Transitting Saigon
 

Does any of you have experience with transitting Ho Chi Minh Ville (Saigon)? One Vietnamese consular official says a transit visa is not required; another says it is. Who's right? I'll be flying from Cambodia (on Vietnamese Airlines) through Saigon (a layover of about 5 hours) and continuing to Seoul (on Korean Airlines). Can I stay inside the customs/immigration barrier? Is there a business-class lounge? Any other information? Thanks loads.

I don't know precisely, but this has come up on other threads and I think applies in spades when it comes to Viet Nam: what are you going to do in case your flight is cancelled? You may want to leave the transit area but without a visa you can't.

There is a rather crowded generic business lounge. I use it when flying on TG. As far as transit is concerned, technically you do not need a visa of any sort. If you really wanted to back yourself up, you could get a so-called 'visa-on-arrival.' I put it in quotes, because the Vietnamese VOA is not at all similar to most other countries' VOAs. For example, in Cambodia, getting a VOA is trivial (it really doesn't pay to get a visa in advance when flying into Phnom Penh). All you do is fill out the paperwork, hand it over with your PP, pictures and $$$, and you get your visa. However, in Vietnam, you have to apply for the VOA in advance. The authorization to issue it will be in the airport VOA office, and all you have to do is hand over your passport when you arrive. What is the advantage of this over a pre-issued visa? Not much, except you do not have to part with your passport in advance, which can be handy when traveling. In the event that you don't need the visa, you simply stay in the transit area and don't bother to claim it. But if you do need it, it's there.