Vietnam had always been on my bucket list for many years. And finally, when I got an opportunity to attend one of my friend’s wedding scheduled to happen in Vietnam, I was on cloud nine. However, whenever an international trip is planned, the long and arduous visa processes coupled with the lack of important online information at one place makes any travel stressful.
Fortunately, Vietnam does not have any long procedures when it came to applying for a visa. Vietnam Visa On Arrival is applicable to Indian citizens but we need to specifically apply for the visa in advance to get an approval letter.
In order to apply for the visa, I approached Blinkvisa, a wonderful travel startup that not only gives you the tourist visa in three days but also helps you get 100% cashback on the visa fee. This was an exciting offer and a huge money saver. Check out their site to know more.
Through this post, I will explain my journey of getting a visa, and making peace with Vietnam by travelling my heart out across the country.
Why Do You Need To Apply For Vietnam Visa?
Well, if you are doubtful about requiring a tourist visa to Vietnam, you can check the Embassy updates online. There are some countries exempted from Vietnam visit visa. With the exception of most Russia, Japan, Western Europe, South Korea and ASEAN countries, pretty much all other nationalities need a Vietnam travel visa.
Source: Wikipedia
However, I was not the lucky one. As I held an Indian passport, and I had to apply for a tourist visa. You can either apply for Vietnam visa online or go by an experienced agency. I did not want to take the risk of getting the visa on my own because a small error in the application process could get my visa rejected. As the wedding was just two weeks away, I decided I shall go through an expert agent like Blinkvisa.
Why I chose Blinkvisa?
Blinkvisa caught my attention for its well-organised visa processing. I could trust them with the way they handled the paperwork and all my documents. And what more? They gave my entire visa fee as cashback to use for further flight, hotel, and tour bookings. It was like a dream!
Imagine converting your visa expenses into travel expenses? While all my friends were ranting about how much they spent on applying for a Vietnam visa, I literally never found a better way of saving on my visa fee.
Talk about them giving me a custom made travel plan for free!
[su_button url=”https://blinkvisa.com/blog/vietnam-tourist-visa/” style=”flat” background=”#F49122″ color=”#ffffff” size=”6″ center=”yes” radius=”5″ icon=”icon: check” icon_color=”#ffffff” text_shadow=”0px 0px 0px #ffffff”]Apply For Vietnam Visa[/su_button]
Here is My Entire Application Process:
There were totally five things that I needed to get my Vietnam Visa process to begin:
- Visa Approval Letter (printed out on paper)
- Passport with at least six months validity
- Passport size photos (4cm x 6cm)
- Visa stamping fee of $25 US dollars for single entry visa (in cash)
Scheduling an appointment with Blinkvisa:
- Visit the Blinkvisa site and fix an appointment with the visa agent and get the requirements for the type of visa you are applying. Vietnam Tourist visa is valid for 30-90 days depending on what you require and choose.
- Being a single entry visa, it took a maximum of three days for getting the process done.
Read for more Information: Vietnam Tourist Visa
Getting all the documents together for the Visa approval letter:
As already established, the Vietnam Visa On Arrival can only be availed when you get a visa approval letter. Blinkvisa helped me sort out the documents required for the letter.
- Coloured and scanned passport copies of first and last page
- Application form filling all the basic details.
- Coloured and scanned passport copies
Please note: It is not necessary to have a flight booked to get the Visa Approval Letter. I got mine without giving any flight information. The way it works is that you must arrive in Vietnam on or before the date you have mentioned in the visa approval letter application.
Read more: Vietnam visa requirements
Payment of Vietnam visa:
The best part of applying with Blinkvisa is that you have to pay the complete Vietnam visa fee only after you get the approval letter/visa in your hands. During registration, you only have to submit INR 500 and the required documents. The Vietnam visa cost is INR 1339 along with GST and agency charges. Also, remember that you will get the entire amount as cashback to your BlinkWallet account. These were the initial steps:
- Complete the initial payment of just INR 500 to begin the visa process
- Once your visa is approved, you will receive an SMS and Email.
- Get INR 1339 as full cashback
- Utilise your BlinkWallet to purchase your flight, hotel, activities and other travel-related stuff.
- Complete any pending due payment & download your Vietnam visa approval letter by logging into your portal.
Read more: Vietnam visa fees
After the payment, I got my approval letter in hardly three working days that looked like this:
Visa stamped at Vietnam airport:
On my travel day, I had to show my Visa approval letter before boarding the flight and fill the necessary arrival and departure forms given by the airline staff.
- I had arrived at the Ho Chi Minh airport, found the landing gate and submitted my Visa Approval Letter along with all the five required documents (mentioned before) to the immigration official.
- I was asked to pay a fee of $25 USD as stamping fee (this is mandatory) and finally got the actual visa in my passport in just ten minutes. No questions asked.
Vietnam VOA FAQs
1. How much in advance should I apply for Vietnam visa?
You can apply for an approval letter whenever you desire. However, it is suggested that you apply for an approval letter at least two weeks before departure just to make sure that the plan does not change.
2. What is the validity of Vietnam visa for Indians?
The validity of the Vietnam tourist visa is 30 days.
Read more: Vietnam visa for Indians
3. What are the requirements for Vietnam business visa?
The Vietnam business visa can be availed by applying for an approval letter. You need to submit your passport copy, photographs and filled application form.
Read more: Vietnam Business Visa
4. How long does it take to avail the Vietnam eVisa?
A Vietnam eVisa is processed within 03 working days after the Vietnam Immigration Department receives the completed application and full e-Visa fee
Read more: Vietnam eVisa
5. What is the validity of Vietnam multiple entry visas?
There are two types of multiple entry visas – One for 30 days and one up to 3 months.
Read more: Vietnam multiple entry visa
