shelleyk

sd-You are correct. I found that wording on the Embassy website. But it seems as if that rule is being ignored by the Vietnamese government as they are granting thousands of VOA's at the airports, and there are no reports of anyone being turned away once they have a legitimate preapproved VOA letter. I don't quite know what to make of a government regulation that is being ignored, but that seems to be the case.

crellston

My apologies for my badly worded post. Of course it is the embassies, not you who are misleading people. As I indicated in my original post the embassies have carte Blanche to charge what they want for visas and obviously "encourage" people to obtain visas through them as it is ready source of income for them so they have no interest in seeing people choose the cheaper, more efficient option. I called the embassy in London twice to find out the cost of a visas and was given a different price each time, both of which were different from the rate shown on their website.

Shelleyk, it is not the Vietnamese government ignoring the rules as it is they that set the rules. The embassies are simply ignoring the rule putting out misinformation for their own benefit. The Vietnamese government is making a concerted effort to attract tourists as numbers, particularly repeat visitors have been reducing in recent year with many surveys citing difficulties and expense in obtaining visas and slow immigration procedures being high on the list of reasons. As a result stamping fees have been reduced and a number of EU countries have been added to the list of those who don't need a visa for stays of less than 15 days. I agree that it does seem a haphazard approach but I guess that is par for the course in government in developing nations!

LancasterLad

@ Crellston<<<Shelleyk, it is not the Vietnamese government ignoring the rules as it is they that set the rules. The embassies are simply ignoring the rule putting out misinformation for their own benefit.>>>

Agree 200 zillion %.

Shanghainese

Shelleyk: Did you go the VOA route? How much advance time before your trip did you apply? Thanks.

shelleyk

No, we did not. DH decided that with a 22 hour flight, and having to leave our home 5 hours before the flight departed, for a total of 27 hours, he wanted to get to the hotel ASAP.

FYI- It is recommended that you apply for a VOA letter several weeks before your trip, although the VOA letter can be received in 2 days business days (or in 8 hours if you pay more).

I got our looseleaf visa from the NYC consulate for $80 each. With the Fedex fee both ways I knowingly overpaid by $100 for the 2 visas. But to us it's worth it not having to wonder how long we might have to wait for the processing at the airport. If we had a shorter flight I definitely would have gone the VOA route and saved the $100.

HappyTrvlr

We bought multiple entry visas at their UN area office in NY a few years ago. I think it was around $100. each.

LancasterLad

If people want to pay more than they need to, then that's their human right. For the rest of us there's a far more simple, cheaper,quicker,and reliable path to follow.

Kathie

Hi Shelley, I understand the issue. Just one tip: I have stopped using Fed Ex for visas and use USPS Priority Mail. You still get tracking, for about US$6 each way.

shelleyk

That's good to know. Thanks Kathie.

Shanghainese

Thanks, Shelley.