Visa in Vietnam

[thirstyman1]

Taking a cruise over the holidays on NCL Jewel that has switched ports of Call and will now be stopping in Vietnam. Can anyone give more info on Visa requirements. I saw somewhere it was only $25.00 but online "Service fee" was $96.00??

[lfplenore]

$99, I believe. E-visa is $25. Be sure to find the Vietnam government site; there are lots of official sounding scam sites out there. 

[Expat Cruise]

Already another active thread about this subject, you should review it. Here is what I posted in that thread.

 

Seems to be a lot of confusion about e-visa here. I live in Asia and have for the last 25 years. Have done several cruises, and maybe two dozen other trips to Vietnam. Here is what I have learned to be true.

 

1) If you type e-visa or visa in a web search for Vietnam, you will find many sites claiming to be official. Some even use government logos, they're all travel agencies unless the web address is dot gov.vn. Only use a dot gov.vn site.  Here is the link to apply  

https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/

 

2) If the cruise has multiple port calls in Vietnam, you only need a single entry visa as long as all port calls are in a row. If you visit another country after doing a Vietnam port call and then return for another Vietnam Port Call, then you would need a multi entry visa. 

 

3) You pay much more for a visa issued on the ship. If the ship charges more than about $25 you're better off applying online.

 

4) If you have an e-visa, you can overnight in Vietnam with a Single Entry Visa. If you have a ship's visa, you cannot. 

 

5) Many countries do not require a visa for Vietnam: most of Europe, Asia, are visa free as well as Chile, Panama, and Russia.  But US, CA, AU, all require a visa.

 

The visa process is really very easy, Vietnam is a great place to visit. As long as guests use the official site, no issues. For Asian Cruises most cruise lines collect and hold guests passports, it just makes clearances in the ports much faster. If you have your own visa, check your ship account, they sometimes charge you for a ship's visa, when you already have an e-visa. My wife uses her Philippines passport which is Visa free, but I have found a visa fee charged to our account a couple of times, so check to avoid overcharging. 

[thirstyman1]

Expat, thanks so much for all the information! The one site I checked had a pretty high upcharge for their services. I'll be sure and check the official government sight. 

Thanks again!!

[thirstyman1]

14 hours ago, lfplenore said:

$99, I believe. E-visa is $25. Be sure to find the Vietnam government site; there are lots of official sounding scam sites out there. 

Thank you for the great info!

 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

On 6/4/2023 at 7:40 AM, Expat Cruise said:

Already another active thread about this subject, you should review it. Here is what I posted in that thread.

 

Seems to be a lot of confusion about e-visa here. I live in Asia and have for the last 25 years. Have done several cruises, and maybe two dozen other trips to Vietnam. Here is what I have learned to be true.

 

1) If you type e-visa or visa in a web search for Vietnam, you will find many sites claiming to be official. Some even use government logos, they're all travel agencies unless the web address is dot gov.vn. Only use a dot gov.vn site.  Here is the link to apply  

https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/

 

2) If the cruise has multiple port calls in Vietnam, you only need a single entry visa as long as all port calls are in a row. If you visit another country after doing a Vietnam port call and then return for another Vietnam Port Call, then you would need a multi entry visa. 

 

3) You pay much more for a visa issued on the ship. If the ship charges more than about $25 you're better off applying online.

 

4) If you have an e-visa, you can overnight in Vietnam with a Single Entry Visa. If you have a ship's visa, you cannot. 

 

5) Many countries do not require a visa for Vietnam: most of Europe, Asia, are visa free as well as Chile, Panama, and Russia.  But US, CA, AU, all require a visa.

 

The visa process is really very easy, Vietnam is a great place to visit. As long as guests use the official site, no issues. For Asian Cruises most cruise lines collect and hold guests passports, it just makes clearances in the ports much faster. If you have your own visa, check your ship account, they sometimes charge you for a ship's visa, when you already have an e-visa. My wife uses her Philippines passport which is Visa free, but I have found a visa fee charged to our account a couple of times, so check to avoid overcharging. 

Thanks for that info, Expat.  And since you live in the Phillippines, I was wondering if you know anything about cruises that visit Coron on Busuanga Island.  I found some info about Coron but now I'm wondering where ships tender to - town pier, or ferry pier ("port terminal" on a map) or what.  Would you happen to know?  And would you happen to know anything about Puerto Princesa - what's available around the port, or what's best thing (preferably culture or scenery related) to see or do?  And I guess I have the same question about Coron - anything in particular that stands out?  I'm not a diver, so diving is out!  But I love photography, and am always looking for things to photograph.

