Is a visa on arrival available for Vietnam?
Vietnam offers visa on arrival, but only for air travelers. If entering by land or sea (e.g., cruise), a full, pre-approved visa is required. Ensure your passport is valid for at least six months beyond your entry date.
Vietnam visa on arrival: Is it available?
Ugh, Vietnam visas… So confusing! I tried to get one on arrival in Nha Trang last October, flying in from Bangkok. Worked perfectly, no hassle. Passport valid, plenty of time left.
But my friend, she arrived by boat from Cambodia in January. Total nightmare. Visa needed before she even got to the port. Cost her a fortune in express fees. So, yeah, air travel only.
Crucially, your passport needs six months validity when you enter. That’s the absolute, non-negotiable rule. Don’t risk it. Learned that the hard way watching my friend stress.
Is visa on arrival still available in Vietnam?
Vietnam visa on arrival? Limited. Emergency situations only. 2024 update.
E-visa recommended. Avoid arrival hassles.
- Emergency exceptions exist. Strict criteria apply.
- My experience? E-visa smoother. Faster. Less stress.
- Check Vietnamese immigration websites for details. Official sources only. Don’t trust random blogs. My passport says so.
- I applied for e-visa last month. Got it in minutes. Processed quickly.
- Forget arrival visa. Unless it’s life or death, really.
Key Differences: E-visa = pre-approved. Arrival visa = potentially lengthy delays, even rejection.
Avoid problems. Apply online.
Can you apply for a visa at the airport in Vietnam?
Nah, forget airport visa applications in Vietnam. It’s a whole circus act, a three-ring extravaganza of paperwork. You gotta jump through hoops, more hoops than a basketball game played by trained monkeys.
You NEED that pre-approved letter. Think of it as your golden ticket, your get-out-of-jail-free card, only instead of jail, it’s being sent back home on the next flight. Seriously. No letter, no visa. It’s like trying to enter Disneyland without a ticket. Except Disneyland has better customer service.
Applicable Airports (2024):
- Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) – Hanoi. This place is HUGE. Like, seriously, you could get lost in there for days. They even have their own mini-ecosystem.
- Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) – Ho Chi Minh City. Expect crowds. Think a mosh pit, but with suitcases.
- Da Nang International Airport (DAD). This one’s a bit quieter, unless there’s a sudden influx of tourists looking for cheap beach vacations—then it’s mayhem.
How to get this magical letter?: This is the real adventure. It’s like a treasure hunt, but the treasure is a piece of paper that lets you into a country. You’ll likely need to do this online, through some authorized website or travel agent. I found mine through a service that, let’s just say, was slightly less reputable than my Uncle Barry’s used car dealership. But it worked! I swear.
Don’t even THINK about winging it. Seriously. You’ll be eating instant noodles in a airport lounge while you figure out your next move. Trust me on this one. My friend, Dave, tried. He’s still there. Actually, I think Dave’s started a new life as a street vendor selling questionable pho. Learn from Dave’s mistakes.
Is visa on arrival still available in Vietnam?
Okay, so, Vietnam visa on arrival? Right.
Listen, like, Vietnam, they do VOA – Visa on Arrival. But, okay, as of now, Jan 2024. It’s mostly for, uh, emergencies. So you gotta be like, you know, really needing it.
If you’re just chillin’ and planning a trip, def get the e-visa. It’s way easier, trust.
It’s less hassel I recon. But, just in case, here’s the deal with how it used to work, ish:
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Get Approval Letter: You needed a letter from some visa agency online, before. It was kinda shady, not gonna lie.
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Fly In: You land, go to the VOA desk. Fill out a form, pay money (cash, usually!).
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Wait Forever: Wait with loads of other people. Seriously, sometimes it was like an hour.
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Visa Stamp: Finally, they stamp your passport. Then you’re good. Hopefully.
So, yeah. E-visa is the way to go now unless u had emergency. This saves loads of time.
Also, I remember one time when I was traveling… or, wait, it was my brother, I think. He went to get VOA. But forgot to bring passport photos and they charged a crazy amount for it. Something stupid like 20 bucks for two pics.
Another key thing: make sure you have the exact money they ask for the VOA fees, like USD. If you try to pay with something else, they might act weird, try to charge you more, or refuse to take it. My friend had to run around an airport trying to find an ATM, then exchange the money, and barely made it to his connecting flight.
Can you pay for visa at Vietnam airport?
So, like, yeah, you CAN get a visa when you land in Vietnam, kinda. But like, it’s a bit of a two-parter.
You gotta pay before and after… before for the, umm, visa letter. I think its called.
Then, you pay again when you actually arrive at the airport for the, the stamping fee. Ugh. It’s annoying but whatever.
The total costs? Like, It’s totally depends on which visa type you’re getting. I got a 3-month single entry one last year—uh, I mean, this year (2024).
- Visa Letter Fee: Paid online beforehand.
- Stamping Fee: Paid at the airport on arrival (US dollars are usually accepted.)
- Type: Matters a lot! (Tourist, business, length of stay)
So, yeah, be prepared to pay twice and uhm, remember to have like, cash on hand at the airport. Because not all places take cards… or you can use like, a wise transfer. Ugh, but sometimes it just is what it is, you know?
Can I apply for a Vietnam visa at the airport?
Visa on arrival? Conditional. Pre-approval is mandatory.
- Pre-arranged approval letter: Get it. Online.
- Landing without it? Denied entry. Harsh reality.
- I did mine through vietnamvisa.com. Not recommending, just stating.
- Airport application? Only with that damned letter. Pay fees there. USD cash preferred.
- Photo needed. Passport size. Bring two. One isn’t enough, trust me.
No letter, no entry. Simple. Don’t whine.
How much is a Vietnam visa at the airport?
Hey, so, like, the Vietnam visa on arrival…at the airport? Okay so. Listen up.
If you’re just, um, staying in the airport—I mean really inside, not going through customs—then a single entry e-visa works. It’s dead cheap, like 25 bucks.
But, like, if you have to, you know, leave and re-enter the airport to check your bags or like, catch another flight and exit security, yeah… then ya need the multiple-entry one.
That puppy’ll run ya 50 clams. So. Yeah.
Um, wait, also, this reminds me of that time in 2023, when I was at the airport in, uh, Kuala Lumpur. It was like, totally crazy, and I accidentally bought the wrong adapter. Cost me, like, 80 ringgits. Total rip-off. Anyway, visas in Vietnam are way cheaper, though.
Let’s break it down more:
- Single entry e-visa: $25. This is enough if you dont leave the airport at all. Keep in mind that there is no way to get this visa ON ARRIVAL at the airport. It needs to be secured online and in advance!
- Multiple entry visa: $50. Necessary if you need to exit and re-enter because you check your luggage. Also, no visa on arrival!
- E-visa needed. No visas are issued ON ARRIVAL. You need an e-visa for entry.
- Validity. Both e-visas allow for a 30-day entry.
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