AMA Vietnam

[freddie]

There is another very good alternative to sending your passport off to a service or the Vietnamese Embassy for the visa. It is called "Visa on Arrival" and allows you to obtain your visa stamp upon arrival at the airport in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). It is a several step process: Fill out the online application and pay the fee. Receive by email a scanned approval letter. Take a printed copy of the letter and your passport to the visa stamping desk at the airport, where a stamping fee (I think that it's $25 for single entry and $50 for multiple entry) is paid and the visa is stamped into the passport.

 

Our tour agency is obtaining the approval letter for us; but there are lots of online agencies who can provide the service. Simply Google something like "Vietnam Visa" to see such agencies.

Edited September 16, 2011 by freddie

[Denmom]

You need one photo for Visa application plus you need one for Cambodia Visa and one for temple entrance at Angor Wat (per AMA).

The cost I paid at our local post office was about $13 for the envelope to the embassy, mailing costs (which included certfied mail), and the envelope with the passports returned to us. The application states specifically what tye of mail to use

We live in Arizona and it took about 7 calendar days from the time we mailed the application off to the embassy in Washington DC to the time we received it at home.

As to the time frame, I do not recall seeing any mention of how far in advance you can apply. I applied the end of august for a mid December trip. You can always call the embassy.

This was our second time getting their Visa on our own and it was flawless.

 

 

Thanks, we are just a little worried. Once we booked a trip to Rio and couldn't get a visa in time (didn't realize we needed one until to late - it wasn't on a cruise) anyway, sure wouldn't want to cancel this trip so trying to get it all figured out now. I wonder if you went to Washington DC could you go to the embassy to get it? Last year, we were in New York so we went to the China Embassy there and got our China visas.

 

I will have to check out the site, get the applications and figure it out.

 

One last question, you said you needed one photo for Visa application, one for Cambodia application, and one for Angor Wat????????? I know for passports we needed two and when we got our China Visa we needed two. So you are saying just one photo for each place???? You sure did get it back quickly. Was it because you have had a visa with them before?? That was really fast. I don't know if our mail gets there and back that quick. lol

[sdianem]

Yes, I stapled one photo to application. When you pull up the app from the embassy website you will see they ask for only one. I am assuming you only need one for Cambodia Visa (which you get at airport) based on AMA info and I also believe 2FLTravelers. However, just to be safe, we each had 6 taken and are bringing all of them!

 

Freddie is correct and I forgot that you can get an evisa (as 2FLTravlers did) and present in Hanoi airport. 2FLTravelers describes it well I believe in her review or on this thread. I forgot that we will probably land at 10 PM if we fly United and didn't want any delay with our arranged pickup in case officials delayed us and didn't seem to know what to make of an evisa - someone on this board had written of this occuring but not recently.

 

As for Angor Wat, somewhere on AMA website states that you get a badge issued for entrance and it requires a photo.

 

Finally for Cambodia - instead of getting in advance as we did before - we are waiting for airport and getting it there and my TA just confirmed this with AMA as preferred method. That also saves a lot of money. You can get an electronic visa from their website but it requires a digital passport photo and I just didn't want any extra work!

 

Strongly suggest you contact embassy - you're supposed to in order to get the "correct" Visa fee (as if it changes daily). I emailed them asking if they would remove our other Visa due to only 3 blank pages left in passport and they said "no". But very fast response and very helpful. I also think 2FLTravelers had same fast response.

 

By the way, their process is very reliable - we went through an agency for both Russia and China as advised by our TA. It realy went well both times.

[doreen22]

We are leaving November 15-starting to count the weeks now! :D

Our Vietnam visa application was processed in just one week. We are Canadian and sent it Priority Post to the embassy in Ottawa, it cost 130/pp plus the postage. I believe it could be purchased 6 months prior to departure.

Our flight was cancelled after the visas came and so we end up arriving in Vietnam one day earlier than planned, luckily the Visas start a few days before our arrival!

I just had a phone message from our TA that AMA wants to confirm our names etc. for the intra-Asia flight and Cambodia visas -not much to do now except count the days!

