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FlyerTalk Forums (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/index.php)
-   Asia (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia-460/)
-   -   Prior to 2022: Visa / VOA Info for Vietnam (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia/804256-prior-2022-visa-voa-info-vietnam.html)

pb9997 Apr 8, 2016 3:14 pm
Originally Posted by Orion (Post 26456692)
My itinerary: DCA-ORD-NRT-HAN/HAN-NRT-DFW-DCA departing 04/01/2016 on AA.
I used Vietnam-E-Visa. I had my receipt on my smart phone.
The American Airlines staff said that without a visa already affixed to my passport I was not going. I asked for the agents name and was immediately switched to an agent who stated he would try to find a way to get me there. An hour and a half of standing while the agents puzzled over this caused me to miss my first flight. The good agent gave me a boarding pass to JFK and told me to get my connecting boarding docs from JAL.
JAL at JFK had never heard of visa on arrival. I showed them my receipt and an agent called the visa agency number. The agency faxed a memo to JAL showing a list of 24 pax who would be arriving on my flight from NRT. My name was there. With this they handed me boarding docs and I was on my way.
New itinerary: DCA-JFK-NRT-HAN with the same return on AA as scheduled.
My JFK to NRT flight number was not ticketed as an AA flight so I did not receive mileage credit for it.
I chatted with other pax arriving at HAN. Everyone seemed to have a different understanding of the Vietnam visa situation for arriving Americans.
Any recourse.
Short story: You were involuntary rerouted, and highly inconvenienced, due to poor training of an AA check-in agent, thus ask AA Customer Service to please post your flight accordingly, as originally ticketed and have your miles in your account.

Orion Apr 8, 2016 4:04 pm
I emailed my request for Original Routing Miles to AA Customer Relations. I just received a response. They told me to call a certain phone number which is only available Monday through Friday. I will call them Monday morning and report how it went.

maverick17 Apr 10, 2016 3:45 am
Originally Posted by Orion (Post 26456692)
Everyone seemed to have a different understanding of the Vietnam visa situation for arriving Americans.
I believe this is mostly due to the embassies and consulates being business competitors with the VOA agencies. If you email an embassy or consulate, they frequently will tell you not to do VOA, even though hundreds and hundreds do it each day successfully. My .02 is it takes money out of their pockets, or budget, or something, so they don't like it.

It's really pretty simple. Email or fill out the form, pay agency, print and bring the form, bring a picture and cash. But some websites, forums, and even the staff at some airports have trouble with it, as you were witness. I've done VOA around 10 times, never with a hair of trouble in Vietnam. Check-in on the west coast has not given me trouble. EVA staff at Sapporo did take about 5 minutes to have two people read it and make a copy though, and now you had an issue on the East Coast. I am actually surprised your agency was on the ball to send a fax that quick to be honest. :)

Sorry for the trouble, glad you made it though.

txflyer77 Apr 10, 2016 9:57 am
Orion: did you have the the VOA memo with the list of pax with you? I haven't done VOA but I'm about to in three weeks and my understanding is you're supposed to have that list with you.

maverick17 Apr 10, 2016 11:01 am
Originally Posted by txflyer77 (Post 26464530)
Orion: did you have the the VOA memo with the list of pax with you? I haven't done VOA but I'm about to in three weeks and my understanding is you're supposed to have that list with you.
I've never had a copy of that information. Just the letter the VOA agency sends you that you are approved to get your visa when you arrive at an international airport. If you're flying JAL from JFK though, I guess you might take it.

Actually I would also appreciate clarification, Orion, on the "receipt" on your phone. Can we assume that you mean you had a copy of the letter you are supposed to take with you as the "receipt"?

Jimgotkp Apr 10, 2016 8:07 pm
Originally Posted by txflyer77 (Post 26464530)
Orion: did you have the the VOA memo with the list of pax with you? I haven't done VOA but I'm about to in three weeks and my understanding is you're supposed to have that list with you.
That's what you need along with your visa application. Fill it out the application before you get to the airport, so you don't have to deal with it upon arrival.

EdC Apr 11, 2016 6:51 am
Originally Posted by maverick17 (Post 26463627)
My .02 is it takes money out of their pockets, or budget, or something, so they don't like it.
AIUI, this is exactly the reason the embassies don't like it.

danielm Apr 11, 2016 7:06 am
Originally Posted by EdC (Post 26468314)
AIUI, this is exactly the reason the embassies don't like it.
I wonder why they don't lower their fees? I'd totally have paid a premium to have the visa ahead of time...a reasonable premium. Especially when its a question of swinging by the upper west side for an hour. But I can't bring myself to indulge when the total cost to do so is $65 more. If the difference had been, say, $30, I'd have done it.

