Does Celebrity provide Visa to Vietnam for it's passengers or do we have to apply ourselves?

[gam888]

We have sailed on a Royal Caribbean ship in 2019. We visited certain ports in Vietnam. At that time, Royal Caribbean provided a blanket visa for its passengers and we did not have to apply for a visa prior to sailing. We are considering a cruise to Asia for next February with Celebrity Solstice. It is visiting a few ports in Vietnam. We have Canadian passports and are required to have a visa to Vietnam. Just wondering this time would Celebrity apply a visa for all its passengers or we now need to apply a visa for ourselves prior to sailing. I called Celebrity and the agent I spoke with did not sound too sure. If we need to apply for a visa, what is the best website to do so? Thank you. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

23 minutes ago, gam888 said:

We have sailed on a Royal Caribbean ship in 2019. We visited certain ports in Vietnam. At that time, Royal Caribbean provided a blanket visa for its passengers and we did not have to apply for a visa prior to sailing. We are considering a cruise to Asia for next February with Celebrity Solstice. It is visiting a few ports in Vietnam. We have Canadian passports and are required to have a visa to Vietnam. Just wondering this time would Celebrity apply a visa for all its passengers or we now need to apply a visa for ourselves prior to sailing. I called Celebrity and the agent I spoke with did not sound too sure. If we need to apply for a visa, what is the best website to do so? Thank you. 

 

Short answer, no, you have to apply for the visa yourself

 

 

[benatty]

We are sailing on Solstice on December 22 so I just called Celebrity to inquire about this issue and they forwarded me to a third party to answer my question.  I intend to get the visas for my family on my own ($25 for single entry and $50 for multiple entry).  My question was whether I needed the single entry or multiple entry visa.  The woman I spoke with today told me that Celebrity would get the visa for us.  When I asked what they charge she didn't know.  I asked if I had to buy the visa from Celebrity and she said no.  I am guessing there is a healthy mark up on the charge for the visa.  She did tell me that we only need a single-entry visa as we are visiting the Vietnamese ports consecutively.  Not entirely sure I trust the information provided but I will keep looking.

[JCP3]

Celebrity directs you to www.visacentral.com/celebritycruises.   When you answer the questions they correctly say you need  a visa for vietnam and want to have you do it and pay the visa fee plus a processing fee of $75.  If you look here https://visacentral.com/additional-client-info it says that Celebrity will obtain these visas on your behalf. 

Celebrity Guest Info.

[CLIENT_NAME] is pleased to offer its customers the expertise and experience of VisaCentral. Please see below for important information that may relate to your tour.

Visas on arrival: For U.S Citizens, it is not necessary to complete visa applications through VisaCentral for the following destinations as the cruise line will be obtaining these visas on your behalf: Kenya*, Indonesia, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Mozambique, Jordan, Oman, Papua New Guinea. If a fee is required to obtain these visas, it will be charged to your onboard account. * Please note, if you are doing a pre-cruise tour in Kenya, a visa is required.  This visa can be obtained in advance through VisaCentral or upon arrival at the airport. If you hold a foreign passport, you must confirm with the cruise line if it will be able to secure visas for you onboard the ship for your nationality.

[Pushka]

Get the visa directly from the Viet Gov website. 
 

https://dichvucong.bocongan.gov.vn/bocongan/bothutuc/tthc?matt=26277

[Torfamm]

This information went out today  to passengers on a November sailing that enters Vietnam in Phu My and exits at Halong Bay 

 

Dear Guest, We're looking forward to welcoming you onboard your upcoming Celebrity Cruises sailing! Before we set sail, we have important details to share regarding your travel documentation.   PASSPORT As a reminder, your passport must be up-to-date and valid for at least 6 months after your sailing concludes. Additionally, all guests will need to bring printed copies of their passport's photo page for each port of call visited. We highly recommend also having a soft copy or picture of this page saved on your phone. Certain guests may be required to have two (2) blank pages on their passport for certain visas/visa waivers.   VISA Vietnam Most guests are required to apply for and receive a Vietnam visa prior to arriving to the pier. • Visa-free • Certain nationalities are exempt or waived from the visa process. We have put together information to help you get started on securing your travel docs for Vietnam. We highly recommend staying up to date with your local embassy or consulate as travel requirements may change. ◦ some information to see if you can travel to Vietnam visa-free. • E-visa ◦ All countries and territories are eligible for e-visa. However, certain countries may take longer period to have their e-visa approved. (Please ensure to apply your e-visa 2 weeks prior to the sailing). ◦ Once you are ready, apply for your E-visa. • Important note: Visa on Arrival (VOA) will not be offered for this sailing. Guests must secure any necessary visas and have all required travel documents prior to boarding.     Guests who require an E-visa or a physical visa must apply no later than 2 weeks prior to our sail date to ensure timely approval and delivery. Be sure that when you apply, you provide your name as it reflects on your travel documentation. Additionally, you'll need to provide the seaport for entry and exit. For our sailing, entry is Vung Tau Seaport and our seaport for exit it is Hon Gai Seaport. Guests who enter incorrect information risk being denied boarding, so please be sure to double check all your information before submitting your visa application.   Hong Kong Many of our guests may also qualify for visa-free travel to Hong Kong. Please review your country's requirements here (open the Part I & II sections for the full breakdown). When debarking in Hong Kong, be sure to keep a printed color copy or a digital copy of your passport photo page. You'll need this to complete immigration before returning to the ship. We hope this information helps you navigate your travel document requirements. If you have any further questions, please reach out to your travel advisor, yourpreferred visa specialist, or contact us directly. Sincerely, Celebrity Cruiseson

