Compare Vietnam visa on arrival and Vietnam E-visa

Hoa Nguyen
January 7, 2019
General information

Updated: as from February 1, 2017, travelers to Vietnam has one additional option to get Vietnam visa, namely evisa (electronic visa).

So, at the moment, there are up to 3 ways to obtain a visa for Vietnam, consisting of:

Obtain the visa at Vietnam embassy/consulate;
Obtain the visa on arrival; or
Obtain an evisa

The first option is made offline at the embassy while the following two options are made online. So, in this post, we will make a brief comparison between these two online options for Vietnam visa only.

Item	Vietnam Visa on Arrival	Vietnam E-visa
Issuing authority	Vietnam Immigration Department	Vietnam Immigration Department
Beneficiaries	All travelers to Vietnam by air	Citizens of 46 countries in the list
Purpose of visit	Vacation, business, family/friend visit, and others	Vacation
Visa validity	1 month single/multiple entry, 3 months single/multiple entry, 6 months multiple entry, 1 year multiple entry	1 month single entry
Visa Fee	Depending on visa type, refunded in case your visa application is refused	US$25, non-refundable in case your visa application is refused
How to get Vietnam visa	Go online at https://booking.vietnam-visa.com/step1.html and complete the form; Make payment of service fee; Receive the visa approval letter via email; Get visa stamped at Vietnam airport upon arrival by presenting original passport, photos, entry and exit form and stamping fee in cash.	Go online to https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/web/guest/trang-chu-ttdt and complete the form and attach it with photos of yourself and your passport page; Make payment of visa fee; You will then be provided with a digital code will be provided with a digital code to check the application progress and print their e-visas once they have been issued.
Processing time	2 working days or even quicker to receive the visa approval letter	3 working days to know your Vietnam visa application is approved or not
Entry gates	5 (international airports in Vietnam, consisting of Noi Bai,Cat Bi, Da Nang, Tan Son Nhat and Cam Ranh)	28 (8 international airports, 13 international border gates, and 7 seaports across Vietnam)
Warnings	It may, but just sometimes, take you up to 30 minutes or 1 hour to get visa stamped at Vietnam airport if there are too many people staying there for the same purpose as yours.	As this kind of visa is very new, of which some certain airlines or even immigration staff at the airports may have not been aware and therefore may refuse it, you should check with your airlines in advance to avoid this.