Vietnam visa - can I reenter?

[Katosmama]

Thanks to all the previous posters who have put the price of Vietnamese visas in here (seems like $35 for a non-overnight visa and $50 for an overnight visa).

 

We are going on a 14 day cruise Dec 21st that stops three times in Vietnam. The cruise then carries on to Bangkok and ends in Singapore. After Singapore we are flying BACK to DaNang for a week.

 

We were thinking of skipping the ship visa and just getting a regular 30 day multiple entry visa from the embassy but the price is quite high! My next idea is to use the $35 ships visa for the ship excursions and then get a visa at the airport when we go back for the last week, however I wondered if there was any type of visa that we could get on board that would also cover our reentry after the cruise ends. Anyone have any idea?

[Katosmama]

I might have answered my own question. I called CIBT and they said that the ships visas only cover ships ports, so I'd need to get a separate visa to reenter.

 

Still...anyone have any firsthand knowledge of this?

[Tropic]

Only comment is that it is not necessary to get a visa from the Embassy. If you know your hotel already you might contact their offices and see if they will do an "entry visa ltr" for you. Many do for about $25 and you present that at the point of entry which I assume would be either Saigon Airport or Hanoi Airport. Have a couple of passport photos available and they issue you your visa there.

 

Just use the ships visa for those port visits and it creates less hassle. If I understand your itinerary you will only need a one time entry visa (cheaper), with only one week in Da Nang you will find your plate full. Be sure to visit Hue to the north (a full long day trip), also Hoi An to the southeast with "marble mountain on the way" and perhaps consider visiting the ancient ruins of the Mysong (sp?) ruins (the cultural center of the Cham Dynasty. In Da Nang they have a nice museum about the Cham and this would give you a lot of great info to appreciate what you are seeing at the ruins. That and Hoi An could be a long one day trip Mysong in the morning then lunch in Hue on the way back with a foot tour through old Hue... no vehicles allowed but pedal cabs available... be sure to dicker the price. We were there around Feb-Mar before the big visitor inflow from China and found great deals at the larger hotels on The China Beach!.

 

Probably more than you wanted to know.... by the way Singapore Airlines will have great fares as will Vietnam Air from Singapore to HCMC (Saigon) or Hanoi Airport. and its only a 2hr flight ... 3 to Hanoi... I personally would use Vietnam Air with Vietnam providing good service to Da Nang. We have been to Vietnam four times over the last 9 years and never grow tired of it. We spend a lot of our time in a city called Nha Trang on the coast about 30 Kilometers north of Camh Ranh Bay (sp?). You can make reservations ahead of time on the internet with both of the airlines. Take some time to get use to Vietnams website before jumping in. (they are willing to make mods to flights and my hotel has often done this for me a number of times.

[Katosmama]

Only comment is that it is not necessary to get a visa from the Embassy. If you know your hotel already you might contact their offices and see if they will do an "entry visa ltr" for you. Many do for about $25 and you present that at the point of entry which I assume would be either Saigon Airport or Hanoi Airport. Have a couple of passport photos available and they issue you your visa there.

 

Just use the ships visa for those port visits and it creates less hassle. If I understand your itinerary you will only need a one time entry visa (cheaper), with only one week in Da Nang you will find your plate full. Be sure to visit Hue to the north (a full long day trip), also Hoi An to the southeast with "marble mountain on the way" and perhaps consider visiting the ancient ruins of the Mysong (sp?) ruins (the cultural center of the Cham Dynasty. In Da Nang they have a nice museum about the Cham and this would give you a lot of great info to appreciate what you are seeing at the ruins. That and Hoi An could be a long one day trip Mysong in the morning then lunch in Hue on the way back with a foot tour through old Hue... no vehicles allowed but pedal cabs available... be sure to dicker the price. We were there around Feb-Mar before the big visitor inflow from China and found great deals at the larger hotels on The China Beach!.

 

Probably more than you wanted to know.... by the way Singapore Airlines will have great fares as will Vietnam Air from Singapore to HCMC (Saigon) or Hanoi Airport. and its only a 2hr flight ... 3 to Hanoi... I personally would use Vietnam Air with Vietnam providing good service to Da Nang. We have been to Vietnam four times over the last 9 years and never grow tired of it. We spend a lot of our time in a city called Nha Trang on the coast about 30 Kilometers north of Camh Ranh Bay (sp?). You can make reservations ahead of time on the internet with both of the airlines. Take some time to get use to Vietnams website before jumping in. (they are willing to make mods to flights and my hotel has often done this for me a number of times.

 

Is the hotel visa the same one that you need to get stamped when you land? My only concern is that we are flying from Singapore to HCMC on Singapore Air and then transfer to Vietnam Air to fly onward to DaNang. We only have about 2.5 hrs to get the visa stamped, get through customs, pick up our bags and recheck them for our Vietnam Air flight. I'm concerned that won't be enough time as I've heard you can wait up to 2 hours for the letter to get stamped?

[Tropic]

The hotel will or whoever you use... will send an official letter that you take to the on arrival visa desk along with your passport photos and passports. They then create a visa in your passport on site. (Obviously, if you get a visa from their embassy in US you skip this part... so do whichever you feel more comfortable with. And yes why not a multiple entry one, though I don't remember if they look at it when you get off ship... I'd consider extending another week and going to more than just Da Nang or perhaps flying over to Angkor Wat in Cambodia while you are there, but you'll have a wonderful time anyway) Then you go through immigration and then declare your belongs. This shouldn't take more than 15 - 20 minutes total time (sometimes 5 - 10 minutes more), but anything is possible but I think I remember they try to accommodate quick turnarounds.

You will have picked up your luggage by this point and then you leave the international terminal out to the front walk and turn to your right and its a quick 5 minute walk to domestic terminal. Taxi drivers will try to get you to use them, but just do the walk. My wife has bad knees but still makes it in 5 minutes pulling one large, and one smaller(carry on) bag (In Asia I find carryon weight to be less than US experience). Then you go through check in at the domestic terminal.... I believe you take the elevator up one level... check your bags in and your set. If you happen to be "elite medallion" on Delta, they have shorter lines for check in and a nice waiting lounge, but should not be a problem. As you are using Vietnam Airlines.

(side note)

A nice thing in Asia that all airlines we've flown on is that take the average weight of all luggage on a given reservation and that goes for carry on as well, so if one bag is over and another under they will average the two. Saves having to make last minutes revisions to your bags when you weigh in. Hope this all helps. Again, if you feel more comfortable just getting your visa state sides, then just do it that way and I hope you enjoy Vietnam and it's people once you get pass the "hectic" frenzy of the airport.