Although foreigners now have 3 legal methods to get a Vietnam visa including Vietnam visa at the Embassy or Consulates, Vietnam visa on arrival and Vietnam evisa, applicants still tend to choose 2 latter ways thanks to their convenience. The following post will indicate in detail differences between Vietnam evisa and Vietnam visa on arrival.
1. What is Vietnam evisa and Vietnam visa on arrival
Vietnam visa on arrival and Vietnam evisa are both issued and approved by the Vietnam Immigration Department so first of all they are completely legitimate.
The common point of these two methods is that applicants can get the process done online from submitting Vietnam visa application, making payment for the processing fee to receiving the result. Therefore, applying for a Vietnam evisa or Vietnam visa on arrival (VOA in short) can save time and effort as well as bring back much convenience compared to the traditional way of obtaining a Vietnam visa at the Embassy.
But it is reminded that if you apply for a Vietnam evisa, you will receive a loose-leaf visa in pdf, while if you apply for a Vietnam visa on arrival, the Vietnam visa stamp won’t stick on your original passport until you come to Vietnam via entry gates.
One more important thing that all applicants need to take into consideration is to review all applications before submitting because the information won’t be changed or edited when the application is received and processed. If there is any mistake, you will have no choice but to apply for a new one.
2. Comparison between Vietnam evisa and Vietnam visa on arrival
Let’s have a look at the differences of the two methods in the table below
| Vietnam visa on arrival | Vietnam evisa | |
| Is it legitimate? | 100% legitimate | 100% legitimate |
| Issuing authority | Vietnam Immigration Department | Vietnam Immigration Department |
| Who is eligible | Every nationality | Citizens of 80 countries. See list of nationalities eligible for Vietnam evisa here. |
| Purpose of entry | Tourism, Business | Tourism only |
| Visa validity and number of entry |
|
|
| Entry checkpoint |
|
32 international checkpoints including airports, seaports, and land-crossing borders.
For more details of entry gates applicable for Vietnam evisa, please check out here. |
| How to apply |
|
Applicants have 2 options to apply for a Vietnam evisa:
|
| Where to apply |
|
https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/web/guest/khai-thi-thuc-dien-tu/cap-thi-thuc-dien-tu |
| Processing time | Normal service:
Urgent service:
Super urgent service:
|
3 working days |
| Processing fee | Applicants will have to pay 2 kinds of fee:
|
Only one type of fee needs to be paid when applying for a Vietnam evisa which is $25 (USD), nonrefundable |
3. Vietnam evisa or Vietnam visa on arrival – which one should you choose
It seems that you have already known about the two methods of obtaining a Vietnam visa. But which one would you choose, Vietnam evisa or Vietnam visa on arrival?
It can be seen from the comparison above that if you just come to Vietnam for tourism purposes within 30 days, and your nationality is eligible for Vietnam evisa, this is a great choice. However, if your stay is more than 30 days, and you want to enter and then re-enter many times in a period, a Vietnam visa on arrival is definitely a greater alternative. Although the Vietnam evisa can be extended when it expires, the cost for Vietnam visa extension is expensive sometimes, and the documents are complicated as well. The fee for obtaining a Vietnam visa on arrival can be higher than a Vietnam evisa, but let’s see what you can save when having one.
One disadvantage of Vietnam visa on arrival is the operation at the airport can be slow, especially at airports with large numbers of passengers like Tan Son Nhat, or Noi Bai International Airport. The time waiting for customs in high seasons can be up to 1 -2 hours so if you are in a rush, or tired after a long flight, consider to use Fast track to avoid the exhaustion.
Have you decided which method you will use to get a Vietnam visa, either Vietnam evisa or Vietnam visa on arrival? Should you need any advice on which type of Vietnam visa to apply for, how to get it or any questions regarding your coming trip, don’t hesitate to contact us.