Congratulations on your interest in visiting Vietnam. Help us design your trip through Vietnam, discovering the hidden charms. Here are general guidelines to assist you in obtaining a visa and to help you understand the entry and customs procedures you will follow upon your arrival in Vietnam. More Fun Travel is pleased to be your travel partner and we look forward to seeing you real soon!
With the exception of travelers visiting from a few neighboring countries, all non-Vietnamese passport holders are required to have a visa in order to enter Vietnam. Single or multiple entry tourist visas are valid for 30 days. For longer stays there are specific instructions and application procedures that must be followed. Contact us and we will give you further assistance if you intend to remain in Vietnam longer than 30 days.
Vietnam has granted a visa exemption to citizens of these countries:
In addition, citizens from the following countries are exempt from applying for a 15-day tourist visa:
Again, for stays longer than 15 days there are specific instructions and application procedures that must be followed.
Visitors can obtain a tourist visa in one of two ways.
In countries that have a Vietnamese embassy or consulate, prospective travelers to Vietnam should summit the application form and photos to that respective Vietnamese embassy or consulate. Upon receipt of the completed application and other requirements, it will normally take three-five working days for the visa to be processed and approved; assuming the application was accurately completed and all other requirements were met.
For the most current visa requirements including applicable fees, and to download a visa application form, you can visit the official website for the embassy or consulate located in your country and/or closest to you.
For travelers visiting from Australia
For travelers visiting from England
For travelers visiting from U.S.A.
General guidelines for obtaining a visa directly from an embassy/consulate
This is the most traditional way to obtain a visa and though it is rather simple, it isn’t the easiest, quickest or even the most economical way to obtain a visa.
More Fun Travel note – Should you request a particular visa it is possible that you will not be issued that particular visa and your visa may be downgraded i.e. instead of a 3 month visa you may be issued a 1 month visa, instead of a multiple entry visa, you may be issued a single entry visa. In these circumstances, contact us and we will assist you and explain other alternatives that are legal and convenient.
Travelers visiting Vietnam can also obtain a visa upon arrival when they are booking some or all of their travel through a Vietnamese travel agency of tour operator that is located within Vietnam. Using a simple form, you will give your travel agent or tour operator sufficient information which they will provide to the immigration department on your behalf in order for you to receive an authorization letter to obtain a visa upon arrival. This can normally be completed within two-three working days.
General guidelines for obtaining a visa upon arrival
Once obtained, the authorization letter will be e-mailed to you by your travel agent/tour operator. Please assure that you print a copy of this authorization letter and also save a copy of the letter in your e-mail files so you may remotely access the letter from a computer other than your personal one.
The letter will be required at two separate locations when you travel. You will be required to present this form upon check-in at the airport when you begin your flight(s) to Vietnam. As this is a newer procedure to obtain a visa when traveling to Vietnam, some airlines may require you to complete a simple release of liability form in order to allow you to board their aircraft. The letter will also be required at the entry/immigration office at the airport. Do not assume that the entry/immigration office will have a copy of your letter in a computer database.
Receiving a visa upon arrival is ideal for travelers without a Vietnamese embassy/consulate in their own country, for those that are booking late or on short notice, and for those wishing to eliminate paper work and wanting convenience. In most instances it is the quickest and the most economical way to obtain a visa.
More Fun Travel note – For Vietnamese living abroad and for others that may be using a Vietnamese travel agent or tour operator located overseas, please ask if visa service is included in the cost of your airline ticket. Most times it will be included in your ticket price quote. These travel agents and tour operators may have special agreements with the embassies and consulates that help alleviate some of the paper work and will expedite the visa approval time. Still others may have a relationship with travel agents/tour operators in Vietnam and may provide you an authorization letter for visa upon arrival. More Fun Travel believes our clients should get the best value for their money and hope you won’t pay twice for visa service. Please ask.
