Vietnam Visas? (and a few other questions)

[MFB]

I just started researching for a trip to SE Asia this winter. The initial plan is a clockwise loop N from Bangkok, into Laos, S through Vietnam, then through Cambodia.

Does anyone have experience getting into Vietnam overland? I keep reading you need a visa in advance, and cant just show up at the border. Ive also read that its expensive to get a visa at a Vietnam embassy or through a travel agency. Everything I find about applying online in advance for a visa is for flying into Hanoi or HCMC. Any help on my best options?

Laos and Cambodia look straightforward. Show up, get a stamp.

Also. Ive read Thailand requires proof of onward travel upon entering. I was gonna by a one way into Bangkok and buy my return flight midway through my trip, as I dont want to commit to a return date. Anyone w experience entering thailand w a oneway? Ways to get around proof of onward travel?

Thanks!

 

[Mongo]

If your going to vietnam from pnohm penh you can just go to the vietnamese embassy there and apply for a Visa, it takes it's supposed to take a day or 2 for them to process it but i think when I got my Visa they processed everything on the spot, and costs about 25 or you can do it online but it seems like such a pain in the ass

https://www.myvietnamvisa.com/vietnam-visa-on-arrival.html

as for having proof of onward travel you can by a bus or train ticket to Cambodia as proof. They do have a fee for the stamp at the border around 30. Watch out if you get a tuktuk they may try to take you to a "travel agent" for your Visa at the border but there is a very specific building you want to go into a

Remember to get a handful of Visa application photos done in thailand.

 

[MFB]

Thank you!
I was planning on entering from Laos but Ill do some research on an embassy in Vientiane and see what I can find.
If ya got any other info, tips or good spots I may not find online or in a book Im all ears.

 

[Koala]

I entered Viet Nam via land on a bus from Laos a few months ago. It was a small border crossing (Tay Trang, in the north) and if I didn't already have an eVisa, it would have been extremely costly ($150-200 USD or more) and confusing. I don't know anything about getting visas via an embassy but it was pretty easy and straightforward getting a visa in advance online, and it was about $30. It gets granted or denied within a few days to a week and then you just print it and carry it with you for when you are to enter. The website is Here

Have fun, that's gonna be a sick trip, I did Thailand, Laos, Viet nam, and the Philippines in the spring. Didnt give myself hardly enough time though and with certainly be returning. How long are you planning to take to do that route?

They wanted a passport photo at the Laos border, but you could also just pay an extra 100 or 200 baht which is like $3-6 USD which I found possibly cheaper and easier than dealing with sizing and printing passport photos.

Also when you enter Laos, you'll have to pay the visa on arrival fee in USD, and they only accept the most crisp, clean bills. So either grab some new ones before you leave the states or if you go to a cash converter or ATM in Asia, make sure you're getting pristine bills.

When I first entered Thailand, I had a flight from Viet Nam to The Philippines in a month and that was enough proof of onward travel for them!

 

[Mongo]

What is your exact itinerary and route?

 

[MFB]

Thanks for the solid info, Koala!
I'm up in Yellowstone so wifi is shit, but that site looks straightforward enough.

I was thinking 8-10 weeks to do a thailand/laos/vietnam/cambodia clockwise loop. I know I should do more time and Ill miss some things, but my last 2 trips outta the states were 14 and 15 weeks; by the end I was running on fumes, and really missed my dog and my life in CO. I figured 10 weeks would be the reasonable compromise in time.

I was going to buy a one way into Bangkok and purchase my return from Bangkok after about a month of being there so Im flexible. But Im thinking it may be easier to just by round trip and commit to a return date. I didnt see any issues re entering Thailand from Cambodia at the end of the trip.
Flights to and from Bangkok are SO much cheaper than anywhere else I looked into flying out of, so the price kind of dictates I leave from Bangkok.

Mongo; not exact, just started researching as Ill leave in mid dec.
But I planned working north through Thailand to Chang Mai, maybe do the slowboat into Laos, explore northern Laos, cross into Vietnam and work south. Cross into Cambodia and work my way back west toward Bangkok for mu returm flight.
Temples, motorcycle tourings, eating tasty street food.

 

[MFB]

I entered Viet Nam via land on a bus from Laos a few months ago. It was a small border crossing (Tay Trang, in the north) and if I didn't already have an eVisa, it would have been extremely costly ($150-200 USD or more) and confusing. I don't know anything about getting visas via an embassy but it was pretty easy and straightforward getting a visa in advance online, and it was about $30. It gets granted or denied within a few days to a week and then you just print it and carry it with you for when you are to enter. The website is Here

Done and done!
Thanks for the link, K!
Very easy.

 

[MFB]

Has anyone done Halong Bay?
Best way to do it?
I'm not a fan of tours but dont wanna miss it.