[wallyj]

International travel can have many challenges, especially when you can get conflicting information. One post seems to say Celebrity will handle obtaining the visa for Vietnam and the most current post implies Celebrity has informed guests traveling next month(Nov), unless you are from one of the exempt Countries, you, the passenger SHOULD/NEED TO obtain the visa on your own and they seem to encourage you to use the ‘new’ eVisa.

 

I have been sailing for many years and have traveled to Vietnam via cruise ship a couple of times. The last time was Feb 2020 on the Sapphire Princess. At that time, you could obtain the Vietnam visa on your own or have Princess issue and they would charge your on board account I believe about $50 USD for this service. From our roll call and previous Princess ones visiting Vietnam, links and instructions were provided to obtain the visa on your own thru the official Vietnam portal at half the cost. 
 

I was a little upset at the time as I read other cruise lines(Celebrity was one) at the time supposedly were about to obtain for their passengers an inexpensive ‘cruise ship’ visa for Vietnam for about $5/person. 
 

Princess apparently did not have this contract/ability. 
 

I am providing this history for informational purpose to show how rules change and evolve. There was no eVisa for Vietnam at the time(2020) and it appears this just became available August 2023.

 

It appears Celebrity no longer will obtain visa on arrival/cruise ship visa and now requires passengers to use the eVisa application. I feel they should have supplied the information for your itinerary if you needed to apply for single or multi entry since fees are different.

 

It was only a few years ago, US citizens could travel to New Zealand visa free, now an ETA is required along with a fee to cover environmental maintenance from tourism, as an example.

 

It is important to know current and updated travel mandates for your individual passport you will be using.

Edited October 12, 2023 by wallyj

[mahdnc]

On 10/6/2023 at 1:23 PM, benatty said:

We are sailing on Solstice on December 22 so I just called Celebrity to inquire about this issue and they forwarded me to a third party to answer my question.  I intend to get the visas for my family on my own ($25 for single entry and $50 for multiple entry).  My question was whether I needed the single entry or multiple entry visa.  The woman I spoke with today told me that Celebrity would get the visa for us.  When I asked what they charge she didn't know.  I asked if I had to buy the visa from Celebrity and she said no.  I am guessing there is a healthy mark up on the charge for the visa.  She did tell me that we only need a single-entry visa as we are visiting the Vietnamese ports consecutively.  Not entirely sure I trust the information provided but I will keep looking.

 

We will be on the same sailing as you.  We will be applying for the visas ourselves.

[sanger727]

I believe that Vietnam visas have gotten more stringent in recent years. When we applied for ours we were told by our cruise company (a river cruise) that an e-visa wouldn't be valid for our entry. We were referred to a visa service to get our visas. Of course, it was alot more than getting visas ourselves. But come to find out that now the ONLY way to get a visa is through a travel company and at the Embassy in Washington DC. You can either go through a Vietnamese travel company or a US one, but you can't do it on your own. It took us a long while to figure that out because it's not reflected on their website; which is why I think it's a recent change. 

Edited October 12, 2023 by sanger727

[patty1955]

23 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

I believe that Vietnam visas have gotten more stringent in recent years. When we applied for ours we were told by our cruise company (a river cruise) that an e-visa wouldn't be valid for our entry. We were referred to a visa service to get our visas. Of course, it was alot more than getting visas ourselves. But come to find out that now the ONLY way to get a visa is through a travel company and at the Embassy in Washington DC. You can either go through a Vietnamese travel company or a US one, but you can't do it on your own. It took us a long while to figure that out because it's not reflected on their website; which is why I think it's a recent change. 

