Is E-Visa acceptable to enter Vietnam from Cambodia on the Mekong River?

[wsweeney]

I am taking a 7 day Mekong River Cruise from Siem Reap, Cambodia down the Mekong River to My Tho (Saigon). The cruise line is saying that an E-Visa is NOT sufficient to enter Vietnam and that I need to apply for a visa and approval letter through a company they recommend. I already obtained an E-Visa online and it specifically says I am allowed entry through the Song Tien Landport which is where we will cross the border. I will only be in Vietnam 8 days. I can't find anything online from the Vietnam government website that says I need anything other than a E-Visa. Am I missing something? Obviously, I don't want to get to the border and have a problem. The Visa I have cost me $25US while the company they want to send me to would charge about $200US. Any help on this will be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Bill

[Rebel54]

I remember using eVisa to enter Vietnam at the airport.  When we were on the Avalon boat, they took care of the visa's we needed when crossing borders.  It's been a while since we went.  I seem to recall that the cruise line "recommended" I use a company for my eVisa but it wasn't mandatory.

 

[terry&mike]

We just sailed this itinerary with Scenic in January. We were able to use an e-Visa to enter Vietnam from Cambodia when sailing downstream. I believe you are not allowed to use an e-Visa to enter Cambodia from Vietnam by water (when sailing upstream). 

 

I did a post on our Visa situation on the Asia boards, as few people had sailed this route since the Covid re-start and things had changed. Here is a summary of what we needed:

We needed a Multi-entry Vietnam Visa, which are difficult to obtain, as we began in northern Vietnam, traveling on our own, so we decided to try it with 2 single entry e-Visas for Vietnam. We got a Single entry e-Visa to Vietnam, which we used to enter Vietnam by airport from Thailand. We spent about 9 days in Hanoi, HaLong Bay, and Hoi An. We then flew in to Siem Reap, Cambodia, using an e-Visa to enter Cambodia. Before we left the U.S., we had already obtained the second Single entry e-Visa for Vietnam, which would allow us to enter from the river. When we met our Scenic tour director in Siem Reap, he took copies of our second e-Visa for Vietnam (as well as a copy of our Cambodian e-Visa). 

 

It was a smooth process, in someone from the Vietnam Immigration boarded the ship, checked all the documents with the staff, and then we sailed on. 

[lsds]

Mekong River cruise help please:

I am on an Avalon land and river cruise package that starts in Hanoi (land package)= multi-entry Visa is needed. Then we fly to Cambodia (Siem Reap) - Cambodia single entry visa is needed. We then fly to Pnom Pehn where we board the Avalon Saigon for a 7 day cruise, which will cross from Cambodia back to Vietnam, ending in Hanoi (2 days land package) and flying back out of SGN.  I am told that we can not use a new multi-entry Vietnamese E-Visa (new as of Aug 23) because of the crossing between cambodia and vietnam is not a listed exit?   I have seen Amawaterways list the crossing as Song Tien Landport, don't all the river cruises stop at the same place?  Amawaterways accepts the multi-entry E-visa for the same itinerary?  Has anyone sailed on Avalon to know if the new multi-entry E-visas can be used? (big price difference to buy online rather than use a visa service!)   Thanks!

[CDNPolar]

14 hours ago, lsds said:

Mekong River cruise help please:

I am on an Avalon land and river cruise package that starts in Hanoi (land package)= multi-entry Visa is needed. Then we fly to Cambodia (Siem Reap) - Cambodia single entry visa is needed. We then fly to Pnom Pehn where we board the Avalon Saigon for a 7 day cruise, which will cross from Cambodia back to Vietnam, ending in Hanoi (2 days land package) and flying back out of SGN.  I am told that we can not use a new multi-entry Vietnamese E-Visa (new as of Aug 23) because of the crossing between cambodia and vietnam is not a listed exit?   I have seen Amawaterways list the crossing as Song Tien Landport, don't all the river cruises stop at the same place?  Amawaterways accepts the multi-entry E-visa for the same itinerary?  Has anyone sailed on Avalon to know if the new multi-entry E-visas can be used? (big price difference to buy online rather than use a visa service!)   Thanks!

 

This is a complicated one.  We are doing a land tour of Vietnam and Cambodia in January, and I do know that there are differences if you are arriving or moving through a border by land, air, or sea.

 

We are air across country borders so we are good with electronic Visas, and we are not reentering any country so we only need single entry.

 

I don't find that your US Government sites give specific information.

 

In my mind, your cruise line should have the right answers for these questions?  Obtaining the Visa is always your responsibility, but your cruise line should be able to give you the correct requirements, because they would likely deny you boarding if you cannot show the right Visas.

 

I get your concern because navigating and finding government sites whether it be the US or Cambodia or Vietnam, can be complicated and confusing.

 

If you are navigating this without the help of the cruise line, my advice is to ONLY use the official web sites of the Cambodian and Vietnamese governments to understand the requirements for Americans entering the country.  You will find a breakdown of electronic vs. paper Visa depending on how you are entering the country.  

 

Note as well that one of the two - don't remember now - only issues for 30 days from application where the other is 90 days.  So in other words, with the one, you kind of have to apply close to your trip departure.

 

Also I do think that both countries require your Passport to be valid for 6 months after the end of your trip.

Edited November 8, 2023 by CDNPolar

[hoosier2017]

Amawaterways had instructions as to specifically what was needed for our trip.   We fly to Hanoi, then after 6 days flew with the group to Siem reap (visa for Cambodia was $30 per person on arrival ) then had a border crossing on the Mekong back into Vietnam.  For Vietnam visas we used CBIT.    It was expensive but we needed multi entry and the turn around was fast.     You can email the embassy as well and ask, or even call.  
Hope this helps.