Visa for Vietnam

dw85

Hello!
Due to extend a trip from Singapore to Vietnam in 3 weeks, and wanted to know what the best way of going about getting a visa was?
Ive seen two ways, one via the embassy here in the Uk and the other about getting one on arrival.

Whats the best MSE way to do this? Anyone with recent experience?

Thanks in advance!

VestanPance

The cheapest way is VOA (visa on arrival).

You need a letter from an agent (such as http://vietnamvisapro.com/), which should cost around $14 (USD). You'll need that letter and a couple of passport type photos and when you land in Vietnam it'll cost you another $45 (30 day single entry visa) or $65 (30 day multiple entry) for the visa. They expect payment in US Dollars.

You can get a visa from the embassy, but it always costs a good bit more to do it that way.

On exiting the airport (Hanoi or HCMC I would assume) make sure you use one of the reputable taxi companies, Vinasun or Mai Linh. Almost every other taxi company will try and scam you for about ten times the actual fare.

Doshwaster

I'm off to Vietnam in October and have just got my VOA approval from http://www.myvietnamvisa.com/ which did a very quick service.

I often have to travel at short notice for work so I didn't fancy sending my passport to the Embassy.

totallybored

Doshwaster wrote: »

I'm off to Vietnam in October and have just got my VOA approval from http://www.myvietnamvisa.com/ which did a very quick service.

I often have to travel at short notice for work so I didn't fancy sending my passport to the Embassy.

This is the one I used too. Quick and no problems.

dw85

Thank you. Ive seen a few of those sites for VOA but they look a bit, well, dodgy...its good to have some recommendations!
Also, a bit of a random one, i know you can do group ones of these, but do you all have to enter together? Only I will be getting in around 3 hours earlier than a few others i am travelling with. Its not the end of the earth if we cant, just whether it would work out better?

pollypenny

Try the a Trip Advisor forum on Vietnam visas.

We had to get one last year and I think there were warnings that it can take long time to get the visa on arrival.

We applied directly to the embassy and it took just under a fortnight. Very straight forward.

VestanPance

At worst you'd wait two hours in a queue at the airport. That only tends to happen in HCMC and when several aircraft have touched down at once.

Having been a few times through Hanoi and HCMC my average wait for VOA has been 10/15 minutes. Going through the embassy is far more expense to save a few minutes. The last I heard the UK Vietnam Embassy was charging £70 for a visa that costs $45 if you do it as VOA!

dw85 - Don't worry, the websites do look dodgy. The couple that have been mentioned are reputable. The average Vietnamese website isn't quiet web 2.0! Just check the Vietnam Airlines website for cheap and nasty looking and it's the government that own them.

littlereddevil

We got our from the embassy, just under £100 for 2. Saved us queueing in HCMC though.Passports came back in days.

phatbear

when i went to visit my brother a couple of years ago i went down the visa on arrival route.

i used http://www.myvietnamvisa.com/, as previously mentioned by other posters, for my approval letter.

i had read a lot about long wait times for the voa at hcm but we only waited 25'ish minutes, and it was relatively busy.

I did notice that there were quite a few younger immigration officers milling about with people prior to submitting their form and it was made quite clear that if i slipped them a few dollars that my wait time would be a lot shorter, however i decided to wait.

as vestanpance mentioned when you leave the airport please make sure you get in the correct taxi personally i only ever used mai linh on the whole trip and i only once had a problem with a driver who tried to walk away with the change after i gave him a 10000 dong note for a 5000 cab ride, ok its only £1.50 but it was the principle.

enjoy vietnam it really is a lovely country

totallybored

As the others have said, taxis are a problem and I only used mai linh when I was there. Lots of taxis have dodgy meters and I know several people who have been ripped off in Vietnam. As I was a female on my own I tried to take the minimal amount of taxis and I arranged with several of my hotels to pick me up at airports and train stations and return me to them. It cost a few $ more but i think it was worth it.

Doshwaster

totallybored wrote: »

As the others have said, taxis are a problem and I only used mai linh when I was there. Lots of taxis have dodgy meters and I know several people who have been ripped off in Vietnam. As I was a female on my own I tried to take the minimal amount of taxis and I arranged with several of my hotels to pick me up at airports and train stations and return me to them. It cost a few $ more but i think it was worth it.

This will be my first trip to Vietnam but in other SE Asian countries I usually arrange a taxi through the hotel - and that's what I'm planning on doing on this trip. It's always nice to arrive at an airport and have someone holding up your name on a board.