Vietnam visa
 

on the visa application (for a tourist visa) who do you use as contact information?

Thanks

I just applied for this last month and used my hotel information for my first few nights stay in Hanoi. I had sent an email to the embassy earlier asking about the price of a tourist visa and got back a generic email with standard FAQ's including yours.

If you have not already submitted your visa application via the embassy, I highly recommend the visa service offered by VIETNAMSTAY.COM. I had my visa waiver via fax in 24 hours.

I found the visa waiver a bit problematic the one and only time I used it. When I checked in at the airport, the airline wasn't quite sure whether or not to let me on the plane, and when I got to Danang, I had to wait a lot longer to get my passport stamped. I was nearly the last person out of the airport.

I just experienced a wonderful one week turnaround for a Vietnam Visa. I sent the application + the fee (cashier's check) + my passport to the consulate in San Francisco last Monday and my passport with the visa in it was in today's mail (Monday). I used USPS Priority mail.

I would do what pebbles13 did and put the name and address of the first night's hotel.

I put the name and address of a travel agency in HCMC but ended up not using them. Didn't matter at all. Like Kathygo, I followed the instructions on the webpage, sent it priority mail, and got it back in a week. With the visa, it was a breeze getting thru immigration at SGN.

And I sent it in two months in advance of my trip.

I also had excelent service from the San Franciso Consulate. I have heard reports from peple who used the Embassy in Washington DC and had terrible service.

When the pre-arranged visas first became available, I heard about many people having problems with the airlines accepting the emailed notice of the pre-arranged visa. Michael, was your experience recent?

I also had a quick turnaround of about a week and a half with Priority Mail. Here is a copy of the email the embassy sent me with the FAQs (your ? is answered by #5):

1) DO I NEED A VISA?
- YES, YOU DO.
- TECHNICALLY, ANY HOLDER OF A VALID (6 MONTHS PRIOR TO EXPIRATION) PASSPORT OTHER THAN VIETNAMESE, NO MATTER WHAT CITIZENSHIP, NEEDS A VISA.
- THIS GENERAL RULE IS APPLICABLE TO US CITIZENS, CANADIAN CITIZENS, LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES, EU CITIZENS, AND JAPANESE CITIZENS.
- PLEASE CONTACT THE NEAREST VIETNAM EMBASSY FOR FURTHER INFORMATION IF YOU THINK YOUR COUNTRY AND VIETNAM HAVE A VISA-WAIVER AGREEMENT.

2) HOW EARLY AND HOW LATE CAN I APPLY FOR A VISA?
- YOU CAN APPLY FOR YOUR VISA AS EARLY AS SIX MONTHS PRIOR TO THE PROPOSED DATE OF ENTRY.
- YOU CAN APPLY FOR A VISA AS LATE AS A FEW DAYS PRIOR TO YOUR DEPARTURE. PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL THE EMBASSY TO CHECK YOUR OPTIONS FOR RUSH/EXPEDITED SERVICE.

3) HOW LONG WILL THE VISA BE GOOD FOR?
- THE VISA WILL BE ISSUED ON THE BASIS OF YOUR SPECIFIC PROPOSED DATES ON THE APPLICATION.
- THE APPLICANT CANNOT ENTER THE COUNTRY BEFORE THE DATE.

4) WHAT TO SUBMIT?
- PASSPORT.
- APPLICATION FORM (<http://www.vietnamembassy.us/consula...visa_info/>).
- 1 PASSPORT-SIZE PICTURE (2X2).
- FEE (2 MONEY ORDERS PER APPLICATION PACKAGE), PAYABLE TO "EMBASSY OF VIETNAM." APPLICANTS APPLYING TOGETHER MAY SUBMIT THE FEE IN ONE MONEY ORDER.
- A SELF-ADDRESSED POSTAGE-PAID RETURN ENVELOPE. FOR THE SAFETY OF YOUR PASSPORT(S), PLEASE USE ONLY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING MAILING SERVICES WHICH PROVIDE TRACKING NUMBERS: US EXPRESS MAIL OR PRIORITY MAIL WITH DELIVERY CONFIRMATION OR CERTIFIED MAIL . PLEASE DO NOT USE OTHER MAILING SERVICES. APPLICANTS APPLYING TOGETHER MAY PROVIDE ONE ENVELOPE FOR VISAS TO BE RETURNED TO THE SAME ADDRESS.

5) HOW TO FILL OUT THE APPLICATION?
- ALL ITEMS MUST BE FILLED-OUT COMPLETELY IN UPPER CASE LETTERS.
- DO NOT USE PO BOX ADDRESSES.
- ITEM 10 (NAME, ADDRESS OF YOUR CONTACT IN VIETNAM) IS REQUIRED. PLEASE, PUT THE NAME, ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER OF YOUR HOTEL OR WHERE YOU WILL STAY IN VIETNAM.
- PUT YOUR TOWN/CITY ON THE LINE "PLACE" AT THE END OF THE FORM.

6) WHAT IS THE FEE?
WITHOUT A PRIOR AUTHORIZATION/APPROVAL:
-SINGLE ENTRY, ONE-MONTH:
- $65.00 (REGULAR SERVICE - 9-10 BUSINESS DAYS).
- $85.00 (RUSH SERVICE - 04-05 WORKING DAYS).

