VOA is handled by the immigration service at the airports and as
such, if the airport is operating so is the VOA department. It is
absolutely vital that you have your visa processing fee(s)
on you, in cash. There are no money machines (ATMs), money
changers or any other way of withdrawing money in the immigration hall
and the authorities do not take plastic. Until you can pay in
cash you won't get into the country and you could end up having a
wonderful holiday camped on the wrong side of the barrier until your
return flight leaves. If you have a bank card, an immigration officer
might offer to escort you to an ATM to withdraw some money. Meanwhile
you might starve to death (slight exaggeration, but you get the point)
as it might be many hours before that happens. They have been known to
accept payment in currencies other than US Dollars but are not obligated
to do so. If they choose not to, you will have a problem if you haven't
brought US Dollars with you. The latest news is that an ATM has
appeared at Tan Son Nhat Airport (HCMC) - adjacent to the landing visa
counter. While this might be of help to those arriving without cash, it
is still advisable to bring the correct money to pay for the visa. ATM's
do breakdown / run out of cash and the inevitable lack of clarity
regarding the Dong / USD exchange rate conversion (it would be issuing
Dongs), plus additional card charges, means it should be thought of as
the option of last resort.
At
Ho Chi Minh City (Tan Son Nhat International Airport) the VOA
window is situated over to the left as you enter the immigration hall,
at the far end.
Do not join any queues for Immigration Control. The counter itself is sign-posted -
LANDING VISA. When you get to the Landing Visa (VOA) window, be prepared to hand over your
passport, one completed copy of the
Entry and Exit form, the entire
letter of approval and one
passport size photo (the officer will staple your photo to the
form if not already attached). You should then go and sit down. Even
with few people being processed do not expect passports (with the visa
attached) to be returned in the order that they were presented at the
window.
When your visa is ready, your name will be called and at the same
time your passport held up to the window with the photo page showing.
You then pay the processing visa fee - U.S.$45 for single entry, 1 or 3
month. up to U.S.$95 (**see above) for a One Month Multiple Entry.
Vietnamese Dong or U.S. Dollars are the preferred currencies. The notes
should be in good condition (no marks, nicks or tears) but it is not
necessary for them to be brand new. At HCMC, people have also had
Australian Dollars, GB Pounds and Euros accepted as payment instead of
U.S. Dollars but no change is given for currencies other than U.S.
dollars or Dong. However, to avoid payment problems, U.S. Dollars are
preferable as there have been occasional reports of other currencies not
being accepted. Once you have paid, your passport will be returned to
you, along with a receipt for your payment. Be sure to check the newly
issued visa for any errors while still at the window. You then go to the
immigration control posts to be processed in the normal way. Baggage
reclaim and Customs are downstairs.
At
Hanoi
(Noi Bai International Airport) the procedure differs slightly. The VOA
office is situated to the left of the escalator that takes you down to
the immigration hall. Hand in your passport and VOA approval letter at
the counter, and pick up an Application for Entry and Exit Form if you
haven't downloaded and completed one beforehand. If necessary there are
desks where you can fill in the form. Then walk along the right-hand
side of the office to the counter at the opposite end and wait for your
name to be called. Because foreign names can be difficult for the
immigration officers to pronounce they usually also hold up the passport
with the bearer's photo facing outwards.
When you have handed your payment (see above for the required
condition of the dollar notes), the completed Application for Entry and
Exit form and passport photo to the immigration officer he or she will
give you a receipt and return your passport to you, complete with the
visa stamp. Check that the the exit date on the visa is correct (that
is, in one month's or three months' time), then retrace your steps along
the side of the office and proceed to Immigration Control, and then to
baggage reclaim and Customs, which are situated on the same floor.
At
Da Nang follow the exit signs. As soon as you enter the huge hall
it is very easy to find the VOA window - it is on the left hand side
and is clearly visible. The process is reasonably quick (approximately
15 minutes with all necessary paperwork completed before landing) but do
bear in mind there is no guarantee it will be always be the same. After
receiving visas / passports back, progress onwards to immigration
control. Immigration Control can be slow, sometimes 3 or 4 long lines.
Everyone queues up together going through the same check-points and
there are no separate checkpoints for Vietnamese passengers and other
nationalities.
Tip. If there are two or more of you obtaining VOA it would be
prudent that once you've handed in your paperwork, that one of you
stands in line for immigration control. That way you won't be at the
back of a long queue.
