Experience on arrival in Vietnam using visa-on-arrival

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  1. #1

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    Experience on arrival in Vietnam using visa-on-arrival

    I was prepared to go to the Vietnam embassy in HK to apply for tourist visas for my family (all British). We've visited Vietnam before.
    Most of the information online directs me to apply online to get a visa on arrival. It looks straight-forward but I've just heard from a friend that she stood in a queue for an hour when she arrived recently in Vietnam on a similar visa.
    As we only have two hours between arrival and a connecting domestic flight (which means any delay could make it very tight) I'm thinking it's better to go to the Embassy and just get our visas done before we go.
    Has anyone had any recent experience? Thanks


  2. #2

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    With the 'pre-approval letter' which you can get online through numerous agencies (all charging different prices), you still need to queue with the letter, and present more cash, and a photo, to get the visa. If you already have the visa, I guess you only need to queue once to get the entry stamp. In the past, I have just got the visa from the consulate (in Wanchai?), as I didn't think the online one would save me either time or money when entering Vietnam. I think when getting the Vietnam Visa, you need to state the date when you intend to enter the country.


  3. #3

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    Faster with visa ready than on arrival as they are very slow and not well staffed. The vietnam consulate can provide same day process for 800hkd (prices might have gone up).


  4. #4

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    YUP - I second the "get it in advance" route too.


  5. #5

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    Thanks, that was my gut feeling, just wanted some feedback! Also, are they really pedantic about photo size? I've got loads of 4 x 5 photos but they need 4 x 6


  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by MovingIn07:
    YUP - I second the "get it in advance" route too.
    I third that.

    Quote Originally Posted by Satay Sue:
    Also, are they really pedantic about photo size? I've got loads of 4 x 5 photos but they need 4 x 6
    Several years ago the consulate office staff was pedantic about that point when I applied there (for subsequent visa applications I just submitted the 'right-sized ones' just to save time).

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by Satay Sue:
    I was prepared to go to the Vietnam embassy in HK to apply for tourist visas for my family (all British). We've visited Vietnam before.
    Most of the information online directs me to apply online to get a visa on arrival. It looks straight-forward but I've just heard from a friend that she stood in a queue for an hour when she arrived recently in Vietnam on a similar visa.
    As we only have two hours between arrival and a connecting domestic flight (which means any delay could make it very tight) I'm thinking it's better to go to the Embassy and just get our visas done before we go.
    Has anyone had any recent experience? Thanks
    Yup, can confirm that as I was just there two weeks ago. Because I've been traveling a lot, we didn't have a chance to get over to the consulate beforehand (pedantic comment: not an embassy in HK!) to get the free pass. We were guided over to the queue were we waited for almost two hours. Not fun - the Vietnamese are great, but the visa folks are just what you would expect from a Soviet model socialist country - not terribly interested in doing their jobs. There was lots of cigarette smoking and tea drinking among the half dozen people behind the counter in the sparlking new international terminal at Tanh Son Naht. Several people became panic stricken because they, also, had connecting flights. Tough luck.

    The rest of our time in Vietnam was great, since we no longer had any contact with government employees. Have fun.

  8. #8

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    Just to follow up, I got to the Consulate this morning at 9.55am...and was done at 10am! Noone waiting. Pick up on Monday (3 working days). HKD990 for 3 of us (including Mini-S).