Susan

[ReturnCruiser]

I read your cruise description and had a question about the AMA HCM city tour. I'm curious as to how much of the city tour was viewed from a motor coach versus an actual stop. Your description indicates an actual stop/interior visit at Reunification Palace and Emperor Jade Pagoda and lacquerware factory.The AMA city tour description states, "you will enjoy a city tour that explores famous landmarks, such as the former Presidential Palace, Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral; Cho Lon (China Town) and its famous Binh Tay market and Thien Hau pagoda." Were the other sites described by AMA more of a visual view from the bus? I ask as we're arranging a guide and wanted to more or less define an initial itinerary.

 

Thanks,

 

Bob

[PhillyGirl2]

To those wondering about what you need for Vietnam, as I stated in an earlier posting--you need a multiple entry for Vietnam, a VISA for Cambodia which you can get at the airport or have the AMA people get it for you when you land in Siem Reap--we gave the rep $20 and a photo with our passport. One couple did not have a photo for the Cambodia visa and it still wasn't a problem. The passports and VISAS were returned to us the next day when the tour guide met us at the hotel. As far as Angkor Wat, they take your photo at the entrance gate and then they put it in plastic with a lanyard that you wear around your neck. In fact, because we were with a group, we got to go to a different window from those just visiting on their own. So, you do not need a photo to get into Angkor Wat. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[Denmom]

To those wondering about what you need for Vietnam, as I stated in an earlier posting--you need a multiple entry for Vietnam, a VISA for Cambodia which you can get at the airport or have the AMA people get it for you when you land in Siem Reap--we gave the rep $20 and a photo with our passport. One couple did not have a photo for the Cambodia visa and it still wasn't a problem. The passports and VISAS were returned to us the next day when the tour guide met us at the hotel. As far as Angkor Wat, they take your photo at the entrance gate and then they put it in plastic with a lanyard that you wear around your neck. In fact, because we were with a group, we got to go to a different window from those just visiting on their own. So, you do not need a photo to get into Angkor Wat. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

 

Since we wanted to pick and chose our own places to see, things to do, we have not booked the land portion with AMA. So we are going several days early and staying some days after the river cruise. But we do begin in Hanoi and are doing the Ha Long Bay junk also. Just some different things and some the same around Hanoi (I think 5 or 6 days) Then spending a couple days in Siem Reap. WE did pick a tour company over there that is handling it all along with flight to Cambodia and all the tours both places (with a guide). So I guess I need to ask if they are helping with the Cambodia Visa or we just do it ourselves. It does sound fairly easy for that one. Of course, the Vietnam visa is probably easy also, we just have to find the time to do it when we don't need our passport.

 

I do thank everyone and was hoping to hear some peoples experience that went during the month of July. Since that is when we are booked. I would love to also see photos if anyone has a blog, photo album, etc..... from their river cruise. I am really excite and I have many other vacations before then. But can't get my mind off of this one. lol lol

[freddie]

Denmom -

 

Cambodia has what appears to be a very simple eVisa program:

 

http://www.mfaic.gov.kh/evisa/

 

Alternatively, you can get the visa at your arrival airport in Cambodia. You should not need the help of your tour agency for the Cambodian visa.

 

On the other hand, your tour agency for Vietnam may be of great assistance in obtaining your Vietnam visa. Vietnam has a very handy program called "Visa on Arrival" which I mentioned in my post #201 above. The tour agency which arranged our private tour in Vietnam, Exotissimo, is obtaining our visa approval letter at no additional cost to us. I would assume that your tour agency will be able to do the same. Using the Visa on Arrival program, you don't ever have to send your passport off to anyplace anytime. Good, no??? Further, it is much less $$$ than sending your passport to the Vietnamese Embassy to get the visa.

 

We are off on our S.E. Asia adventure in November and will definitely post about our experiences in Vietnam (Hanoi, Halong Bay, and Sapa), our five days in Siem Reap, the cruise on "La Marguerite", and our several days in Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City) at the end of the trip.

 

We anticipate that this will be a grand adventure, indeed.

 

Cheers, Fred

Edited September 21, 2011 by freddie

[Denmom]

Denmom -

 

Cambodia has what appears to be a very simple eVisa program:

 

http://www.mfaic.gov.kh/evisa/

 

Alternatively, you can get the visa at your arrival airport in Cambodia. You should not need the help of your tour agency for the Cambodian visa.

