Vietnam Visa (on arrival)
Posted by: Daniel Vaughan in General, tags: Vietnam, visa on arrival
Vietnam Visa
This weekend I went on a trip to Vietnam. I really enjoyed the trip but one thing I did find hard to get information on was the visa application process. Therefore I thought I would do a write up here of my experience.
As I was not keen to visit the embassy or more precisely leave my passport there for a few days while my visa was processed I decided to try one of the online “visa on arrival” services. Visa on arrival is misleading as there is no such thing in Vietnam. You can not arrive in Vietnam and then get a Visa in the airport like in Bali for example. What you have to do is apply before hand and receive a visa confirmation letter saying you have a visa waiting for you at the airport in Vietnam. You then pick the visa up at the airport. You will not be let on the plane without a visa or a visa confirmation letter.
There are many companies online that provide this service. I used one called My Vietnam Visa. Their process although a bit convoluted is quite painless. I paid $25 for my application and $3 for credit card charges. I applied on a Thursday morning and got my visa confirmation letter e-mailed back by the Monday evening.
When I arrived in Vietnam it is a bit confusing as the process is not explained but it is quite straight forward.
I went to the landing visa desk with three officials behind three windows. There were a lot of people hanging around waiting but no real queue. I approached a window and gave my passport and the printout of my visa confirmation letter both of which the official retained (I also had a landing card with me but this was not required for the visa). I was then given a form to fill out and went away to complete it. The official did not speak at all or explain anything.
When I had filled out the form I approached the window again and gave the official my completed form and one passport photo (no special size). I then took a seat and waited 5-10 minutes before my name was called.
I then approached the window a third time, paid my visa fee of US$ 25 in cash (no change available) and my passport was returned with the visa stuck inside.
I was then able to go to passport control and proceed as normal getting my passport and landing card stamped although the offical did not take the landing card.
So the total cost of the visa (up to 1 month single entry) worked out at US$53. Hope that helps 
Entries (RSS)
Fantastic report, just what I wanted to know. Thanks, Sue
Yes agree with above comment!! Quite confusing trying to find information!
Absolutely. I’ve been looking into this also and there are a few comments that these services are scams and people end up having to fly out again. But I also don’t believe that all the people that go to Vietnam each year are doing through the hassle and uncertainty of mailing out their passports to a foreign embassy. So it’s good to hear a first hand account. Thanks Daniel.
I live in Langkawi, Malaysia which is a long way to KL for the embassy and the courier post is not fantastic either!! This will be perfect for our needs as we go to Vietnam soon, and I had heard horror stories too about people being turned back, but felt unsure about the trustworthiness of doing the visa thing online - This report makes me feel comfortable, so will proceed
This is very useful - just what I was looking for. Thank you, Daniel.
Thank you Daniel, just what I was looking for! A*
I have just received my approval letter through myvietnamvisa. They have made the process so easy and the cost is now only $20 per person for a 1 month single entry visa. I still have to pay $25 in Saigon but this way I didn’t have to part with my passport or pay the £55 express fee to the embassy in London. My application was submitted over a weekend and my approval was emailed to me Tuesday 2pm (late evening vietnam time). Very professional and courteous replies to my email enquiries beforehand.
dear all.
thinking about using http://www.myvietnamvisa.com for visa on arrival (flight from LP laos to hanoi). Everyone here who can confirm that this works out? And that my credit card details are save by working with this agency?
thank you very much
bjorn
Great info thanks. Do we need an address for Vietnam when filling out the form?
J
Hi Daniel et al,
My girlfriend and I are may be heading in to Vietnam over land from Laos, do you know if this e-visa application would work for this???
Thanks.
Hi, from what I understand you can only do visa on arrival if you arrive by air.
Good info, I am a Chinese Canadian, I’ve a travel agency in Vietnam. Most people will not find any information about this entry visa thing. As there are just way too too many agencies doing it. (Good one’s and bad one’s) If anyone would like more information about it, please email me at rcx_quan@yahoo.ca I can direct them to some good places to get it done. The processing letter and the $25 fee stamp fee …. on average..the total should be only around $43 not $53. There is also other option such as 3 & 6 months.. single and multiple entry visa.
Thanks for the information. Very helpful. My husband applied through My Vietnam Visa but I was worried it might not be legitimate. Knowing the process gives me some peace of mind.
Tried to understand the process, got close then I read your review and now I am very clear as to what has to be done.
Thank you so much for the valuable information. you clear instruction will help us obtain our visa with minimal confusion.
Hi daniel,
Like each of them this is the exact information that I was looking for. My employer keeps on telling me that he’s going to give me a visa letter but I don’t even have any idea how does it works. So here it is. But I guess he’s giving me a 3 months visa though I am not sure how it will be.