Our trip to Vietnam got off to a hectic start as we were very close of not getting our visas to enter the country. So, very important, don’t forget to apply for your E-visa (electronic visa) well in advance by clicking here where it says 1. For outsider Vietnam foreigners, click here. This is the official government website for immigration. I’d say it’s best to submit the visa application from 15 to 20 days before you travel, as the visa is only valid from the entry date you state on the form.
The next page on the website explains the visa application process in detail, including the fees which are $25 per person. After submitting the E-visa, you’ll need to check the website with the registration code you receive in the visa application, as it won’t be sent by email, nor will you receive a notification when it’s available. Once the E-Visa has been processed, you will need to download it and print it out to enter Vietnam.
The website says that it usually takes 3 working days to process the visa. In my case, I applied for the visa on a Saturday, and it was available the following Thursday morning. But be aware that I’ve heard from several people whose processing took longer, and some even lost their trips. Especially in cases where additional information is requested after the application has been submitted, or around important dates in Vietnam, such as the Lunar New Year when the whole country shuts down for a week.
To apply for an E-visa, you’ll need a passport-sized photograph, and you will have to submit a separate application for each person. A separate E-visa application is also required for children. Once you’ve submitted the form and made the payment, you’ll receive a confirmation email with the link and registration code, which you should check to download the visa.
In urgent cases, if you think you won’t be able to get the visa in time, it’s worth contacting an authorised agency that can process visas very quickly, at a much higher cost of course. Here’s this recommendation in case you need to use this express service.
In this section of the official Vietnam tourism website, you can find the latest updates on visa requirements, including the list of exempt countries. And don’t forget that you must always have a passport valid for at least 6 months.
If you take a look at Vietnam’s official tourism website Vietnam Travel, you’ll see that there are many places to visit in Vietnam. Depending on the time you have available and the type of holiday you prefer, you’ll have to make choices. Our trip lasted 9 days (it was supposed to be 8), and we chose to visit Hanoi, Halong Bay, and Hoi An. At that time Maria Rita was only 4 years old so I planned a more relaxed holiday, but if she has been older, I would probably have included the Sapa region and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), with a few more days travelling. So, you’ll need to think about your itinerary and then buy domestic flights if necessary.
Vietnam also has different seasons, and depending on the time of year you are travelling, you may need one or more jackets; check out the climate for the different regions of the country here.
Now that you’ve been warned about the visa-not-arriving-on-time issue, and once you’ve chosen your itinerary, you can find more useful information about Vietnam on the foreign ministry or equivalent website of your country of nationality. In my case, I always check the Portal das Comunidades Portuguesas, which provides information for travellers with Portuguese passports by destination country. For Vietnam, the link is this one.
The Portal das Comunidades Portuguesas provides information on entry requirements, safety, and health precautions for different countries. However, for more detailed health advice, I also usually consult the TravelHealthPro website. This site provides comprehensive information, including risks associated with diseases such as dengue, malaria, etc., as well as recommended vaccinations for each destination. It’s important to note that this site is aimed at travellers from the UK, so some of the data may not apply to everyone. For information specific to Vietnam, click here.
When it comes to flights, I usually use SkyScanner to see what options are available for a particular destination, and then make my purchase directly on the airline’s website, taking into account both price and the most convenient schedules.
Another very important recommendation for those travelling to Vietnam is to drink only bottled water, and only have iced drinks if you are sure that the ice is made from treated water. The same care should be taken when brushing your teeth; do not use tap water. For those travelling with children, it’s always a good idea to remind them of these precautions a few days before the trip, as they’ll retain some of it (or so I believe). Hotels usually offer treated water for drinking or brushing teeth, which they provide daily in the rooms.
I also usually buy a mobile data package before I travel, which comes in handy for checking maps on the go, or contacting guides and hotels. I use Airalo, which allows you to buy mobile data packages through an eSIM. All you have to do is download the app, create an account, select the country and data package you want, pay, and install the eSIM. You can find more details here. Also check that your phone model supports eSIM, which you can do here.
See also the Arrival in Hanoi post for more details on getting to Hanoi from Singapore, and what to do when you arrive at the airport.
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