 

On the other hand, your tour agency for Vietnam may be of great assistance in obtaining your Vietnam visa. Vietnam has a very handy program called "Visa on Arrival" which I mentioned in my post #201 above. The tour agency which arranged our private tour in Vietnam, Exotissimo, is obtaining our visa approval letter at no additional cost to us. I would assume that your tour agency will be able to do the same. Using the Visa on Arrival program, you don't ever have to send your passport off to anyplace anytime. Good, no??? Further, it is much less $$$ than sending your passport to the Vietnamese Embassy to get the visa.

 

We are off on our S.E. Asia adventure in November and will definitely post about our experiences in Vietnam (Hanoi, Halong Bay, and Sapa), our five days in Siem Reap, the cruise on "La Marguerite", and our several days in Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City) at the end of the trip.

 

We anticipate that this will be a grand adventure, indeed.

 

Cheers, Fred

 

 

Thanks Fred and I look forward to hearing about it. We ordered the Frommers Book on Vietnam and really felt there wasn't a huge amount to see in Saigon that we were interested in. With five days you must have found more than we read about. lol lol Plus, hubby still works so we can't be gone super long so we picked what was the most important to us. At first, we weren't even doing the Ha Long Bay and finally I told him that it was a must for me. :) But I am super excited. We will be on the AmaLotus which I guess just came out!?! And I hear that the boat/ships/whatever they are called have bikes on them for use when you have down time in on a stop so we have been biking also. lol

 

Of course, my son was engaged just in August and they let us know last weekend the wedding is planned for July 28th. So I guess I will come back and get totally stressed out with all I have to get done in two weeks. (better by dress and have every thing finalyzed before I leave. lol)

 

Well, happy sailling and I will do some checking with the company we are using. I am thinking it is Handspan but not really for sure which one since Hubby did the talking to them. lol

[Feefe]

Hi, I am a first timer on a River Cruise.

 

Can you please tell me what the dress code is for the ship for day and evening. Do you have to tip on board. How early do you have to be up for the excursions. What was the Gym like. Was their enough equipment so you did not have to wait for someone to finish. Was there a concern about Malaria in part of Vietnam/Cambodia at places where the ship docked.

 

Many thanks for your help with this.

 

Feefe

[freddie]

Feefe - First, you will want to read the marvelously detailed review of the AMA trip posted by 2Flttravelers:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=80735

 

Many of your questions are answered there. Many others will be answered by reading this whole thread from the beginning.

 

As for the malaria question, there is much debate about it. Our travel doc has suggested that we take anti-malarials (Malarone); but that is mainly because we will be spending several days in Sapa (in the far north of Vietnam) before our Mekong River cruise. Only about a day or two of the Mekong River cruise are in the edges of any malaria zone (at least as currently listed - of course, the mosquitos don't necessarily read maps...).

 

Denmom - I agree with you that there does not appear to be five days worth of stuff to see from Saigon. We are not spending five days there - rather, we are spending five nights in Siem Reap, which certainly offers loads to do in that period of time. We'll be in Saigon only three days. On one of those days, we will be using the widely-recommended private guide, Zoom, for a day tour of the city. On the second, Zoom has arranged for us (three couples) to have a "food day", including a visit to the market with the chef (a restaurant chef), followed by a hands-on cooking class, and then a leisurely luncheon of our creations.

 

When you are looking at Halong Bay junks, be sure to take a look at the lovely junks of The Luxury Cruise Collection/Cruise Halong. At this time, that company seems to have the most luxurious junks on the bay. We're booked on the Halong Violet and are quite eager to experience that boat. http://www.cruisehalong.com/index.php

 

Finally, I have never read anywhere that the AMA boats on the Mekong have bikes aboard. That is something AMA offers in Europe; but I would be quite surprised if there would be any practical way to use bikes on the AMA Mekong River cruises.

 

Cheers, Fred

[lousyman]

We are traveling from Siem Reap to Ho Chi Mihn City, any preference of the side of the ship we should book, port or starboard side?

horst/lousyman

[freddie]

Horst (that seems much more approachable than "Lousyman" - wow, quite an interesting moniker...) -

 

For our cruise in November on La Marguerite from Siem Reap to HCMC (Saigon), we requested accomodation on the port side of the boat. Someone on CC (although I cannot at the moment find the post) pointed out that on the Siem Reap to Saigon direction, the port side cabins will get less afternoon sun and therefore be cooler.

