Travel to Vietnam

[JamesMichael]

When I look at the map the nearest beaches to Udon tThani appear to be in Vietnam not Rayong. Has anyone taken a vehicle from Udon through Laos to Vietnam? Making the road from Korat to Cabin Buri four lane has made it worse not better, way more traffic.Used to be a 9 or 10 hr drive now it's 12 to 14 hrs. to Ban Phe .

[tamada]

I recall the biggest problem for such a sortie is a prohibition on RH drive vehicles in Vietnam. Not sure if that's changed.

Other drivers is the reason I fly/drive to both Rayong or Nha Trang.

[Laan Yaa Mo]

Is there a Rayong in Vietnam too?

[tabanaac]

What are the visa requirements for a Canadian going to Vietnam.
I want to go for about 2 weeks, just on holiday.

[tamada]

What are the visa requirements for a Canadian going to Vietnam.
I want to go for about 2 weeks, just on holiday.

Canadians need a visa.

Vietnamese immigration have an online eVisa site. Single-entry with validity of up to 90-days for US$25. It states 3 working days turnaround. This is valid for entry at many airports, ports AND land border crossings. However, I recall you need to state your point of entry during the application process.

https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/trang-chu-ttdt

You can also get a visa on arrival by applying and paying for it online in advance of travel. There's no official gov.vn website for this, as it's handled by approved online travel and visa agencies. You apply, pay their service fee and generally within a working day, you receive via email the official vn.gov VoA pre-approval letter which you need to print out. You need this to show at check-in to board the plane departing Bangkok. On arrival ion Vietnam, you proceed with your passport and letter to the VoA desk, complete their application form, submit and wait in the area while they process it. They will page you, confirm your ID, charge you for the actual visa (US$25 for 30-day, single-entry, cash US$ is still preferred) and then you proceed to the actual Immigration desks and get stamped in.

For Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon (SGN), if you are lucky and your flight arrives when it is quiet, it can take as little as five minutes. If you are unlucky and find yourself behind the likes of a 777-load, you will need patience. Not with the surly visa office staff, but with the largely clueless travellers who front up with the wrong paperwork or no cash money or can't sit and wait but lurk around the service windows thinking it will speed things up. For Hanoi (HAN), it's quieter and the staff are more pleasant and forgiving if you forgot the US$ as I did once. They were happy to accept my payment in several local currencies. But that was in the evening, and it was quiet so not empirical by any means.

With the Vietnamese tourism expansion, there's now eight international airports that can process VoA so if your itinerary starts in (say) Da Nang or Nha Trang, the procedures can also be done there.

This is one of the approved agencies with comprehensive info.

https://www.vietnam-visa.com/how-vietna ... val-works/

[tabanaac]

Thanks for the info

[tamada]

My usual method up until before Covid was the VoA, hence the detail. You can also apply at either the Vietnamese Consulate in Khon Kaen (never tried but enquired and they said it was same-day "if not busy") and their embassy on Thanon Witthayu in Bangkok. Been there, done that, and always a 2-day job involving standing around in the hot sun.

Note that the embassy-issued visa and VoA results in a 1-page sticker type visa, which may be an issue for those with limited pages. I have no idea on the eVisa stamps or stckers but several regional countries where I have used their eVisa systems, it's a postage stamp-sized visa sticker + the entry/exit stamps. Much tidier.