Vietnam Visa-for Avalon Mekong River Cruise

[librarychica]

Hi all,

 

I am attempting to obtain my e-visa for Vietnam. I am doing an Avalon Mekong River Cruise-originating in Vietnam and terminating in Cambodia. I am attempting to obtain my e-visa but am stuck on which exit checkpoint I should select. NOWHERE in the literature I have received from Avalon does it say about this (even though I have been barraged with email reminders regarding making sure I obtain a visa for Vietnam-I half feel it's this way because they receive a kick back from the visa service they "refer" people to). I emailed my travel agent and crickets...

 

I'm finding so much conflicting information regarding which exit checkpoint it actually is. Can anyone who has actually sailed with Avalon on the Mekong River Cruise (recently) and more importantly traveling from Vietnam to Cambodia, tell me which exit checkpoint I should select? I really don't want to screw up my application and have potential issues when I'm there.

 

Also, for the exit date, does it matter if I just keep it defaulted to after 30 days I entered? Or say I'm leaving on the day the cruise actually leaves Vietnam?

 

For the record, I'm American. I've attached screen shots of the exit checkpoint options.

[gnome12]

44 minutes ago, librarychica said:

Hi all,

 

I am attempting to obtain my e-visa for Vietnam. I am doing an Avalon Mekong River Cruise-originating in Vietnam and terminating in Cambodia. I am attempting to obtain my e-visa but am stuck on which exit checkpoint I should select. NOWHERE in the literature I have received from Avalon does it say about this (even though I have been barraged with email reminders regarding making sure I obtain a visa for Vietnam-I half feel it's this way because they receive a kick back from the visa service they "refer" people to). I emailed my travel agent and crickets...

 

I'm finding so much conflicting information regarding which exit checkpoint it actually is. Can anyone who has actually sailed with Avalon on the Mekong River Cruise (recently) and more importantly traveling from Vietnam to Cambodia, tell me which exit checkpoint I should select? I really don't want to screw up my application and have potential issues when I'm there.

 

Also, for the exit date, does it matter if I just keep it defaulted to after 30 days I entered? Or say I'm leaving on the day the cruise actually leaves Vietnam?

 

For the record, I'm American. I've attached screen shots of the exit checkpoint options.

My suggestion is that you ignore the visa service. Google the Vietnamese embassy in your country of citizenship, and search there for a visa. For Americans and Canadians I know that you can apply on-line and have them send you a paper visa to put in your passport (without having to send in your passport). You need to know whether you need a single entry visa (which sounds like what you need if your trip really ends in Cambodia). You don’t need any information on entry/exit points that I remember. 
 

I just noticed that you are American, so this definitely works for you. 

Edited December 21, 2019 by gnome12
Added last sentence

[Hoyaheel]

You still need to know the exit point when you do the Vietnam visa online or evisa (which is what OP said, right?)

 

Song Tien is what we used. I had asked on flyertalk and was advised that "Song" (missing an accent) means "river" in Vietnamese and this was for Chau Doc. Not sure anyone ever cared, honestly.

 

We did multiple entry visas - online, they sent back looseleaf visas, no problems at all (we did Avalon north, HCMC to Siem Reap) The purser procured our Cambodian visas on arrival - we planned for that by bringing the appropriate cash and passport size photos. Have fun! It was possibly the best trip we've ever done.

[kayakcove]

Review this post when I had a similar question.

 

 

For Vietnam I obtained a multi entry loose leaf visa online directly from the Vietnam embassy in Washington, total cost for 2 visas including Fed Ex return was $290 using PayPal and got it in 3 days.

Did Cambodian single-entry visa by completing the form online and submitting it along with our passports and cashier’s check for $60.  Used USPS Priority Express and got everything back 6 days.  Total cost with USPS charges $112.  NOTE the visas were good for 90 days from the date they got the application.  

 

The following information comes directly from AMA Waterways website.  I confirmed the Cambodian location with the embassy before I found this online.

“NOTE regarding e-Visa: Cambodia: e-Visas are NOT accepted for visitors entering from Vietnam by river cruise ship.

Vietnam: e-Visas are NOT accepted for visitors entering and exiting Vietnam by river cruise ship.”

“Border Crossing Points

You will need this information for your visa applications:

Cambodia – Kaoam Samnor

Vietnam – Thuong Phuoc”

[Hoyaheel]

AMA and Avalon might not have the same responses. OP is traveling Avalon. Avalon ships are much smaller than AMA on the Mekong (like, 36 vs 124 passengers?) and we had no problem with the purser getting our Cambodian visas on arrival. He did it for about 12-15 of us (out of 28 passengers total on our trip).

 

[OP - we flew back to Vietnam after Siem Reap, which is why I needed multiple entry visas - if you are leaving Cambodia for another country after your Mekong Cruise, you could do the single entry e-visa which only costs $25. I have never seen other information that leaving Vietnam by river on an evisa isn't allowed - I know arrival isn't allowed]

Edited December 22, 2019 by Hoyaheel

[gnome12]

26 minutes ago, Hoyaheel said:

AMA and Avalon might not have the same responses. OP is traveling Avalon. Avalon ships are much smaller than AMA on the Mekong (like, 36 vs 124 passengers?) and we had no problem with the purser getting our Cambodian visas on arrival. He did it for about 12-15 of us (out of 28 passengers total on our trip).

 

[OP - we flew back to Vietnam after Siem Reap, which is why I needed multiple entry visas - if you are leaving Cambodia for another country after your Mekong Cruise, you could do the single entry e-visa which only costs $25. I have never seen other information that leaving Vietnam by river on an evisa isn't allowed - I know arrival isn't allowed]

Going southbound a Vietnamese evisa  was not allowed, because we crossed into Vietnam by boat. I got a multiple entry paper visa which didn’t require information on the port of entry. On that trip AMA got our Cambodian visas for us when we flew into Siem Reap. 
 

Going northbound, if you fly into Vietnam twice (arrival in HCMC and flight from Siem  Reap to Hanoi) an evisa probably works. 
 

As to entering Cambodia on the river, willingness to look after visas at the crossing might vary by the company (and size of the ship). Avalon max 36 passengers, AMA over 150.