 

For some people who prefer heat, starboard might be preferable. In fact, my guess is that it won't make any significant difference one way or the other, since the boat docks or anchors on both sides of the river.

 

We don't like heat much, so have chosen to take the port side in the hope of reducing exposure to heat by some measure.

 

When are you traveling on AmaLotus?

 

Cheers, Fred

[doreen22]

Hi Freddie,

 

We don't like heat either, so am glad to see that, just by luck, we chose the port side.

We are doing the land/cruise and are on the Amalotus on Nov 21st...I am thinking this is just before you. We have also booked Zoom for our free day, he definitely is enthusiastic!

Only 6 weeks to go:D!.

 

Susan

[lousyman]

Thanks Fred and Susan for your fast response. Interesting the heat subject, but also when the ship is moving during the day, what side may be more interesting to look out of a cabin window.

 

We are only planning now for a cruise in Dec 2012. If you feel like, would appreciate some comments after your cruise, please email to

lousyman@aol.com. Looking at the deck plan and photo of the AMA Lotus, do cabin 221 and 222 have a window facing the front of the ship? Thanks,

Horst

[doreen22]

Hi Horst,

 

I will be sure to post comments etc. on our return.

 

Looking at the Amalotus cabins 221 and 222 I think they have windows facing the side and those forward windows are the small lounge/library.

 

Susan

[ReturnCruiser]

Hi Freddie,

 

We don't like heat either, so am glad to see that, just by luck, we chose the port side.

We are doing the land/cruise and are on the Amalotus on Nov 21st...I am thinking this is just before you. We have also booked Zoom for our free day, he definitely is enthusiastic!

Only 6 weeks to go:D!.

 

Susan

 

We're on the 11/1 land/cruise tour on the Amalotus. We're staying an extra day at the end and booked Zoom as well for a city tour and a day trip to the tunnels. I'm not sure if we'll have time to post much information about the trip before you leave.

 

Bob

[doreen22]

We're on the 11/1 land/cruise tour on the Amalotus. We're staying an extra day at the end and booked Zoom as well for a city tour and a day trip to the tunnels. I'm not sure if we'll have time to post much information about the trip before you leave.

 

Bob

 

Hi Bob,

We discussed the trip to the tunnels with Zoom as well, we left the afternoon "to be discussed", after we see where we go with AMA.

Maybe we will just says "take us where you took Bob":D.

 

Susan

[lousyman]

Hi Horst,

 

I will be sure to post comments etc. on our return.

 

Looking at the Amalotus cabins 221 and 222 I think they have windows facing the side and those forward windows are the small lounge/library.

 

Susan

 

Thanks, appreciating any input we can get.

Horst

[Feefe]

Thank you for putting me in touch with the review. Still does not address the dress code on board?

[doreen22]

From what I have read in past posts the dress code on the Vietnam cruise is more casual than the European river cruises. I asked if there was a Captain's night where everone got quite dressed up and I was told there was not. For the most part I am planning on capris and a nice shirt for dinner and then will wear the same capris with a T shirt during the day. I have to somehow learn to travel light for this trip!

susan

[Feefe]

From what I have read in past posts the dress code on the Vietnam cruise is more casual than the European river cruises. I asked if there was a Captain's night where everone got quite dressed up and I was told there was not. For the most part I am planning on capris and a nice shirt for dinner and then will wear the same capris with a T shirt during the day. I have to somehow learn to travel light for this trip!

susan

 

Thank you Doreen22, I am also looking at the weather as we will be on AMALotus next week, so was thinking of taking shorts for our trips off-shore.

[ReturnCruiser]

Greetings,

How has/will the current rising Mekong River levels modify the AMA river portion of the tour? We're on a November trip and have been watching the weather. If we're understanding current news, it seems that evacuations have recently occurred in the southern Mekong area. Any information from recent travelers?

 

Bob

[Shorex]

Thank you for the alert on conditions on the Mekong. How tragic for the people. The river is the source of both life and danger.

 

For those interested, you can follow updates on the condition of the Mekong River here.

[Island Cruiser]

We really appreciate this alert and link as we will be boarding AMA's La Marguerite on 11/28. Hopefully by then the river will return to somewhat normal levels. Our hearts go out to the struggling rice farmers and others whose livelihood depends on normal river flows.