*** Special hassle free offer, exclusively for clients of More Fun Travel ***
You are not just our client, while visiting Vietnam you’re our guest. And so in order to make your preparations and your trip to Vietnam more economical and more comfortable, we are pleased to inform you that we will provide you an authorization letter for visa upon arrival absolutely free. This is an exclusive offer for clients who have booked a tour(s) with More Fun Travel.
For those traveling on short notice, not only can we pull together a tour and book all of your travel arrangements on short notice we can also expedite your authorization letter for visa upon arrival and have it within 1 working day. We normally charge US $100 per person for this expedited service, but as a client of More Fun Travel we will discount that fee by 50%. You will save US $50 per person, because you’re our client. *In both cases you will still be required to pay the current visa fee charged by immigration/entry in order to receive your visa upon arrival.
Now when you see a ‘cheap’ airfare to Vietnam pop-up on your computer, you will know that the savings will only continue when you use More Fun Travel. With the savings offered by our Price Match Guarantee, along with our free/discounted visa services, there’s no reason for you not to discover the hidden charms Vietnam has to offer.
Entry and customs procedures:
Prior to entering Vietnam, travelers will be required to fill out and complete an entry and customs declaration form. A new form (CHY 2000) is currently being used for both entry and exit procedures. These forms will be provided to you by the airline during your final flight into Vietnam and they are printed in Vietnamese and English. Please use the time on the flight to complete the form in order that your processing time upon arrival will be quick and convenient.
Upon arrival in Vietnam, if you already have your visa you can proceed directly to the immigration/entry counters and present your passport, visa and your CHY 2000 entry and customs declaration form. If you are receiving your visa upon arrival you will proceed to the immigration/entry office window and present them the authorization letter and your passport. They will present you with another simple for to fill out and complete. After completing this additional form (verifies your actual travel corresponds with what was previously authorized) you will present them with the form and the applicable fee and they will return your passport with the visa already attached inside. At this point, you may precede to the immigration/entry counters and present your passport (visa attached inside) and your CHY 2000 entry and customs declaration form.
Once you have cleared the immigration/entry counter you will proceed to the baggage claim area and retrieve all of your baggage. (Luggage carts are available for your convenience as are airport employees who can assist you for tips/fee). After collecting all of your baggage you will proceed directly through customs and present your CHY 2000 entry and customs declaration form. Your baggage may/may not be scanned for security purposes and your form will be returned to you. Please keep this form in a safe place as you will need it upon your departure. (Should you lose it during your stay in Vietnam, upon checking in with your airline at the airport, request a new one that you can fill out and give to customs upon your departure prior to going through security.)
General guidelines for clearing immigration/entry and customs
To help you through the customs procedures quickly, please be certain to complete the CHY 2000 in its entirety. You should write down and declare:
Forbidden items that cannot be brought into Vietnam include: weapons, munitions, explosives and flammables, fire-crackers of all kinds, opium and drugs, toxic chemicals, cultural materials unsuitable to Vietnamese society (pornographic and/or seditious publications, films and photos), and toys that may be deemed harmful to children.
When leaving Vietnam, visitors are not allowed to take weapons, munitions, explosives, drugs, antiques, live wild animals, rare plants, and documents related to the national security of Vietnam. Travelers violating any of these terms will be punished by Vietnamese laws.
All in all, with normal baggage delivery times, it is possible to obtain a visa upon arrival, clear immigration/entry and clear customs in less than 30 minutes. Your cooperation in assuring you have all the required documents and forms will only help you clear the process quicker and assure you have a more comfortable trip.
Be aware that passport numbers, issue/expiration dates and issue location are all fields to be completed on the CHY 2000 entry and customs declaration form. Familiarize yourself with your passport and keep your passport in a convenient but safe place on your flight into Vietnam.
More Fun Travel note – You will be asked to provide an address of a hotel or other place you intend to stay at while in Vietnam when filling out the CHY 2000. Writing an address of one of your hotels or your relative/family on a sticky note and putting it in your passport prior to departure will make completing this form more simple. Or if you forget to do this, simply fill-in the address of More Fun Travel – it’s at the bottom of each page of your itinerary.