 

[lfplenore]

I checked with the Vietnam Embassy regarding the e-visa. Be sure that your first port of call in Vietnam is on the list of approved entry ports. Our first stop is Phu My, which is NOT. The port of HCMC is not the same as Phu My, though NCL calls it HCMC.  For my cruise, I cannot do the e-visa😥.

[luvluv2cruise]

On 6/4/2023 at 7:40 AM, Expat Cruise said:

Already another active thread about this subject, you should review it. Here is what I posted in that thread.

 

Seems to be a lot of confusion about e-visa here. I live in Asia and have for the last 25 years. Have done several cruises, and maybe two dozen other trips to Vietnam. Here is what I have learned to be true.

 

1) If you type e-visa or visa in a web search for Vietnam, you will find many sites claiming to be official. Some even use government logos, they're all travel agencies unless the web address is dot gov.vn. Only use a dot gov.vn site.  Here is the link to apply  

https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/

 

2) If the cruise has multiple port calls in Vietnam, you only need a single entry visa as long as all port calls are in a row. If you visit another country after doing a Vietnam port call and then return for another Vietnam Port Call, then you would need a multi entry visa. 

 

3) You pay much more for a visa issued on the ship. If the ship charges more than about $25 you're better off applying online.

 

4) If you have an e-visa, you can overnight in Vietnam with a Single Entry Visa. If you have a ship's visa, you cannot. 

 

5) Many countries do not require a visa for Vietnam: most of Europe, Asia, are visa free as well as Chile, Panama, and Russia.  But US, CA, AU, all require a visa.

 

The visa process is really very easy, Vietnam is a great place to visit. As long as guests use the official site, no issues. For Asian Cruises most cruise lines collect and hold guests passports, it just makes clearances in the ports much faster. If you have your own visa, check your ship account, they sometimes charge you for a ship's visa, when you already have an e-visa. My wife uses her Philippines passport which is Visa free, but I have found a visa fee charged to our account a couple of times, so check to avoid overcharging. 

Hello, thank you for this great information.  I can't seem to find the port of Hanoi listed as an approved e-visa location.  Do you know the actual name of the Hanoi port?

[d9704011]

20 minutes ago, luvluv2cruise said:

Hello, thank you for this great information.  I can't seem to find the port of Hanoi listed as an approved e-visa location.  Do you know the actual name of the Hanoi port?

Halong Bay, may say Ha Long.

Edited June 20, 2023 by d9704011

[John Bull]

5 hours ago, d9704011 said:

Halong Bay, may say Ha Long.

 

Or Ha Long Bai.

Or anything vaguely similar.

 

JB 🙂

 

[ssawjo]

16 hours ago, lfplenore said:

I checked with the Vietnam Embassy regarding the e-visa. Be sure that your first port of call in Vietnam is on the list of approved entry ports. Our first stop is Phu My, which is NOT. The port of HCMC is not the same as Phu My, though NCL calls it HCMC.  For my cruise, I cannot do the e-visa😥.

So, if I read you correctly, if our first port of call in VN is Chang May (Hue), Nha Trang, and then HCMC (Saigon) (Oceania does not have Phu My on their itinerary), I will be eligible for an e-visa.  Or am I way off base?  I will check with embassy website to make sure we are eligible.

 

Thank you for dealing with this issue, which seems more complicated than it should be.

 

Bill

[lfplenore]

Chan May is listed on the e-visa website:

 

 https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/trang-chu-ttdt?fbclid=IwAR0UNAseidYS_ebsTzN5ZVKDJQP43Xn9qNUdVHdzTAGqHoecnaN49S_94DU

 

[thirstyman1]

18 hours ago, lfplenore said:

I checked with the Vietnam Embassy regarding the e-visa. Be sure that your first port of call in Vietnam is on the list of approved entry ports. Our first stop is Phu My, which is NOT. The port of HCMC is not the same as Phu My, though NCL calls it HCMC.  For my cruise, I cannot do the e-visa😥.

On my itinerary our port is listed as - HO CHI MINH CITY(PHU MY) so I cannot apply for an E Visa??

[thirstyman1]

9 hours ago, luvluv2cruise said:

Hello, thank you for this great information.  I can't seem to find the port of Hanoi listed as an approved e-visa location.  Do you know the actual name of the Hanoi port?

 

Thank you for all the information, but also in this thread someone stated that if your port is Phu My, not Ho Chi Minh City, you cannot obtain an EA Visa???

[lfplenore]

1 hour ago, thirstyman1 said:

On my itinerary our port is listed as - HO CHI MINH CITY(PHU MY) so I cannot apply for an E Visa??

