I searched the sticked thread but didn’t see anything regarding Vietnam.
I’m an American who is considering taking a little birthday trip to Nha Trang in May but I know I need a visa. Does anybody have experience getting a visa in Taiwan for travel to Vietnam? I saw they have a “cultural center” here but the website didn’t look like I could view it in English. I’ve been told different things as far as the price but I am pretty sure I need one pre arrival as they don’t do them on arrival at the airport.
Has anybody actually been to Nha Trang? I have done some research and it looks like it’s about an 8 hour train ride form Ho Chi Minh City and probably just a little longer from Hanoi. It doesn’t seem overly expensive and I’ve been told that it is beautiful. It was actually a recommendation from my father who remembered it from his time in the Navy during the Vietnam War.
One of the airlines that popped up is Vietjet, has anyone flown them and what were their thoughts. I’m ok going on an Low Cost Airline but I hadn’t heard of them until recently. I noticed they certainly don’t mind showing off the finer qualities of Vietnamese women.
The one thing that has me a little nervous is I’ve heard there is still some anti American attitudes in Vietnam especially in more rural areas. Now I have had quite a few experiences with younger Vietnamese here in fact I’ve found the ones I’ve met to be very friendly and no bad experiences but maybe it’s because they are also expats and maybe they feel a connection. Honestly it wouldn’t stop me from going but I would definitely be a little more cautious in places I went.
When I went to Hanoi in 2011, the travel agency that I used to book my ticket took care of obtaining the visa for me. I left my passport, photos, and fee (I think it was about $1,400NT?) and got it back with the visa attached in about a week. So, check with travel agencies to see if they can do it for you.
Or…
You can do it online and pick up the visa at the airport; that’s what I’m doing this time when I go to Ho Chi Minh in three weeks. There are several online sites that offer this service. I chose this one because they seemed reputable and easy-to-use. After ordering (fee=US$17) you’ll receive an email within 24 hours with an attached Visa Approval Letter issued from the Immigration Department which you’ll need to print off and take with you to the airport (a copy of which will be sent to the airport you’re flying into). The site also has the Entry/Exit Visa application that you can download and have filled out and ready for when you get to the airport. There will be a “stamping fee” (US$45) at the airport when you pick up the visa.
I’m curious about Nha Trang as well.
I was in Hanoi for four days and personally didn’t sense that at all; however, I was only in the city area and since we’re tourists “with money”, well…
It’ll be interesting to compare HCM on this trip.
When I travelled in Vietnam sixteen years ago - so a long time ago now! - I never saw any anti-American attitudes from any Vietnamese people. Yes, there was some in museums - a museum in Hanoi was and maybe still is called something like “Museum of American Aggression” (they had a point!) - but from the people? Nothing.
I suspect the most anti-American attitudes you’re likely to see will be from Canadians in the guesthouses. And as a Canadian, I know of what I speak. We can be so awful when we start talking about Americans.
Good to know… I think there is monument to a B52 that was shot down in Hanoi that they kind of celebrate a bit but honestly I like seeing things from a different perspective so I might be inclined to actually check out that museum.
As far as Canadians… I think it goes both ways. We like to make fun of you guys for well producing Crash Test Dummies and not having won a Stanley Cup since what? 1993 :discodance:
One tip as seen on the last trips to Saigon: When you apply for a Visa on Arrival, it can take some time to get it. (after TET it was 3 hours cue) Make sure you have sufficient time for a connecting flight.
Don’t worry about anti US sentiment. There were 3 star US Generals spotted in Hanoi recently which might be linked with the oil rig
You better ain’t Chinese.
I am working in a travel agency in Taiwan and I am a huge fan of Vietnam (I’ve been several times)!
The easiest way to get the visa is to make a reservation for a service (hotel, transfer…) through an agency (here or local), usually they will provide the Vietnam visa approval letter free of charge. With this letter, your passport and a photo you can get the the stamp/visa directly at the airport with a fee of around US$45.
Queue can be long, personally it always took me 20 to 30 minutes but I’ve some client who spend hours there…
Vietnam is a cheap country and booking some services in advance is not going to cost you more, you will only avoid to lose time and long discussions…
In general Vietnamese are nice and very welcoming people, I did not have had any bad feeling or bad experience there…
Certainly there are some must-to-see things:
In Saigon the Cu Chi tunnels (70 kms North West from ho Chi Minh City) and the War museum
In Hanoi the Hoa Lo Prison (known as the Hilton Hotel)
a 2 days cruise in Halong Bay.
If you have any question or need more information, let me know!
Looking ahead to possible travels, I wonder if any forumosans have experienced this when arriving in Vietnam, or this guy super unlucky?
As an international traveller, I have been in and out of Vietnam frequently. Most of the time, I have had good experiences. However, since the beginning of this year, almost every time I pass by the immigration counter, I encounter officials extorting bribes. To prevent being recorded, they will open a phone album and point to a photo of the cash and show it to you. If you refuse to pay, they will delay your passage. I strongly recommend the Vietnamese government to rectify this problem. Please install cameras at the immigration officer’s workstations as this will help curb corruption.
I’ve been to Vietnam 6 or 7 times and this has never happened to me. However, I haven’t been since Covid so I don’t know if things have changed in the past three years.
I wonder if the passport holder’s country has anything to do with it. Maybe travelers from China, like this guy, or from certain other places experience this more?
A new destination in Vietnam to be launched by VietJet in October: Cam Ranh International Airport (CXR), with flights from Taoyuan and from Kaohsiung providing more direct access to Nha Trang.
