Hanoi Visa and questions
 

Hi,

The early bird business fares of Cathay Pacific are very interesting at the moment and I need to be in Hong Kong 10-13 March. But the direct trips to HKG will almost cost Dubble.

I'm thinking to fly (10 march) AMS>HKG>HANOI (Stopover not allowed) So I buy a separate ticket to fly back the same day HAN>HKG stay in HKG and fly back to HAN 13-17 March. (17 March back home HAN>HKG>AMS)

I don't got any experience with the Visa and immigration in Vietnam so I got a couple of questions:
• Do I need a multiple entry visa (also for my transit back to HKG?)
• Does it take a lot of time to get a visa, and once I got it will it also take a lot of time the second time I'm going to HAN (13 March)
• Is it strange for the immigration if I fly back to HKG a couple of hrs later when i'm just coming from there?

If it is a big hassle It is also possible to do the same idea with Taipei or Tokyo and I don't need a visa for those trips, anyone got experience with this and the Vietnam visa's etc.?

Thank you for letting me know,
B

For Vietnam, as long as you arrive by air, you qualify for the VOA visa (Approval Letter). It's both inexpensive and you can get it within 48 hours of application. An image of the Approval Letter from the government is emailed back to you (print it out), and you show it to the air carrier that takes you into Vietnam. Once in country, you walk up to the Visa counter, and a sticker visa is attached to your passport. You want a 30-day multiple entry type. I have used the following agency many times since 2008. The new Hanoi International Terminal is only about a year old and quite up to date.

you can get visa on arrival through the website: vietnamvisaapplicaton.com. At a cost of $ 15 pax.

I would suspect that you would need to get a multiple entry visa since you would be collecting your luggage, exiting to landside, and then rechecking into the flight for HKG for the first entry and then again for your return from HKG.

If you live near a consulate/embassy, you can get your visa ahead of time. If you do the VOA, it could take half an hour to an hour waiting for your visa to be processed. After you land, go to the VOA office. You drop your passport, letter, and money (US dollars) off at a window outside one side of the office and then wait with a bunch of other people on the opposite side to have your name called to pick up your passport. Then you can go to the immigration checkpoint.
If you have a multiple entry visa, during the second arrival, you can just go straight to the immigration checkpoint.

Personally, I don't think immigration arriving and departing will put 2 and 2 together that you're coming from and going back to HKG. It might look strange that you've arrived and departed again but you're basically just transiting.

There's quite a bit of information on Vietnam Visa On Arrival here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia/...solidated.html

For information's sake, I've just received a visa from the embassy here in Canada. It cost $124 USD, and the process was painless. Apply over the internet, and they mail the visa to you within 10 days. It might be different in the Netherlands, of course.

Hanoi Visa and questions
 

Unless Hanoi is much cheaper or is of particular interest to you, I'd just look for another option where no visa is required.

Has anyone with a UK passport taken advantage of the 'no visa required for up to 15 day visit' rule change yet? Do you really rock up to immigration with just a valid passport?

In the linked thread above here, see post #609. Yes, it works.

But note that it is not as useful for multiple entry. Once you leave, you cannot come back in for 30 days I believe. So if you have a quick trip to Cambodia, etc, you need to put that side trip at the beginning or end - not the middle.

I've done it twice. Just rocked up both times :D

The true wonderfulness of it all is there's not even a landing card to fill in. Just waltz up to the desk and hand over your passport.

Both times the man asked "No visa?" - that made my heart sink the first time (the first day of the new regime), but I shook my head as confidently as I could. He grinned and stamped my passport.


(if you do it more than once, you have to make sure there's a one-month gap between visits: whether that's between arrival dates or one clear month out of the country I don't know. Yet...)

Thanks guys, a useful and prompt response. Another bit of travel hassle eliminated. Next challenge, Vietnam's railways :D

Hi Everyone

Thank you all! For the great and useful info, Ill make up my mind one of these days.

... which is probably easier than you thought :)

Just in case you haven't already stumbled across it, http://www.seat61.com/Vietnam.htm#, is essential reading.

Not sure if I should mention it on a Frequent Flier site, but Seat 61 is my bible (other than FT).

I've done (by rail)

Hong Kong to Saltburn
Saltburn to Samarkand
The Copper Canyon Railway
Indian Railways (twice)
Bangkok to Vientienne

Seat 61 is invaluable

I love rail travel more than flying.

I love rail travel too, but chances are very good that you'll be disappointed in the Vietnam rail system, and in my opinion, Mr. Seat61 exaggerates considerably about the quality of the Vietnamese system. Please take my advice, and only take shorter trips by rail in Vietnam. I once rode from Hue to Nha Trang by rail and thought it would never end - roaches in my compartment, almost no food available, and very little to see of the countryside. Vietnam Airlines is my choice for long distance domestic travel in this country.