and convenient without visa approval code. Therefore, if you plan to enter Vietnam by bus, train or ship and depart from those countries, applying for Vietnam visa at Vietnam embassy directly is strongly suggested.  

The working schedule of Vietnam embassy in different countries is from Monday to Friday except Vietnamese national holidays. Thus, you should avoid visiting the embassy on these days and on weekend.   

2. Getting Vietnam visa on arrival

Appling for Vietnam visa on arrival, foreigners can pick up your visa at any Vietnam international airport without spending time sourcing and visiting Vietnam embassy. In addition, procedure to get this visa types does not require any original documents. Thus, travelers should apply for this visa type instead of applying at Vietnam embassy if you travel to Vietnam by plane.  Procedure to get visa on arrival includes 2 main steps namely applying online for Vietnam visa approval letter and stamping Vietnam visa at Vietnam airport.

Firstly, when applying online for Vietnam visa approval letter, applicants should take a few notices below:

• All information you fill in Vietnam visa application online should be identical as shown in your passport
• For those cases of applying for 1 month multiple Vietnam visa, a message about staying duration should be left if you just want to stay in Vietnam less than 29 days. So that you can save money for stamping visa at Vietnam airport.
• For step of completing visa approval fee, you should choose to pay fee by credit card. By this way, your payment will be sent to visa agent sooner, and you visa request can be processed sooner.

Then when you receive Vietnam visa approval letter already, you should prepare a printed copy of the letter. A black and white copy is acceptable. When your flight lands at Vietnam international airport, you should follow direction of staff working at the airport to go to “Vietnam visa on arrival counter” or “landing Vietnam visa”. There, you should present your original passport, Vietnam visa approval letter, a completed application for entry and exit Vietnam form, photos and money to staff in charge and then get your Vietnam visa stamped onto passport.  After completing all stamping procedure, you can get your passport back and leave airport to visit the city. 

For airway travelers, especially people travelling with children, pregnant or a group, using SSS-stamping support service is highly advised.

Notices:

For both getting visa at Vietnam Embassy and getting visa on arrival, you should make out a clear travel plan before starting to apply for Vietnam visa. Your plan should be well made with such important items such as estimated arrival date and staying duration in Vietnam. Normally, the best time to apply for Vietnam visa is about 2 weeks before your arrival date to avoid unwanted troubles.

Before applying for Vietnam visa, please make sure that you have a passport which has 6 months validity and 2 blank pages at least. 

In conclusion, with recent positive changes of Vietnam immigration policy, applying for Vietnam visa now is easier than before. Especially for airway travelers, getting Vietnam visa on arrival is highly recommended. Because getting this visa type is very convenient, time-saving and economical. It also can be considered as the cheapest and simplest method to obtain visa to Vietnam.  

For further information about tips for getting Vietnam visa, please send an email to support@evietnamvisa.com or make a call to hotline number (+84 943 25 25 52). We will assist you at our best.