• Apply through embassy
Since Turkmenistan does not have an Embassy of Vietnam, you will have to either travel to a neighbouring country or apply for Visa through postal mail. In case you decide to travel to the embassy location, you will have to bear the expenses on travel and accommodation. At the embassy, you will be asked to fill the Visa application form. Along with the 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 also have to pay the Visa fees. The fees can be paid in favour of the Embassy of Vietnam by way of money order or cashier’s check.
The embassy will take at least five working days to process your documents. Once the documents are processed, you will be sent a fully stamped Visa. Although this procedure allows you to get a fully stamped Visa in your hands before leaving for Vietnam, there are certain drawbacks in this procedure. You will have to travel back and forth to the embassy location quite a few times. This can be quite expensive and also time consuming.
In case you decide to apply for Visa through correspondence, you will have to send across all your documents via postal mail. This is quite risky as you could lose all your documents if your package is misplaced or lost in transit.
• Apply for Visa on Arrival
The Visa on Arrival process is easier, faster and more convenient. You can get in touch with a travel agent based in Vietnam to apply for Visa on Arrival. You can fill the Visa application form online on the agent’s website. You will be required to fill in details such as your name, occupation, duration of stay, purpose of visit etc. While filling up the purpose of visit section, you will have to choose from options such as business, tourist and transit. A business Visa comes with a validity of one month, three months and six months. A tourist Visa offers a validity of one month and a transit Visa offers a validity of less than five days.
Once your application form is processed, you will be issued a letter of approval. This letter of approval needs to be submitted at the Visa on Arrival counter of the airport you arrive in. Along with the letter you will have to submit the Visa stamping fees.
