Thu, 06/28/2012 - 22:46 — Madi Murphy
Forums:
Hi
I'm from the UK but currently in Australia on a working holiday visa, and I'm planning to travel through SE Asia on my way home next year. I just have a few questions about getting a visa for Vietnam.
Firstly, is there any kind of e-visa that can be obtained online? I haven't been able to find any evidence that there is but thought I should check!
Secondly, does anyone know how I can apply for a visa given that I'm not in my home country? Will I need to go to the Vietnamese embassy or is there another way? Or would it be easier to get a visa for Vietnam once I get to Asia (I will be visiting Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and probably Laos before Vietnam)?
I would be really grateful for any help with these questions! Thank you :-)
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You can also just go to the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia or anywhere you pass through on the way. Hundreds of travel agents en route will also be able to arrange it for you.
The online is a visa approval letter. You pay a company like the one above to do you a letter which means you can pick up the visa at the border. Check that it's valid at the border you're planning to use though. It says which ones on the website.
Thanks so much for your help guys :-)
Be very careful booking on line. We did it through the 'Vietnamese Tourist Agency' and paid $50 however this turned out to be a scam and was only a recommendation to let us in. We had to pay again and as our spare photos were in our luggage we had to pay for them to take photos of us. If flying into an airport get them there it is no problem.
All visa on arrivals are just a recommendation letter. You always have to buy a visa at the airport. The letter just says that you are allowed to buy a visa at the airport. Without the letter you are not allowed and you need photos at the airport. $50 does seem rather high just for the letter though. They are usually around $25 for the letter and the same again for the visa at tha airport.
Hi MHM,
We got our online visa approval letter from <snip> it cost 19.99$ then at either Hanoi or HCMC airport you pick up your actual visa which costa another 25$ some people have said that they had to wait a long time for the visa at the airport but it took us only about 20 minutes, which was a lot quicker than it took to get our luggage (90minutes)
VN visas must be arranged beforehand if you enter overland. Phnom Penh is probably the cheapest, fastest place to buy your VN visa. There is not much price difference between a 1 or 3 month single entry visa. Figure $10. Multiple entry visas are more expensive. You can buy your VN visa in PP in 1-3 days for about $35. Shop around, each place charges what they can. The 'real price' is $25. The rest is for their time/trouble going over to the VM Embassy. You can do it yourself, but it is a hassle.
There is a 'visa on arrival' system for VN if you fly into the country.
My blog covers my experience flying into Tan Son Nhat.
You can usually buy your VN visa in your home country. Depends on what country you live in. You did not give us that information. I found out it was more expensive to buy my 30 day VN visa in the US than it was to use the visa on arrival system when you add in the postage. Good luck with your planning.