Visitors going to Vietnam must show a valid Vietnam visa before being allowed into the country. A visa may be requested from a Vietnamese embassy near you, or may be sourced through a reliable travel agency.

Compared to other Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam is a tougher nut to crack where visas are concerned. The rules and costs vary widely depending on the issuing embassy or consulate.

The Bangkok embassy, for example, can take your payment and process your visa on the very same day charging 1000 Baht (US$50 in its dollar equivalent; no other currency is accepted). The San Francisco consulate takes five days and $65 to do the same thing.

The information presented here may change without prior notice, so double-check with the nearest Vietnamese embassy before applying for your visa.

Most visitors to Vietnam will need a visa to enter the country, with a few exceptions. ("List of visa exemption agreements between Vietnam and foreign countries", Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs.) Citizens from ASEAN countries are permitted to enter without applying for a visa, and other countries have made similar arrangements for their citizens.

Citizens of the following countries may stay, visa-free, for no more than 30 days: Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore Citizens of the Philippines may stay, visa-free, for no more than 21 days. Citizens of the following countries may stay, visa-free, for no more than 15 days: Denmark, Finland, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Sweden

If you are not a citizen of any of these countries, you must apply for a visa at a nearby Vietnamese embassy.

In the United States, you may apply at the Vietnamese embassy in Washington, DC if you're on the East Coast, or at the Vietnamese consulate in San Francisco if you're on the West Coast. (For other embassies around the world, look here: select Vietnam embassies.)

Tourist visas are available for a maximum 30-day stay, with the option to extend your visa for another 30 days upon your arrival in Vietnam.

To get a Vietnam tourist visa from your nearest Vietnam embassy or consulate, download the visa form from the local embassy's website and fill it up.

At the Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate in the U.S., you'll be required to present:

Your original passport - valid for six months more after the planned trip, and with vacant pages for the full-page visa stamp One completed visa application form One 2"x2" passport-sized photo attached firmly to the space provided on the application form A money order or Cashier's check payable to the processing mission. The Embassy asks that you call them to ask for the current fees, although the rates are common knowledge among travelers (see the next page, the section titled "Fees for Vietnam Visas").

More details are available on their website: "Instructions on Visa Application to Vietnam", Consulate General of Vietnam in San Francisco.

Business visas are available for business visitors (if you're investing in a business in Vietnam, or if you're arriving for work). Vietnam business visas are valid for six months and allow multiple entries.

The requirements for a Vietnam business visa are identical to those for the tourist visa, with the addition of a Business Visa Approval Form from your sponsor in Vietnam. You cannot get this form from the Embassy or the Consulate - your sponsor must get it from officials in Vietnam.

Diplomatic and official visas are issued for visitors with government and diplomatic business. Holders of diplomatic and service passports will be granted these visas, which are free of charge.

The requirements for these visas are similar to those for the business visa, with the addition of a note verbale from the concerned agency, foreign mission, or international organization.

Jason D. of Vietnam Visa Center warns that the authorities in Vietnam are quite strict about overstaying tourists. “Overstaying your visa is a big problem here,” explains Jason. “Even overstaying your visa by a day will involve a costly fine.

“If someone overstays their visa and tries to exit the country overland, many travelers will be asked to go back to the airport and sort out the issue with the immigration authorities there,” warns Jason. “The immigration officers may be lenient but others may charge anywhere from US$30 - US$60 a day.”

If you’re not sure how long you’ll need to travel around Vietnam, Jason suggests that you get a longer-term visa to begin with. “Getting a three-month visa - multiple or single - would allow travelers plenty of time to get around Vietnam without worrying about overstaying,” he explains.

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