You can apply through this page: https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/en_US/web/guest/khai-thi-thuc-dien-tu/cap-thi-thuc-dien-tu

[Torfamm]

19 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

I believe that Vietnam visas have gotten more stringent in recent years. When we applied for ours we were told by our cruise company (a river cruise) that an e-visa wouldn't be valid for our entry. We were referred to a visa service to get our visas. Of course, it was alot more than getting visas ourselves. But come to find out that now the ONLY way to get a visa is through a travel company and at the Embassy in Washington DC. You can either go through a Vietnamese travel company or a US one, but you can't do it on your own. It took us a long while to figure that out because it's not reflected on their website; which is why I think it's a recent change. 

It's actually easier to get a Vietnam visa now than it used to be.  As of August, all nationalities are eligible for e-visas and it is also possible to get multi-entry visas online rather than just single entry.

 

It may be that you are entering Vietnam in a location where they can't process e-visas. The list of locations where you can enter and exit with an e-visa is here 

https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/documents/20181/117155/List-of-evisa-port.pdf/c774e24b-1ab8-4fb6-9ac1-dcdfaccecf8e

 

 

[Pushka]

44 minutes ago, Torfamm said:

It's actually easier to get a Vietnam visa now than it used to be.  As of August, all nationalities are eligible for e-visas and it is also possible to get multi-entry visas online rather than just single entry.

 

It may be that you are entering Vietnam in a location where they can't process e-visas. The list of locations where you can enter and exit with an e-visa is here 

https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/documents/20181/117155/List-of-evisa-port.pdf/c774e24b-1ab8-4fb6-9ac1-dcdfaccecf8e

 

 

Agree. It's much easier now. 

[Redtravel]

There was a lot of confusion when we went to Vietnam on Celebrity.  Celebrity didn’t explain how to get the visa.  It actually was easy. We bought the visa onboard. It cost very little. Maybe $6?  That was in 2018.  Vietnam was amazing.

[wallyj]

33 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

There was a lot of confusion when we went to Vietnam on Celebrity.  Celebrity didn’t explain how to get the visa.  It actually was easy. We bought the visa onboard. It cost very little. Maybe $6?  That was in 2018.  Vietnam was amazing.

Yes, back then, Vietnam issued cruise ship Visa’s , the process as of August 2023 is now the eVisa online application and Celebrity now wants the passenger to obtain.

[sanger727]

On 10/12/2023 at 4:50 PM, patty1955 said:

You can apply through this page: https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/en_US/web/guest/khai-thi-thuc-dien-tu/cap-thi-thuc-dien-tu

 

That is only for an e-visa. If you aren't eligible for an e-visa, you can't get one online, by mail, or by phone. 

[sanger727]

On 10/12/2023 at 4:51 PM, Torfamm said:

It's actually easier to get a Vietnam visa now than it used to be.  As of August, all nationalities are eligible for e-visas and it is also possible to get multi-entry visas online rather than just single entry.

 

It may be that you are entering Vietnam in a location where they can't process e-visas. The list of locations where you can enter and exit with an e-visa is here 

https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/documents/20181/117155/List-of-evisa-port.pdf/c774e24b-1ab8-4fb6-9ac1-dcdfaccecf8e

 

 

 

I've already taken this trip. We were not eligible for an e-visa. our river cruise company told us that we weren't eligible and people who got an e-visa had to arrange for a regular visa at the last minute.

 

I assure you, getting anything other than an e-visa is difficult and expensive. 

[patty1955]

3 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

 

I've already taken this trip. We were not eligible for an e-visa. our river cruise company told us that we weren't eligible and people who got an e-visa had to arrange for a regular visa at the last

Why were you not eligible?

[sanger727]

7 minutes ago, patty1955 said:

Why were you not eligible?

 

We were on a river cruise and the e-visas are eligible for airports and land crossings. Not river crossings. 

 

As I came to understand it. If the ship had docked at the nearest land hub and gone through customs there, we would have been fine with the e-visa. Instead, the boat anchored in the river and cleared customs there. I know it's non-sensicle, but our tour director spent alot of time the first couple days of the trip helping people with e-visas get regular visas. I don't think they would have done that if e-visas were allowed. 

Edited October 16, 2023 by sanger727

[Torfamm]

13 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

 

We were on a river cruise and the e-visas are eligible for airports and land crossings. Not river crossings. 

 

As I came to understand it. If the ship had docked at the nearest land hub and gone through customs there, we would have been fine with the e-visa. Instead, the boat anchored in the river and cleared customs there. I know it's non-sensicle, but our tour director spent alot of time the first couple days of the trip helping people with e-visas get regular visas. I don't think they would have done that if e-visas were allowed. 

E-visas are available for entry at seaports as well as airports .  It's a good warning about river cruises though.

