In case you decide to travel to an embassy location in a neighboring country, you will have to bear the expenses on travel and accommodation. At the embassy, you will be asked to fill up the Visa application form. Along with the duly filled form, you will have to submit one recent passport sized photograph, one self-addressed envelope and your original passport. Besides submitting these 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.
Your documents will be processed by the embassy in a period not less than five working days. Once the documents are processed, you will be issued a fully stamped Visa. The biggest benefit of applying for Visa through the embassy is that you can get hold of a fully stamped Visa before your departure to Vietnam. However, you will have to pay several visits to the embassy before the process is complete. Also, your documents will be forwarded by postal mail, which means you could lose your documents if your package is misplaced or lost in transit.
An easier alternative to this method is Visa on Arrival. In order to apply for Visa on Arrival, you will have to first get in touch with a travel agent based in Vietnam. You will be required to fill an online application form with details such as your name, occupation, purpose of visit, duration of stay etc. While filling up the purpose of visit section, you will have to choose from options such as business, tourist and transit. The business Visa offers a validity of one month, three months and six months. A tourist Visa offers a validity of one month and transit Visa comes with a validity of less than five days.
The online application will be processed in a couple of days after which you will be issued a letter of approval. The letter of approval can be collected by your travel agent and it can be forwarded to you. On reaching Vietnam, you will have to submit this letter of approval at the Visa on Arrival counter of the airport you arrive in to collect your Visa on Arrival. Along with the letter, you will have to pay the Visa stamping fees.
The Visa on Arrival facility is available only to those travelers who arrive in Vietnam by air. If you are taking a land route, you must carry all your documents with you.
