Vietnam loves Russians and gives us concessions. We will tell you when a visa is needed and when not, and how to get it quickly and cheaply.
Visa-free travel to Vietnam for Russians
Without a visa, Russians can rest in Vietnam for no more than 15 days - this is what our compatriots usually do, because they usually do not travel longer on a tour. This is the easiest way out: you just get a free stamp!
But there are a number of conditions for visa-free entry to Vietnam:
- The passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry.
- More than 30 days must have passed since the last departure from Vietnam (that is, border wounds, as in Thailand, will not be rolled).
- You need a return ticket or a ticket to another country. We were never asked for tickets at control, but they are always checked during check-in. We advise you to drop your ticket and hotel reservations onto your smartphone
Attention. The day of arrival and departure is counted as two full days, and in fact you have 13 days to rest.
Important: Get insurance! This is optional, but we always buy it. It costs a penny, but the soul is calm.
Visa-free Phu Quoc for 30 days
It's cool that you can stay in Fukuoka for 30 days without a visa! You only need:
- Fly there with an international direct flight.
- Live only in Fukuoka, you cannot leave (except for the nearest islands).
- Tickets or reservations back or to another country.
- Have a valid passport (another six months from the date of entry).
Visa to Vietnam on arrival
Visa to Vietnam upon arrival is pasted only at international airports countries. The good news is that it's free for Russians! Bad news: you still have to shell out money - for Approval Letter. This is a paid invitation letter to Vietnam to be ordered online on the internet.
Previously, this invitation letter had to be ordered on Vietnamese websites in English, but now a Russian company has appeared, where everything is in Russian. It has become more convenient and faster.
The cost of an invitation to Vietnam in 2021:
- 990 ₽ - for 30 days, single entry
- 1090 ₽ - for 30 days, multivisa
- 1390 ₽ - for 90 days, single entry
- 1790 ₽ - for 90 days, multivisa.
So, how things are going. We visited Vietnam three times and each time ordered an invitation for 3 months with a single entry on this site. We pay, receive an invitation by e-mail, print it out. At the airport we fill out a questionnaire, attach to it a foreign passport, 2 photos, an Approval Letter and give it to the window where visas are issued. There is always a queue.
We wait for a visa usually 30-40 minutes. Listen carefully when the names are shouted out - the Vietnamese distort them so much that it is completely impossible to make out. Therefore, usually one of the Russian-speaking tourists helps the officers :)
Vietnam e-Visa
Yes, there is one - in experimental mode. It is one-time entry, for 30 days, but it can be extended once in Vietnam. Costs $ 25. She does not need an invitation letter - only a passport valid for 6 months at the time of entry into the country.
You also need your photo and a photo of the main page of your passport - they will need to be uploaded to the site.
How to get an e-Visa to Vietnam:
- Go to the E-Visa website. Following the link, you will immediately be taken to a page where there is an instruction in English and from where filling in the data begins.
- Check the box below and click Next.
- Upload your photo and passport photo and fill out the form in English. Please note - the name and surname must be written as in your ICAO line on your passport (these are the 2 bottom lines).
- Write down the registration code so that you can download your visa later.
- Pay (Payment). Choose the International card.
- Wait 3 working days, a letter will come. Or check the readiness yourself.
- Download and print. Show me at passport control.
If you have any questions, read the official website. There is also a list of airports, checkpoints and ports through which you can enter and leave Vietnam with this visa.
How to get a visa to Vietnam in Russia in 2021
Long-term visa and other types of Vietnam visas can be obtained from the Vietnamese embassy or consulate in any country in the world. The documents are the same in all countries, only the price is different.
There are embassies in Moscow, Vladivostok and Yekaterinburg. See the official website for addresses, phone numbers and opening hours.
To obtain a Vietnamese visa, you need:
- valid passport
- 2 photos 3x4 or 4x6
- completed visa application form
- letter of invitation to Vietnam (Approval Letter).
Don't forget about insurance - it's optional, but we always buy it. It's calmer this way.
Approval Letter we order on this site. Leave a request, pay, and in a few days you will be sent a Visa Approval code by e-mail, which you will need to print and bring to the embassy. Price - from 990 to 1790 rubles, it depends on the duration of the visa.
Vietnamese visas are single-entry and multiple-entry. By term, they are divided into one-month, three-month and six-month. How long you ask for - this is what you will get.
Vietnam visa processing in other Asian countries
Most tourists do not bother with applying for an electronic visa to Vietnam or at the consulate, because the easiest way is to order an invitation and receive a visa upon arrival.
However, there are special cases when you need to obtain a visa at consulates in other countries. This is usually more expensive than a visa upon arrival.
Personal experience of a traveler applying for a visa in Malaysia:
“Received a Vietnamese visa in Kuala Lumpur. I applied to the embassy with a request for a visa. They asked me to show my passport, after which they gave me a questionnaire to fill out. They said to copy the first page of the zagran and take a 4x6 photo. I went to an institution opposite the building, where I successfully made both copies and a photo (it cost 20 ringgit). Came back, filled out a questionnaire at the same embassy. I did not indicate a lot of data, since I did not know everything. I wrote only where it was registered, what was the purpose of the trip and to whom. I gave the documents to the window. They asked me to pay 400 ringgit for a three-month visa - I exchanged dollars in an exchanger, and it turned out something about 115 dollars. I took my passport with a visa literally the next day. " Source: forum.awd.ru.
Note for those who are going to get a visa to Vietnam in the capital of Malaysia: the address of the embassy in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) - 4, Persiaran Stonor, 50450 Kuala Lumpur.
Fines for violation of the visa regime
According to some tourists, at passport control they do not find fault with them and for an extra day of rest in Vietnam they can simply close their eyes. Nevertheless, a fine for violating a visa-free stay is officially established: $ 10 for each day beyond the established period.
But officers are forced to pay a large bribe for exceeding the time limit. So it was with our friend - he paid $ 70 for three days.
