Vietnam Visa Tip

1. Tourist visas allow visitors to enter and exit Vietnam at Hanoi, HCMC and Danang airportsor at any of its twelve land borders, three each with Cambodia and China, and six with Laos.

2. Only citizens of certain countries can visit Vietnam without Vietnam Visa.Those countries include: most citizens of ASEAN countries are no need Vietnam entry visa for visiting Vietnam within 30 days; citizens of Korea, Japan & Scandinavians (Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland passport holders) are no need visa to Vietnam for visiting Vietnam within 15 days. All other citizens are required to get Visa Vietnam before departure (Vietnam entry visa issued prior to departure by Vietnamese consulates or embassies) or a pre-approved Vietnam Visa (visa is issued on arrival at Vietnam International Airports) supplied before arrival in Vietnam.

3. Tourist visas are valid for a single 30-day stay.The government often talks about issuing visas on arrival to certain favored nationalities, but as yet this sensible scheme has failed to materialize. Arranging the paperwork for a Vietnamese visa has become fairly straightforward, but it remains expensive and unnecessarily time-consuming.

4. It is possible to arrange a visa on arrival through a Vietnamese travel agent.They will need passport details in advance and will send a confirmation for the visa to be issued at your airport of arrival. In Asia the best place to pick up a Vietnamese visa is Cambodia, where it cost around US $30 and can be arranged the same day. Bangkok is also a popular place as many agents offer cheap packages with an airline ticket and visa thrown in.

5. If you plan to spend more than a month in Vietnam, or if you plan to exit Vietnam and enter again from Cambodia or Laos, arrange a three-month multiple-Visa.This cost around US$95 in Cambodia, but is not available from all Vietnamese embassies. In our experience personal appearance influences the reception you receive from airport immigration - if you wear shorts or scruffy clothing, look dirty or unshaven, you can expect problems. Try your best to look 'respectable'.