Cruise line claim Vietnam charges everyone a $5processing fee

[phillipahain]

Corby ....USA visitors are required to have a visa for Vietnam ...UK visitors and  many other countries are not required to have Visas 

Thus the new $5 visa for cruise ship passengers only applies to visitors from the countries that ARE NOT  exemot from visas 

[Isklaar]

I travelled to Vietnam using a UK passport on Seabourn in December 2018. No visa required and no charges at all from the cruise line for the three Vietnamese ports we visited, which were Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Halong Bay.

It's interesting that Cunard is charging $5 as both it and Seabourn are part of the Carnival group. 

[Texas Tillie]

11 minutes ago, Isklaar said:

I travelled to Vietnam using a UK passport on Seabourn in December 2018. No visa required and no charges at all from the cruise line for the three Vietnamese ports we visited, which were Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Halong Bay.

It's interesting that Cunard is charging $5 as both it and Seabourn are part of the Carnival group. 

 

Yes, but the Seabourn ships have many fewer passengers who paid a lot more money. Seabourn could have easily paid the fee for all the passengers whereas that would be a big chunk of change for Cunard. 

[phillipahain]

The new $5fee intoduced in Jan 2019 replaces the need for USA and other non exempt countries passengers to have to now apply for a visa 

 

What is causing confusion is none of the Visa sites were aware of this , neither was the Vietnam Embassy or CBIT a company that Cunard uses for visas around the world 

 

Apparently many countries are now adopting this new way for cruise passengers which in the long run will eliminate much of the difficulties and costs of getting visas when you will only be there for a day 

 

Sadly India is not one of them and because Indian immigration has now become so burdensome difficult  and expensive Cunard have removed India from their itineries