7) HOW TO PAY THE FEE?
PLEASE PREPARE TWO MONEY ORDERS PAYABLE TO "THE EMBASSY OF VIETNAM" AS FOLLOWS:

-SINGLE ENTRY, ONE-MONTH, REGULAR SERVICE:
- ONE MONEY ORDER OF $25.00 (MEMO LINE: VISA FEE).
- ONE MONEY ORDER OF $40.00 (MEMO LINE: REGULAR PROCESSING FEE).

-SINGLE ENTRY, ONE-MONTH, RUSH SERVICE:
- ONE MONEY ORDER OF $25.00 (MEMO LINE: VISA FEE).
- ONE MONEY ORDER OF $60.00 (MEMO LINE: RUSH PROCESSING FEE).

NOTE: ONE GROUP APPLYING TOGETHER CAN TURN IN TWO MONEY ORDERS (ONE FOR THE VISA FEE AND THE OTHER FOR THE PROCESSING FEE) FOR THE ENTIRE GROUP.

8) HOW TO SUBMIT?
- HOURS FOR DROP-OFF AND WALK-IN AT THE EMBASSY: 9:30-12:00 (MONDAY-FRIDAY)
- BY MAIL:
FOR THE SAFETY OF YOUR PAPER(S), PLEASE ONLY USE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING MAILING SERVICES WHICH PROVIDE TRACKING NUMBERS:
- EXPRESS MAIL (WWW.USPS.COM <HTTP://WWW.USPS.COM>)
- CERTIFIED MAIL
- PRIORITY MAIL WITH DELIVERY CONFIRMATIONPLEASE DO NOT USE OTHER MAILING SERVICES. APPLICANTS APPLYING TOGETHER MAY PROVIDE ONE ENVELOPE FOR VISAS TO BE RETURNED TO THE SAME ADDRESS.

9) WHERE TO SUBMIT?
CONSULAR SECTION
EMBASSY OF VIETNAM
1233 20TH STREET, NW
SUITE 400
WASHINGTON, DC 20036

10) IMMUNIZATION?
- NO INFORMATION AVAILABLE NOW, AND IT IS NOT REQUIRED.

11) CAN I GET A VISA AT THE AIRPORT?
- WITHOUT A PROPER ENTRY VISA, AIRLINERS WILL NOT ALLOW THE PASSENGER TO BOARD.
- PLEASE USE THE 5-DAY PROCEDURE DESIGNED TO ASSIST APPLICANTS UNDER TIME PRESSURE.

11) CAN I GET A VISA AT THE AIRPORT?
- WITHOUT A PROPER ENTRY VISA, AIRLINERS WILL NOT ALLOW THE PASSENGER TO BOARD.
- PLEASE USE THE 5-DAY PROCEDURE DESIGNED TO ASSIST APPLICANTS UNDER TIME PRESSURE.


That statement is not correct. As mentioned above, you can get a pre-arranged visa through a travel agent in VN. They will send you the confirmation letter and you show that at the airline counter when you check in. Set one up a few months back for a friend with no hassles.

My friend and travel companion lives in SF so I sent my passport down there to him. He'd already gone into the embassy to get his visa and reported a 1 day turnaround. I left the contact info blank. He had no problem dropping off and picking up my passport even though the photo didn't match. Again, a 1 day turnaround.

I was going to do the same for both of us and get Cambodian visas here in Seattle but there they issue visas good for only 30 days from issue not from entry. We'll just wait til we get to VN in 3 weeks.

Bisbee, note that what you can get at the airport is a pre-arranged visa, not a visa on arrival. If you don't have a visa in your passport or the print out verfying that you have a pre-arranged visa, you will not be allowed on the plane.

That's what I said. You can get a pre-arranged visa from an agent and they will send you the confirmation letter.

I'd still recommend the pre-arranged Visa as I'd be more worried about my passport getting lost than an airline not accepting my approval letter. Here's what I posted on an earlier thread about my wonderful experience with a pre-arranged visa:
.....
We don't plan very far in advance so for our Oct 2006 trip to Hanoi we used vietnamstay.com to apply for a "pre-arranged" Vietnam tourist visa. (They incorrectly call it Visa on Arrival though.) They offer 3-4 bus day normal processing and 1-2 day urgent processing for a fee that was less for us than Express Mailing our passports around and gave us mental comfort that we'd have our passport and Visa "Approval Letter" in time to fly to Vietnam.

Process: You can contact Vietnamstay via their website by completing their Visa Application Form, they email you a form/instructions and you FAX or scan/email your credit card details and signature. (We found this to be safe as did friends who used them a few years ago.) They will email back an "Approval Letter" stamped by Vietnam immigration that lists your port of entry, name, DOB, nationality passport number and the date of your arrival. You print this and bring it with you or you will not be allowed on the plane nor into the country.

We flew into Hanoi and had to complete the immigration doc like everyone else but then we had to go to a window that was on the wall to the left of all the immigration lines. We handed the agent our letter, passports, 2 photos each, $25 USD Stamping fee each (and maybe the immigration doc we just completed, but I can't recall exactly.) Seems like they only used one photo. The agent stuck the Visa over an entire passport page and we got into the immigration line with everyone else.

Quite simple really and for us it was less expensive than going via the Embassy in our country (China). We ended up paying $50 each = $25 to vietnamstay + $25 stamping fee to the gov't agent upon arrival.