Originally Posted by
anaggie
My friends (Indian passports) and myself (USA passport) are planning on heading to Hanoi in March for a quick guys weekend. We have booked a tour of Halong Bay with Paradise Cruises for one night. They offer an invitation letter that you can use to enter the country as a tourist without having a visa or stamp prior to arrival. A few questions on that:
1) Will the airlines flying us into HAN let us fly without an actual visa in the passport?
2) Should we get an E-Visa approval just in case?
3) Is there any text online which we could print and take with us just in case we have issues at the airport?
The company told us that all we would need are TWO passport photos, $25 for visa fee and the letter upon arrival.
1- Im not Indian and have no idea what the T&Cs are for them
2- For you for the same money $25 getting an E-Visa makes sense 1- its a loose leaf paper and thusly no Visa taking up a full page of your PP, 2- not having to wait to go thru VOA when you arrive (hopefully your friend wont have to either if a E-Visa is possible for them). 3- if you have the invitation letter which isnt connected to VOA I doubt the airline will allow you to board, if that letter is like the others Ive purchased from a TA then its on record with Imm and you will be assigned a # and file and allowed to board since its from the govt.4- no need for anything other then either an E-Visa or letter showing youre doing VOA upon arrival (a letter saying youre staying with us wont hold water from what I understand)
no reason to do VOA when E-Visa can be had IMO same $$ (it used to be more expensive and a PITA to get the Visa from the Consulate besides being alot more $$