Prior to 2022: Visa / VOA Info for Vietnam
 

Hi all,

I am flying CX from HKG to SGN on May 19, in order to connect to SQ SGN-SIN-NRT for the A380 Inaugural.

I have never been to Vietnam and wonder if I need a transit visa. I assume there is a transit desk for passengers connecting to other airlines, but will appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks,
Carfield

What is your citizenship?

Dual
 

I have both HK SAR passports and US passport.

Dual citizens sort of: HK and US

Thanks,
Carfield

I didn't need a visa for int->int transit at SGN last year. However do have plenty of time to spare if you don't intend clearing immigration. There are no check in facilities at the transfer desk so someone has to go landside to check you in.

I understand that this was from almost one year ago, but did you have trouble checking in for your flight to SGN without a visa? :confused:

I think the same process since last year on what Kiwi did.

Myvietnamvisa.com legit?
 

I need a visa for Vietnam, and dug up this website: http://www.myvietnamvisa.com/

I never heard of it before, and haven't seen it referenced on FT. Is it legit? Has anyone used it, and do you recommend it? Thanks!

Why not just fill out the form available on the website of the Vietnam embassy, mail it to them with the fee, including a return addressed fedex envelope?

No need to pay someone else to do it for you IMHO.

I did this about a month back, had everything in hand within a week.

gleff--Myvietnamvisa promise a visa on arrival (or better: pre-arranged visa to be stamped in the passport at the airport), which we would prefer to sending our passports away to the consulate. I found some reviews on Lonely Planet and other sites, and they generally seem to be positive (if all written by newcomers).

fly888-Thank you for the information, and welcome to Flyertalk!

We arranged visas on arrival (not through this company - ours didn't have an online service so we had to arrange a bank draft) and it worked perfectly.

Also be aware that flights on Vietnam Air are much cheaper if paid for in Vietnam - again we did this through our travel agent. In our case the flights for 2 of us paid for in Vietnam were just under £200 whereas booking them through a travel company here in the UK they would have been £775!!

I used
http://visa-vietnam.org/
recently (12/08 for entry 1/09) without any problem.
Their price may be a little less than the site you mention (for more than 1 person), and at the time I was doing this, the site you mention did not accept credit cards.

This site also will give you link to .pdf of a form that you will need to have filled out to get the VOA. So, you can print it out and fill it out in advance. Otherwise, you will fill it out at arrival which will delay processing.
Also, make sure to have 2 passport-size photos ready (although they only took 1), and NICE CLEAN NEW CRISP MONEY US$. They will NOT accept bills that are torn, marked, wrinkled, etc. I would also give them EXACT CHANGE. You will get an unfavorable rate of exchange if you pay the stamp fee in anything but US$.

The advantages of using service like this include lower cost compared to sending your passport to Vietnamese Embassy in US, you never part with your passport, and it's very fast to get your approval letter. The disadvantage may be that, depending upon your arrival point, time and location, it may take a little longer (I arrived SGN on an AirAsia flight shortly after an incoming from AUstralia and it took 10-20min (estimate) to get the Visa at the VoA window, then another 10-20min to clear immigration. A friend arrived HAN on AirAsia and experienced no waiting.)

I've used Visa on Arrival twice with good results. I have not used that travel agent. My friend in Hanoi, Mr. Diep, does this service and allows payment in person after arrival, and he only charges $16. for the service. This service is only for an Approval Letter which is stamped by Immigration - once you arrive in country you get the hard copy visa for an additional $25. Diep is the owner of Adventure Indochina in Hanoi's Old Quarter. Diep gives such unique, personalized service - he's a real character too (get his recommendations for real Hanoi street food).

www.adventureindochina.com

Visa / VOA Info for Vietnam (consolidated)
 

Hello,

I am travelling to Vietnam and have a single entry visa. I am an american citizen. I am landing and taking off from Saigon. I wanted to add Thailand to my trip. Is it possible to land in Saigon, spend time in Vietnam, fly to Thailand and then fly back to USA via Saigon on my way back? I do not plan to go out of the airport on my way back.

Thanks in advance for all the help,
KD

Technically...yes you can transit without a Visa.

However, if traveling on 2 separate tickets you could run into troubles with through checking your luggage, or getting your boarding pass in Saigon.