If this is your port of entry, I was told no by the Vietnam Embassy. If your ship docks elsewhere in Vietnam first, then maybe. Check the embassy website; there is a list of ports that are approved. I assumed (incorrectly) that Phu My was the same as HCMC but was informed that this is not true.

 

[thirstyman1]

1 hour ago, lfplenore said:

If this is your port of entry, I was told no by the Vietnam Embassy. If your ship docks elsewhere in Vietnam first, then maybe. Check the embassy website; there is a list of ports that are approved. I assumed (incorrectly) that Phu My was the same as HCMC but was informed that this is not true.

 

Thanks so much ! Smooth sailing!

 

[inmyfootsteps]

Ok, we have the same problem as well. Our first port will be Phu My. In this case, what is the process for applying for a visa?

[lfplenore]

https://vietnamembassy-usa.org/content/visa-application-process

 

 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Just in case it helps, it's my understanding that Ho Chi Minh City (port Oceania is assigned to, at least for our cruise) and Phu My are two different ports.  Maybe Whatsinport will give an unofficial but helpful information on the two ports. And the way Oceania does things, usually the city in parentheses is the port city and the tourist city is listed first.  So if you're going to Hue (Chan May) the ship will dock in Chan May.  But other cruise lines may do it differently.  And we haven't yet been advised by Oceania exactly whether Americans and other cruisers need an evisa or not.  And Oceania had a ship dock on the river in HCMC recently.  I'm not sure what port that was, and whether they needed an evisa or not.  I contacted one vendor and he suggested we were berthing at a spot on the river that I didn't realize.  But who knows?  I'm assuming we may need an evisa (obtained online; takes up to 3 days) for our stops in Chan May, Nha Trang, and HCMC.  

Edited June 21, 2023 by IWantToLiveOverTheSea

[inmyfootsteps]

On 6/20/2023 at 10:45 PM, lfplenore said:

https://vietnamembassy-usa.org/content/visa-application-process

 

 

If I am reading the information correctly, an e visa does not apply to ships whose first port is Phu My. Phu My is not listed as an eligible port for an e visa. Which is the case for Celebrity. 

I think the route I would need to take is to apply for a visa through the embassy (here in Canada. We are Canadians). 

Does anyone have any further information regarding this?

[lfplenore]

2 hours ago, inmyfootsteps said:

Does anyone have any further information regarding this?

Only what I have already posted. From the information I have been given, your conclusion is correct.

 

I know NCL will procure visas for us (at a steep charge); not sure about Celebrity. My guess is that they will; there should be information on their website.

 

Due to time constraints, we are taking the easy way out and having NCL get the visas for us for our cruise.

 

[Torfamm]

I have seen many questions about Phu My and have reached out to e-visa support to see if it is considered a part of Vung Tau for the e-visa application based on the information below.  I'm waiting for an answer

 

Vung Tau port includes the following component ports:

• Cai Mep - Thi Vai Port, Sao Mai-Ben Dinh: This is the main port for container transport. Currently, the port is capable of receiving ships up to 200,000 DWT. The main container terminals are TCTT/TCIT, CMIT, TCTT, SSIT and Gemalink (expected to officially open January 2020).
• Ports of Phu My, My Xuan: a general port, a container port capable of receiving ships up to 30,000 DWT. As planned by the government of Vietnam, this port will be capable of receiving ships up to 80,000 DWT.
• Port on Dinh river: is capable of receiving ships up to 20,000 DWT, and will be capable to handle ships up to 30,000 DWT.
• Port of Ben Dam, Con Dao Island.

[Torfamm]

Per the news article below Vietnam e-visas will  be good for 90 days and allow multiple entries starting on August 15. 

 

"The National Assembly on April 24 approved extending tourist e-visas from 30 to 90 days, starting from August 15, 2023, at its ongoing fifth session.

Upon being granted an e-visa, a foreigner can enter and exit an unlimited number of times within 90 days, without having to go through procedures for obtaining a new visa"

 

https://en.vietnamplus.vn/vietnam-approves-extending-evisas-to-90-days/255219.vnp#:~:text=Hanoi (VNA) - The National,for obtaining a new visa

[Goldconnection]

Finally, what I have been waiting to hear. I report this was in the works a few weeks ago. This will save me a few $ since we are doing back to back and both have stops in Vietnam.

[Suzi66]

We are on a Celebrity Cruise this January and our first port of call is Halong Bay and our last port of call in Vietnam is Phu My.  Does anyone have any idea as to what I need to put?  Luckily I have a few months before I need to do anything.