Orion Apr 11, 2016 10:46 am
Thanks everyone for your comments and questions. First the good news. This morning I called AA as their email asked me to do. My miles (both base and bonus) were posted yesterday. I am now quite a bit closer to my 2 Million mile goal. The receipt on my smart phone included an attachment which was a blank form for me to download and fill out. I didn't have a printer with me and was never asked to fill out any form by AA or JL.
At HAN an agent of the agency had a sign board with my name and others. I gave him my passport and he returned with my visa attached to the passport in about 15 minutes. It was all very easy. But the uncertainty caused me a lot of anxiety while traveling to Hanoi.

paullgo Apr 11, 2016 10:59 am
I flew from Bkk to Hanoi a couple of weeks ago. I decided to get a visa at the embassy in Bangkok. I had been talking to a couple that had recently gone to Vietnam and spend 30 minutes with VOA. I was going for convience over cost.
When we arrived with 300 passengers I went straight to officer and most of the other passengers were getting in line for visa. My friend is Vietnamese so we were both thru and had luggage before more than 5 other passengers showed up.
I would have no problem doing VOA, but a visa can save a lot of headaches.

5khours Apr 12, 2016 12:47 am
Orion, If I am not mistaken, you did not have your VOA letter when you tried to check-in. The "receipt" is not the same thing. The fax which your agent sent over with "a list of 24 pax who would be arriving on my flight from NRT" was the VOA letter. If you do not have the actual VOA letter or an actual visa, every agent at every airline will deny you boarding. Sounds like your bad, not the airline's bad.

5khours Apr 12, 2016 1:16 am
Originally Posted by txflyer77 (Post 26464530)
Orion: did you have the the VOA memo with the list of pax with you? I haven't done VOA but I'm about to in three weeks and my understanding is you're supposed to have that list with you.
The VOA letter includes your name and travel details. Many times the agency applies in bulk for the VOA, so your VOA letter includes not only your name and details but a list of your name and the names of everyone else on that particular "bulk" application. You may be the only one on the "list" or there may be multiple people....typically 3 or 4 others. (My last VOA had 15 people on the list.) Also the list is not a list of people on a particular flight. They may be on the same flight but more typically not and also not necessarily arriving on the same day. It just depends on which applications were submitted together by the agency.

As long as you have the VOA letter your fine. Just don't mess up like Orion and take the receipt instead of the actual letter. Information on VOA is accessible to every airline agent via Timatic which they can access in about 3 seconds.

5khours Apr 12, 2016 2:08 am
I updated the Wiki with some notes on how the actual VOA process works at the SGN airport. It normally looks like a CF, but it always work fine and reliably.

henk254 Apr 12, 2016 6:48 am
Originally Posted by txflyer77 (Post 26464530)
Orion: did you have the the VOA memo with the list of pax with you? I haven't done VOA but I'm about to in three weeks and my understanding is you're supposed to have that list with you.
You can check www.myvietnamvisapro.com for sample of VOA. All of their VOA is private, i.e. the VOA letter only have your information on it. The list of pax thus is unnecessarily.

@5Khours: If I know some updated information or some trustworthy agencies, can I add them to the wiki? For example: the above agency is highly recommended as they do private VOA without additional charge, deliver the VOA within 24 hours and accept Paypal.

maverick17 Apr 12, 2016 8:53 am
Originally Posted by Jimgotkp (Post 26466676)
That's what you need along with your visa application.
Originally Posted by 5khours (Post 26472537)
Orion, If I am not mistaken, you did not have your VOA letter when you tried to check-in. The "receipt" is not the same thing. The fax which your agent sent over with "a list of 24 pax who would be arriving on my flight from NRT" was the VOA letter. If you do not have the actual VOA letter or an actual visa, every agent at every airline will deny you boarding.
Right. I was more referring to what 5k said and was wondering if Orion didn't actually have the VOA letter, which I would personally consider different than a receipt. But Orion has been around awhile, so thought maybe just his word choice was throwing me off.

Originally Posted by EdC (Post 26468314)
AIUI, this is exactly the reason the embassies don't like it.
I've heard it, just didn't ever see anything written, so I figured to qualify myself a bit. :)


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