 

The challenge for ports for ocean cruises is knowing if your port is a part of a larger seaport. They don't seem to publish lists of the component ports for each seaport. For example Phu My, the port used by Celebrity for Ho Chi Minh,  is a component port of the Vung Tau Seaport.

[mahasamatman]

On 10/11/2023 at 6:12 PM, wallyj said:

It was only a few years ago, US citizens could travel to New Zealand visa free

 

They still can. An ETA is not a visa.

[cosmohunter]

I've been following this thread since I will be going on the very first cruise in my life this coming December!  It is the 15 days Diamon Princess traveling from Japan to Singapore.  Since it will make stop at these three Vietnamese ports in order:

 

#1 Da Nang/Hue (chan May)

#2 Nha Trang

#3 Ho Chi Ming City (phu My)

 

I have been nervous in obtaining the VN Visa.  According to some of your comments, I only need to obtain a single entry eVisa and annotate Da Nang/Hue (chan May) as my entry port and Ho Chi Ming City (phu My) as my departure port.  Is that right?

 

 

[Torfamm]

6 hours ago, cosmohunter said:

I've been following this thread since I will be going on the very first cruise in my life this coming December!  It is the 15 days Diamon Princess traveling from Japan to Singapore.  Since it will make stop at these three Vietnamese ports in order:

 

#1 Da Nang/Hue (chan May)

#2 Nha Trang

#3 Ho Chi Ming City (phu My)

 

I have been nervous in obtaining the VN Visa.  According to some of your comments, I only need to obtain a single entry eVisa and annotate Da Nang/Hue (chan May) as my entry port and Ho Chi Ming City (phu My) as my departure port.  Is that right?

 

 

Yes. If you are not leaving Vietnam

 and returning, it is a single entry for those three ports. Vietnam ports are listed on the application this way

 

• Ho Chi Minh (Vung Tau Seaport)
• Chan May (Chan May Seaport)
• Nha Trang (Nha Trang Seaport)
• Ha Long Bay (Hon Gai Seaport)
• Da Nang (Da Nang Seaport)

This link below has details from Celebrity on applying for the e-visa including the correct seaport complex names for each port. It appears in the email received from Celebrity that I shared in post #6

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dJKiercTMrbzO6CsEDA6dudfaYU8VIkG/view?usp=sharing

 

 

[cosmohunter]

On 10/25/2023 at 11:58 PM, Torfamm said:

Yes. If you are not leaving Vietnam

 and returning, it is a single entry for those three ports. Vietnam ports are listed on the application this way

 

• Ho Chi Minh (Vung Tau Seaport)
• Chan May (Chan May Seaport)
• Nha Trang (Nha Trang Seaport)
• Ha Long Bay (Hon Gai Seaport)
• Da Nang (Da Nang Seaport)

This link below has details from Celebrity on applying for the e-visa including the correct seaport complex names for each port. It appears in the email received from Celebrity that I shared in post #6

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dJKiercTMrbzO6CsEDA6dudfaYU8VIkG/view?usp=sharing

 

 

 

Thanks for your reply!  I saw Princess Website stated the following 

 

"You may either obtain the visa on your own before your cruise, or a visa will be issued upon arrival in Vietnam. If you choose to have the visa issued on board, a visa fee of USD $56.00 per person (USD $76.00 per person for those participating on an overland package) will be charged to your stateroom account. If you obtain the visa on your own it cannot be an electronic visa (eVisa)."

 

Are they BS'ing  or they really don't accept eVisa that I need to pay the overpriced fee via Princess to gain entry?

 

 

 

 

Edited October 27, 2023 by cosmohunter

[Torfamm]

1 hour ago, cosmohunter said:

 

Thanks for your reply!  I saw Princess Website stated the following 

 

"You may either obtain the visa on your own before your cruise, or a visa will be issued upon arrival in Vietnam. If you choose to have the visa issued on board, a visa fee of USD $56.00 per person (USD $76.00 per person for those participating on an overland package) will be charged to your stateroom account. If you obtain the visa on your own it cannot be an electronic visa (eVisa)."

 

Are they BS'ing  or they really don't accept eVisa that I need to pay the overpriced fee via Princess to gain entry?

 

 

 

 

I have no idea if that is Princess’s policy or an error or outdated information on their website. You might try asking in the Princess forum or on a roll call for one of their sailings.

[leeknyc]

We are on the Celebrity Solstice departing Singapore to Hong Kong December 22, 2023! Thank you for the questions and information. Right now, it seems I should apply for and obtain Single Entry E-Visas for Vietnam. I don't know why they need to make it so complicated.  Thanks everyone for the information!