Hi there,

My name is Karl, I am going to Vietnam in November and I am entering Vietnam by land from Laos. I will be arriving on the 21st of November, hopefully by sleeper train. The question I have is, how do I go about obtaining a visa for Vietnam if by entering by land? All the websites and FAQ say that you can only use the visa if you are landing at one of the airports by air. It says on the FAQ that you have to obtain the visa from the embassy itself. I am currently in Melbourne and there is no embassy in Melbourne, they are in Canberra and Sydney. I was wondering if it was possible to send off the application form and my passport to the embassy and get the visa for land access. There will be two of us travelling. If you can let me know what I have to do, to get a visa for Vietnam that would be great. Also I'm arriving in Thailand on the 1st of November and making my way through Laos, then to Vietnam if that helps.

Thanks heaps. Karl

Answer

Dear Karl

Yes, you are required to obtain a valid visa in advance in order to enter Vietnam by land from Laos. We strongly recommend that you apply for your visa in either Laos and Cambodia to:
1 - Save your time and money: The cost of getting a visa at Vietnamese embassy in Australia is nearly double what you have to pay in Thailand or Laos for getting your visa done.
2 - Avoid passport send off: You can get your visa directly at Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok or Laos without having to send your passport away to the embassy in Canberra and Sydney and wait for it to return. The processing time in both Laos and Thailand is very quick as well.

Please take a look on our pages below for detailed instructions:
http://www.vietnamvisabooking.com/vietnamese-visa-in-vientiane-laos.html
http://www.vietnamvisabooking.com/vietnam-visa-bangkok-thailand.html

We hope that helps and wish you an enjoyable trip to Vietnam!

land, Laos, Melbourne , Vietnam Embassy, Canberra ,