Visas are still an expensive aspect of travelling to Vietnam.
DO ensure that you apply for a visa well in advance. If you do so from outside Asia, it may take even longer. Ask for a multiple entry visa (same price, but not always granted) or at least a double entry visa.
DON'T forget to arm yourself with a sheaf of passport photos: vital for visa applications and useful for other official dealings within Vietnam.
DO check for up-to-date information: regulations change frequently, as do visa lengths and prices. Once you are on your way to Vietnam, usually on the flight or when you arrive at the airport, you will be asked to fill in an entry/exit form and to keep a (yellow) copy.
DON'T lose this form, you may need it to open a bank account or show an officious hotel receptionist and if you do mislay it, you may have to fill out another one before you leave the country.
DO beware of the double dating system. Your visa will contain a termination date and your passport will most likely be stamped with a permit to stay until… date. These two dates are rarely identical! And, of course, the earlier of the two is the one that counts.
In case of staying for work in Vietnam;
DON'T leave home or lose a copy of your employment contract or an official letter from the company or agency as this is required for issuance and extensions of your visa.
DO contact the Immigration Police in Hanoi or Hochiminh City for extension of your tourist visa. A long-term visa must be renewed, although, in special circumstances, it can be extended for a few days. However, if you need to change visa category (for instance, from a tourist visa to a business visa), you will have to leave the country in order to get the new visa issued.
If you plan to leave Vietnam during your visit, for example to visit a neighboring country and then to return to Vietnam, DO make sure that it says multiple entry or double entry on your visa, or you will not get back into Vietnam without a fresh visa!
If you know where you wish to enter or exit Vietnam (other than at the three international airports in Hanoi, Da Nang, and Hochiminh City), BEFORE you apply for your visa, DON'T forget to specify these border crossings so that they can be added to your visa. Otherwise, you can have them added from within Vietnam, but with a little more hassle – and money, of course.
From my direct experience, I warn you from using myvietnamvisa.com. This is the most awful service you can get. I was unlucky enough to use them. Upon arrival in Hanoi I only got 15 days visa, and I'm an American citizen. If you use any other service, you get 30 days but with myvietnamvisa.com it is only 15 days as they seek to save on their fees while charging you a full price. Immigration office refused to extend my visa because it was processed by this agency. When i contacted myvietnamvisa.com, those rude people weren't wiling to help. I had to book an expensive flight out of Vietnam at last moment and my vacation was ruined because of this awful agency.
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