Want to share some info about travel visa with all of you.

Visitors from the following countries do not require a visa and can stay for the following number of days.

 15 days: Denmark, Finland, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, Russia

 21 days: Philippines

 30 days: Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand

All other nationalities will require a visa in advance to visit Vietnam.

A single-entry tourist visa valid for 30 days costs US$70 (although exact fees vary depending on issuing country) and takes around 4-7 days to process; express visas take 2-3 days at twice the price. If purchasing your visa from the Vietnamese embassy in London, a 30-day single entry visa will cost you £44 (£59 for fast-track), while a 30 days multiple entry visa costs £70 (plus £8 postage if you need it posted back to you). A 30-day visa can also be obtained from the Vietnamese consulate in Battambang, Cambodia, at a cost of US$35, with visas taking 2-3 days to process, although exact entry and exit points have to be specified. In general, visas are now valid for all entry and exit points.

Jan 2011 - Vietnam Embassy in Bangkok charges 2,100 baht for a 30 day single entry visa. They only take baht. Same day processing or 4,700 Baht for a 3 month multiple entry (next day pick up).

As of November 2010, the Vietnamese Mission to the UN in New York City charges $80 for a 30-day single-entry visa. Cash or money order is accepted. Processing takes 6 business days. Expedited service (4 business days) is available for $110.

November 2010 - Vietnam Embassy in Canberra Australia charges $75 AUD ($74 US!) for a 30 day single entry visa.

Approx 3 days to process. Other consular services at this embassy have been reported as slow and costly (4 weeks for Ex-Vietnamese seeking 5 year Visa exceptions - and the passport must have 5 years of life left).

July 2010 - the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore charges $80 SGD ($62 USD) for a 30 day, single entry visa. 7 days to process.

Some Vietnamese Embassies offer a "While you wait service" (May 2008), where a single entry visa can be gained in 15 minutes. This service costs US$92, but is approved instantly. You are required to bring a valid passport, passport photo and cash payment (cards not accepted).

Embassies are recalcitrant in publishing a schedule of fees, as the relativity high visa cost is a source embarrassment, revenue, and a tourism deterrent (EU and USA). A slowdown in tourist number arrivals has been disguised by the removal of visa fees for certain nationalities (but not former Vietnamese) resulting in neighboring countries numbers filling the vacuum.

Foreign citizens of Vietnamese origin can apply for visa exemption that allows multiple entry for 3 months at a time which is valid for the duration of the passport.

An increasingly popular alternative is to arrange a visa on arrival, which is not only considerably cheaper but also alleviates the need for passports to be posted to the Vietnamese Embassy in the country of origin.

The term 'visa on arrival' is a bit of a misnomer in the case of Vietnam as a letter of approval has to be obtained before arrival. This is handled by a growing number of on-line agencies for a charge of $14-20 (in 2010), depending on the agency. Most agencies accept payment by credit card.

The agent - located in Vietnam - obtains from the Department of Immigration a letter of approval bearing the traveller's name, date of birth, nationality and passport number, and then forwards that letter to the traveller by email or fax, usually within three working days. After landing at one of the three international airports (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang) the traveller goes to the visa on arrival counter, presents the letter, fills in an additional form and receives an official stamp in his or her passport. A stamping fee of $25 is payable at the time - only US dollars are accepted (no other currency or credit card) and the notes must be in as-new condition or they will be refused. Two passport photos are also required.

Note that visas on arrival are not valid for border crossings and the official stamp can only be obtained at the three international airports. Therefore travellers arriving by land from Cambodia, Laos or China must be in possession of a full visa when they arrive at the border.

A third alternative, 'Visa by Code' appears to be another option [More references needed] where online approval is first obtained - with a code, then you take the passport to the Embassy for the visa to be 'stamped'. However it is reported local stamping fees makes it about the same cost of a regular visa.

Air Asia passengers travelling to Vietnam from Bangkok must present the letter of approval letter at check-in, otherwise no check-in!

Vietnam has moved away from the old A4 carbon copy arrival forms. Recently, they have started to use arrival/departure cards which are very similar to those found in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Keep the departure portion of this just as safe as your passport, as you will have to produce it when leaving the country to avoid a fine.

Depending on the present level of SARS, avian flu you may be subjected to a so-called health-check. There is no examination, though, but yet another form to fill in and, of course, another fee. If you can get hold of a handful of dong it is only 2000 dong per person, but they charge US$2 for the same "service" if you only have greenbacks!

By plane

Vietnam has international airports at Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang. Direct flights are available from Australia, Cambodia, China, France,Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Brunei, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia,Macau, Qatar, Turkey and the United States. However, non-stop long-distance flights are limited and most visitors transit via Bangkok, Hong Kong,Singapore, Malaysia and Taipei.

By train

There are direct international train services from Nanning and Beijing in China to Hanoi. Most require a change of trains at the border at Pingxiang/Dong Dang, but the Chinese-operated daily Nanning express (T871/MR2) runs through, although it still spends about four hours at the border for immigration.

The Kunming-Hanoi line was shut down by landslides in 2002 and, as of 2009, remains closed. There are no train links to

Cambodia.

By road

Cambodia

There are at least four border crossings between Cambodia and Vietnam that can be used by foreigners. These include:

 Bavet - Moc Bai

 Kaam Samnor - Vinh Xuong (in some guidebooks as Tonle Mekong. Near Chau Doc in Vietnam)

 Phnom Den - Tinh Bien

 Xa Xia, Vietnam/Prek Chak, Cambodia (Ha Tien crossing, Cambodian Visas not available)

The Vietnamese consulate in Sihanoukville issues 30 day tourist visas on a same-day basis.

China

There are three border crossings between China and Vietnam that can be used by foreigners:

 Dongxing - Mong Cai (by road; onward travel Mong Cai to Ha Long by sea or by road)

 Hekou - Lao Cai (by road and/or rail, but no international passenger train services)

 Youyi Guan - Huu Nghi Quan (Friendship Pass - by road and/or rail)

Laos

There are at least six border crossings between Laos and Vietnam that can be used by foreigners.

Be wary of catching local buses from Laos to Vietnam. Not only are they often crammed with cargo (coal and live chickens, often underfoot) but many buses run in the middle of the night, stopping for several hours in order to wait for the border to open at 7AM. Whilst waiting, you will be herded off the bus (for several hours) where you will be approached by pushy locals offering assistance in getting a Laos exit stamp in exchange for money (usually 5USD to more). If you bargain hard (tiring, at 4AM) you can get the figure down to about 2USD. The men will take your passports, which can be incredibly disconcerting, but will actually provide the service they promise. It is unclear whether you can just wait for the border officials to do this. There is also a VIP bus from Savannakhet.

These include:

 Donsavanh - Lao Bao

 Kaew Neua - Cau Treo (Keo Nua Pass)

 Nam Can

 Tay Trang

Source: www.wikitravel.org.

For more info about travel visa, you may visit www.evisaasia.com.