/ 01MAY09 / 1956 UTC



National U.S.A. (US) /Embarkation Thailand (TH)
Transit Vietnam (VN) /Destination U.S.A. (US)
Visited Thailand (TH)
ALSO CHECK DESTINATION INFORMATION BELOW


Vietnam (VN)


TWOV (Transit Without Visa):
Visa required, except for Those continuing their journey on

the same day and provided holding confirmed return or onward
tickets. Leaving the airport transit area is not allowed(SEE

NOTE 26798).
NOTE 26798: Certain international flights operated by

Vietnam Airlines For details, click here
Visa Issuance:
- On arrival: if required, a transit visa when arriving by
Vietnam Airlines only, provided holding a letter from
Vietnamese Immigration confirming that a visa will be issued

on arrival. Fee: USD 25.-.
Additional Information:

- All visitors must hold:
a. documents required for next destination; and

b. sufficient funds for the duration of their stay; and

c. return/onward ticket, when not requiring a visa to enter

Vietnam.

Are you flying to Saigon from USA on the UA flight? If so, you might consider flying Saigon-Bangkok and back on TG--as they are both Star Alliance, it should be no problem on the return journey to check your stuff in BKK all the way back to USA. You'd just have to show both BKK-SGN and SGN-USA tickets and get them to manually put it into the system. Not sure if they can give you boarding pass in BKK for SGN-USA flight, but you could deal with that if you had to in SGN. Flying Vietnam Airlines to SGN-BKK and back might present more of a problem, as they don't yet connect into the interlining system too well (if any) and you'd probably have to find a way to reclaim your bags and then recheck. However, they might be able to either give you escort or provide a transit visa to get you back around to transit side.

At least some of this interlining thing involving VN Airlines (but not transit in SGN) has worked for me albeit on a different route. I did a "bout" of SGN[VN]BKK[BR]TPE and HAN[VN]BKK[BR][TPE] flights a while back and the interlining worked fine.

I was pretty impressed because it's rather unusual to fly these long-winded routings since both VN and BR fly direct SGN-TPE and HAN-TPE. Also in both cases the BKK-TPE flight was the BR68 continuation flight which started in LHR (perhaps makes no difference, but the plane isn't on the ground for long).

Nothing ever went missing. I did have to pick up a BP in transit at BKK.

TO THE OP: You could get a second entry/visa added once in Vietnam. The cost used to be pretty small (was about $10 to $20, but I'm not sure now) - most hotels/travel agencies can arrange this and they're pretty used to doing it. People often run in to this when once in Saigon they fancy a couple of days in PP and realise they need another entry in order to return. You might have to be in one place for a couple of days so it can be organised.

Interlining: good to know that at least VN can get it right when they are originating the check-in. There's hope for the OP yet, though it's always best to have the fetch-and-recheck plan in the hip pocket in case things head into the weeds. If I was in OP's shoes, I'd be tempted to try and transit SGN--VN visa-less.

Visa 2nd Entry in-country: Thanks for info, I wish I'd known this was possible 6 months ago when in Saigon, I had the exact scenario you mentioned and it sure would have made things easier! Will file this for future use....

I tried the link for Mr. Diep, adventures indochina, Is his website still active? I couldn't get access.

Must have been temporary. It's working now.

Go to the SFO consulate directly.
Fill out the form, 2 (not 1 as the website says - this is when you send the passport) passport pictures, copy of your passport detail page, return envelope. Check for current pice. No need to send the passport. Do this all the time and recommended it for friends - never a problem - even for non US passports.
The website says you need to send the passport but we never do.
http://www.vietnamconsulate-sf.org/ecms/

I will have about 5 hours at SGN, coming from BKK (TG) going to PVG (FM).

As I understand from Kiwi's post, I won't need a visa to transit. But I'm still a little confused about the "someone has to go landside to check you in" part. Does this mean that you have to give your passport to some person and they will go to check-in counter and get you a boarding pass?

I remember that there's a contract lounge that's accessible by *G with an invite. Will I be able to get this invite from the "landside" check in person?

Thanks in advance.

Sorry to bump this thread. But, I have exactly the same question as TerryK. My feeling is that as long as I show them my itinerary out of SGN, they will have no problem of letting me on a flight to SGN. I have done this type of stuff many times, just not through an airport where I will need a visa if I am actually terminating there.

Just want to confirm that my assumption is correct so that I would not be denied boarding. Thanks!

How Odd
 

How odd it is: going back several years now, so many of you keep asking the same question yet no one returns to the board to post an update. Did the previous travelers actually return, or are they languishing in a Viet prison somewhere on the outskirts of the airport? How odd.

I agree - not just for this thread but FT in general. It's a pity when people don't post back the outcome.

I'm guessing in this case it might be that people just change their travel plans or get a visa in the absence of a definitive answer.

