BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi there! I'll be traveling around Southeast Asia for 3 weeks this summer...and my plans include doing a grand tour of Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. I'm a little worried about getting a tourist VISA to Vietnam however. Anyone have any experience with this or know how I should go about getting one?

Thanks!!

There's no problem with visas. Don't worry. When you are in Bangkok, just go to one of the million tourist places and get your visa there. They will send it off to the vietnam embassy and take care of it. All hassle free and you won't be denied...

how many days does it tend to take?

one, two or three.

depend on how much you pay. on the top of Khao San Rd in Bangkok, across from the bar gullivers is an isreali travel shop. They are the cheapest and best place around. I recommend them.

Thanks NM
I'd rather spend the money on an extra night's accommodation than on a visa!
Filing away your tip for when we get there.

If you will be going to Cambodia first, you can easily get the Vietnam visa from guesthouses in Phnom Penh. It just takes a couple days and is around $30, much cheaper, I believe than can be done in Bangkok.

Even better! That was our original plan as we will be in Cambodia for some time - back to Plan A.

How much would it be in Bangkok? We'll only be in Cambodia about 5 days... will it be ready in time? Also, any suggestions on a good path from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City? Any reliable buses/trains?

maybe, maybe not. you could end up waitign especially b/c embassy's in cambodia aren't as big or helpful or as efficient as in bangkok...

I recently got one in Khon Kaen, Thailand, and it was the easiest thing I have ever done, I think. There is a little-used Vietnam consulate there, and I had a visa in my passport within 20 minutes of arriving there. Khon Kaen isn't the most fabulous of tourist destinations, but hey - it's right on the way to Laos, and with service like that consulate can offer, how can you go wrong?!

You can easily get the Vietnam visa from a travel agent in Cambodia we got ours in Phnon Penh, takes all the messing about with embassies and consulates and costs hardly anything extra. Spend your time looking round not quewing at embassies.
Jean