If you’re thinking about travelling to Vietnam soon, I cannot stress how important it is to apply for your visa in the next two days. Tet, which is the largest celebration of the year that marks the Lunar New Year, is As I explained in a previous post of how absolutely imperative it is to apply in well in advance for your visa if you’re not a passport holder for one of the fortunate countries that doesn’t require a visa (a list of those countries is also included in the aforementioned post), or your passport is weak (think Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia), it’s even more important to get your visa application process started early. I should mention that weak passport holders will likely have to go to their local Vietnamese consulate or embassy to obtain the proper documents necessary for travel.
One of the pitfalls for quite a few travelers to Vietnam is the process of applying for an eVisa. Whilst it is seemingly fairly straightforward, the customs and immigration is very stringent about the picture that must be submitted, as well as the scanned image of your passport; if it is crooked or even shows border or various other oversights can cause the application to have to be ammended, which adds a further 3 – 5 business days to process. And this can go on and on, which may cause you to miss your flight. If you already have an idea of when you’re travelling to Vietnam, then my suggestions would be to book it before you book your flight (as the visa application requires the day that you intend to visit, as well as the date you are leaving; these dates can be approximate, but you cannot travel before the entry date you choose; however, you don’t have to exit Vietnam on the exact date you list as your exit date — you must leave before your visa expires, thought, however, or face heavy fines, even for a single day. The eVisas are valid for 90 days, and if you are planning to exit 84 days after you’ve arrived, there is no issue, of course. My advice would be to give yourself a few days of leeway before your departure flight, just in case anything goes awry with your flight and travel plans. I recommend working with a visa agent, just to avoid any headaches. I’m in no way affiliated with Lynn VISA, however, I have worked with this agency four times now, and have always had exceptional and prompt service for a reasonable price. There are so many scammer visa agents who charge foreigners exorbitant fees only to leave them high and dry without a visa and an empty pocketbook. So please be wary if you do choose to work with an agent, and make sure it’s a reputable one, such as Lynn Visa.
Traveling to Vietnam during Tet can be an amazing experience, but please be advised that because it’s the largest and most important holiday festival of the year, many stores and tourist attractions are closed. Not to mention the horrific lines at airports in the days leading up to Tet. I speak from experience when I flew into Saigon from Vancouver in 2004 and landed just after midnight on the first day of Tet. I’d booked the ticket before even thinking to check when Tet was that year (it is a moveable feast). It was a nightmare to say the least, so please learn from my mistake!
Accommodation prices also shoot up dramatically during Tet, whether you’re travelling to Da Nang, or if you’re headed to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City, or whether you’re fancying a stay in the marvelous capital city, Hanoi.
I will be travelling back to my very favourite country on earth at the end of this month, and I couldn’t be more over the moon.
Leave a Reply