Vietnam Visas Can Be Confusing
by理查德·德·安布罗西奥(Richard D’Ambrosio)/
In April 2016, the United States and Vietnam ratified an agreement permitting 12-month, multiple-entry visas for visitors to and from both countries. But according to recent reports, since then information has been confusing at times, and agents are being called in to ensure clients don’t experience any issues.
A recent article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution said that “once the new visa regulations went into effect, we found that 12-month visas were the only ones available, instead of the former 30-day visa option. And the fee had skyrocketed.”
Travel Market Report visited the Vietnam Embassy’swebsite, but it is not very helpful and we couldn’t find any pricing listed.
The website says simply that “visa fees must be in the form of MONEY ORDER, or CASHIER’S CHECK, or COMPANY CHECK payable to ‘EMBASSY OF VIETNAM.’ or Credit Card (Visa or MasterCard) if applying in person at the Embassy.”
According to the Journal Constitution article, the Washington, D.C., embassy cited a $220 fee via e-mail, but the Houston consulate quoted $200, and San Francisco, $185. A later email response from the San Francisco consulate “offered an $80 visa for a one-month, single-entry visit.”
Leslie Overton, executive vice president of Absolute Travel in New York, said she believes that the reason for the differences in price and length of visa is that a change in the fall now allows for the single-entry option. “I think Vietnam was trying to ffer a long-term visa like China and India do, but found that didn’t make sense for travelers,” Overton said.
Agents plan ahead for clients
越南政府和美国国务院建议旅行者在抵达之前直接从越南大使馆或领事馆获得签证,并警告美国公民有关潜在的骗局艺术家。
“这可能很棘手,因为有签证服务看起来正式,但事实并非如此,”经验式旅行设计师盖尔·沃尔兹(Gail Wolz)说,专门从事加利福尼亚州曼哈顿海滩旅行店的豪华冒险和文化假期。“确保您正在使用官方的大使馆网站以获取信息和应用程序。或其他选择是使用服务,但这不是必需的,您可能会为服务支付更高的费用。”
“I have folks getting their Vietnam visas right now for an upcoming trip in late February,” said Susan Morley, director of fun at Journeys Around the World, Flagstaff, AZ. “We’re going through a visa company (I like CIBT), so that's an added expense, but many like the convenience and assurance of knowing who is handling their passport and where they are in the process. Clients always complain about the visa costs and hassles (in South America, India and China too) but I haven't received any particular comments/issues at the moment.”
但不是每个人都能得到大使馆或consulate in person, and some are afraid to submit their passport to the embassy for validation of their identity and citizenship.
Visas on arrival
Many travelers arrange to receive their visa on arrival in Vietnam. “Getting it ahead of time is best,” said Susie Cleary Chau, founder at Dabble in Travel, Chicago. “But if you can't give up your passport then a visa on arrival is a good option.”
While the government of Vietnam has authorized some businesses and travel agencies to arrange for pre-approval for a “visa on arrival” at the airport, “some American citizens have reported being charged unexpectedly high fees and additional charges upon landing in Vietnam,” the U.S. State Department website warns.
“我在到达越南几次时获得了签证。如果您要飞往主要机场(河内,达南或nha trang),这很容易。” Cleary Chau说,尽管根据您的客户何时到达,可能会有很长的等待时间。”
其他经验丰富的代理商警告他们的同龄人更多地了解进入越南某些国家的细微差别,以保护客户免受不可预见的问题。
“签证很少直接,”洛杉矶麦迪逊维尔的SmartFlyer的Lila Ermel Fox说。“例如,如果您乘船(例如Aqua Mekong上)越过越南,则在离开祖国之前,您需要在护照上进行实体签证。如果您要在同一旅行中多次进入越南(例如,离开越南去泰国访问泰国并在回家前返回)。只是与代理商一起工作。”