In case you decide to travel to a neighboring country, you will have to bear the expenses on travel and accommodation. At the embassy, you will have to fill up the Visa application form. Along with the form, you will have to submit one recent passport sized photograph, a self-addressed envelope and your original passport. Besides submitting the documents, you will have to pay the Visa fees. These fees can be paid in favor of the Embassy of Vietnam by way of money order or cashier’s check.
The embassy will take at least five working days, after which you will be issued a fully stamped Visa. Although this procedure offers you the benefit of getting hold of a fully stamped Visa before leaving for Vietnam, it is quite expensive and time consuming.
If you decide to apply for Visa to Vietnam through correspondence, you will have to send in all your documents through postal mail. This means you stand to lose your valuable documents, including your original passport, in case your package is misplaced or lost in transit.
The easier, faster and more convenient way is the Visa on Arrival procedure. In order to apply for Visa on Arrival, you will have to get in touch with a travel agent based in Vietnam. You will be required to fill an online application form on the agent’s website. You will have to key in details such as your name, occupation, duration of stay, purpose of stay. When filling up the purpose of stay section, you will have to choose from options such as business, tourist and transit. A business Visa will give you a validity of one month, three months and six months. A tourist Visa will give you a validity of one month and a transit Visa will give you a validity of less than five days.
The online form will be processed in two or three days, after which you will be issued a letter of approval. On reaching Vietnam, you will have to submit this letter of approval at the Visa on Arrival counter of the airport you arrive in. Along with the letter, you will also have to pay the Visa stamping fees to collect your Visa on Arrival document.
It is to be noted that the Visa on Arrival facility is extended only to those travelers who arrive in Vietnam by air. For those taking land routes, it is mandatory that they carry all their documents with them while travelling.
