Vietnam Visa U.S. Citizen August 2016 Stamping Fee Increase

Obviously I am a “visa virgin” because so far the Vietnam visa experience has diminished my desire to travel there.  Now I know firsthand that getting a visa can be one of the more time consuming and complicated aspects of travelling. Rules often change depending on where you want to go, how you get there and where you come from. Turning to the internet for help often washes up outdated, incomplete or – worst of all – wrong information what makes the whole process even more frustrating.  

Should we get a Full Visa Stamp or Visa on Arrival?

I have never traveled to a country that requires a visa.  In April 2016, when I booked my upcoming Vietnam travel, I researched the Vietnam visa requirements.  Not very reassuring.   We had two options:  1) Getting a “full visa stamp” in advance from the Vietnam Embassy / Consulate, or 2) Getting a “Visa on Arrival” (VOA) <since I was arriving by plane>.  When you google Vietnam visa, the numerous results are mostly for the VOA.  However, their incorrect grammar/spelling and varying fees combined with long, unknown wait times upon arrival at the airport made me skeptical of the VOA.  I reached out to both the Washington DC Embassy and the San Francisco Consulate for help.  For whatever reason, their websites give all the instructions of how to obtain a visa but do not provide fees.  My email asked two questions:  1) which visa process is better, and 2) what are the visa fees.  Both agencies replied that they strongly recommend using their service, and the VOA” is only for emergencies”.

April 2016 Comparison of fees for VOA vs. Visa (per person) – 1-time/30 day entry:

VOA:  $45 total (~$20 approval letter fee + $25 airport stamping fee)

Visa:  $80

I’ll leave out the comparison of the pros/cons of my options, and get straight to my decision:  I ended my research choosing to save a few bucks by using VOA.  With the majority of the work done and my timeframe set, the chore of applying for a visa/VOA went to the back burner since it was too soon to get a visa for travel in November.

Fast forward to September, and my quickly approaching trip:  During a swift refresher through my bookmarked websites, I come to a screeching halt… Somewhere buried in one of the websites was an updated report:  As of August 25, 2016, U.S. citizens’ only visa option is a 1-year visa – to the tune of ~$170 VOA or $220 visa.   Whhhaaaat????  I frantically searched websites for current, accurate information about this new rule that was instituted a mere two weeks ago, and was dismayed that most of the VOA websites have no mention of it.  I turned again to the Embassy / Consulate for help, and thankfully they provide quick, accurate replies.  I chuckled at the statements I received back, including “under a new reciprocal agreement” and “it may seem unreasonable”… yes, it is cut-throat, eye-for-an-eye, and yes, quadrupling fees is unreasonable!

Out of curiosity, I looked up what Vietnamese citizens have to pay to visit the United States.  They too only have a 1-year visa option.  They too pay an outrageous fee:  $160.  However, they definitely have it much worse than us if it is a first-time visa … they have to be interviewed at a U.S. Embassy, and there are only two locations in all of Vietnam.

Panic starts to set in as my mind gets a classic case of the “What Ifs”.  Even though I am awake, I am having nightmares of arriving in Ho Chi Minh City airport following my original decision of getting a visa on arrival:  Exhausted after traveling for over 24 hours and standing an hour in a mob of people to be informed in broken English that I have to shell out an additional $220 cash ($110 per person) – I’m certain that would be my breaking point.  The words “immediate deportation” frighten me.  I am singing a new tune now, and going the safe but expensive route of getting a visa from the Vietnam Consulate in San Francisco!

With the big decision made, the next question is whether or not to send the Consulate our passports.  Conveniently, they allow you to send a copy of your passport.  It seems like a no-brainer … why take a risk and mail my passport when I don’t have to?  However, afraid the “loose leaf visa” could get lost during our travels, we resorted to mailing our passports. 

Visa Required Documents (and related fees):

1.        Application form – completed then printed at http://visa.mofa.gov.vn
2.        Original passport
3.        1 color passport photo (attached to application) [$4.99/4 each at Costco]
4.        Cashier’s check for $185* per visa [$5.00 check fee]*San Francisco Consulate quoted me $185 vs. Washington DC Embassy’s quote for $220
5.        Pre-paid return envelope (with tracking, recommended) [$6.45 Priority Mail 1-day with $50 insurance and tracking included*]*Our post office counter can only sell pre-paid tracking on Express Mail/$22, but we could buy the Priority Mail stamp at the machine in the lobby.

We used Priority Mail [$6.45] to send the completed package. 

Total Spent on two visas:  $397.90

Vietnam Visa Required Documents

[I will update this post if/when our travel documents arrive safety back to us.]

Update:  After 2 weeks, our passports arrived safely home with our new visas attached!  We mailed them on a Saturday afternoon.  According to tracking, they arrived to the Consulate on Monday afternoon.  The Consulate processed them for 5 business days, and the return trip home took 3 days.

Our new Vietnam Visas!

We also need a visa for Cambodia but that process is cheap and easy, and hasn’t changed every few months.

Visa on Arrival Useful Information:

•           Google:  “tripadvisor Vietnam FAQ Visa on Arrival” for a summary of the process
•           Use this reliable website which has good reviews and helpful information:  https://www.vietnam-evisa.org/
•           At Ho Chi Minh City /Tan Son Nhat International Airport expect a wait of anywhere between 15 minutes to 2 hours, despite the time of day.
•           Upon arrival, look for the sign:  “LANDING VISA”.  The VOA window is situated at the far end on the left as you enter the immigration hall. Do not join any lines for Immigration Control. 
•           When you get to the Landing Visa window, be prepared to hand over your passport, ONE completed N1 Form*, the pre-purchased letter of approval and ONE passport size photo.  *The N1 form is available at the airport or in advance at http://visa.mofa.gov.vn (see # 1 under Visa Required Documents, above).
•           Do not expect passports to be returned in the order that they were presented at the window. 
•           Tip: If there are two of you – and a long line at immigration control - after you have handed in your paperwork, consider having one of you stand in line for immigration control.