FWIW I'm sure we've seen at least a couple of posters saying it's been no problem in SGN even where they've had to collect luggage and re-check it in. In this case they get escorted. But I have no personal experience or know personally of anyone who's done it. I could never enter Vietnam without sticking around a bit, if only for a bowl of pho!

Posting from Vietnamese prison, no just kidding.:p

There is no issue with transit without a Visa. You just need to show your onward ticket to check in agent. They need to do a lot of typing to document your transit status. At SGN, you can find a small transit desk where you can get your boarding pass, go through security and go upstairs for departure.@:-)

MyVietnamVisa: Severe Personal Identity Theft Risk
 

Vietnam is issuing approval letters which contain bulk approvals of multiple unrelated travelers. These include their names, birth dates, and passport numbers of all travelers.

It is unclear whether Vietnam is combining the names in their approval letters, or whether it is because they are submitted together.

Hopefully a solution can be found, such as separate approval letters to each traveler or the ability to black out all names except the individual traveler receiving their own copy of the group approval letter.

But this is an identity theft risk that you should be aware of.

Yes, I noticed this new pattern of multiple names,
entered last night at HCMC,
hadn't considered the risk angle, I guess you are right,
but I am not worried enough to hassle with an advance
visa by mail or in embassy as long as VOA is offered..

A loss of privacy, maybe, but the information shown is not really enough to steal your identity IMHO.

From my experience of living in Vietnam, there really isn't much privacy. Data and other information is shared all the time. This is partly political, partly cultural. It can work for you as well as against you.

The way visas are processed is just a reflection of Vietnamese attitudes.

Legit?
French and German embassy says: no, it's not.

So I'm responsable and avoid it.

Imagine:
What do you do after a 15 hours flight (and after costs over 3000$) when refused to enter just because you wanted to save some 30$? -

Really :rolleyes:

And then again, I worry as well about giving away my passport for a week to them in order to get a visa. And you can read it all over the web, sometimes, passports get lost. But then again: is there really any choice? Beeing refused at their border, having all those hotel reservations over amex. No. If it's just for 30 $, I don't even think about it.

FTers on this site have used the service so the issuing of pre-approved visas on arrival are legitimate.

A check of the lonely planet website says they have been discussing it for years and people continually come back and say 'oh, it might not be legal.'

Of course they are.

It is not a matter of 'saving $30' - it is a time and effort saving. The letter of invitation, which is exchanged for the visa at the airport, is simple and easy to complete on-line. Letter sent to you on-line. So is the arrival form (so you can complete that at home and not queue at the airport on arrival).

It's the convenience rather than saving $.

Perhaps the embassies are getting confused with people who think they can just turn up at the airport in Vietnam and get a visa... you can't... you do need to apply for the letter of invitation before you arrive.

How do you obtain the arrival form ahead of time? I find this is frustrating to wait to get this at the window as it makes the process longer than necessary.

try this link

a little help

we got the link when we had our letter of authorisation sent. I think you can also get it from the myvietnam visa site where they show examples of the letter of authorisation etc.

I doubt you will get on a plane to HCMC without the letter.
JetStar in SIN scrutinized mine carefully.

Just returned from Vietnam and used myvietnamvisa.com to get a visa on arrival. It was quick, easy, and I had no problems when entering at SGN. It's legit; the New York Times even had an article on it.

Vietnam Visa
 

Assume I need one as a EU passport holder for a (short) visit ?
If yes, is it possible and what would be the fastest and easiest way to obtain the visa before the end of April - either in the US or over in Singapore, where I'll be next ?

TIA !

This is what I found and am plaaning to use.

Vietnam visa
I to plan to go to Vietnam this month.

It varies depending on nationality for EU citizens. We (Swedes) are granted a VISA on arrival, if staying less than 15 days, arriving and leaving by air and have a return ticket (any ticket leaving Vietnam is good).

So, it varies by passport nationality. Look it up!

If you're arriving in Vietnam by air, the cheapest and quickest way is to buy a VOA Approval Letter online (hundreds of travel agents sell them by email from Vietnam). Hanoi airport does seem to process these VOA's a little faster than at HCMC.

You show your airline the Approval Letter, fly into the country, and get your hard copy visa at the airport - works well. I've used it for all 4 of my trips.

Yes, I guess most nationalities qualify for a Visa on Arrival.
However - and someone please correct me if I've understood it wrong - one needs a pre-authorization to have the Visa issued upon arrival at a select validating airport.
I'm trying to find out the fastest way to have the pre-authorization issued.