Visa on arrival is an alternative way to obtain a visa for Vietnam in addition to the traditional way of getting a visa at Vietnam Embassy. With this kind of visa, you are required to submit an online application for a visa approval letter which functions as an official permission allowing you to board the flight and have visa stamped at the arrival airport in Vietnam. You will need to submit your Vietnam approval letter together with your passport (at least 6 months validity), one passport-sized photo, entry and exit form and stamping fee to the Immigration Officers at the airport to have visa stamped onto your passport.

Yes it is. Visa on arrival is an alternative way to get your visa to Vietnam. Also the IATA (International Air Traffic Association) has recognized visa on arrival. Check out the visa information sections on the following airline websites: Skyteam, Oneworld and Star Alliance. Other governments also recognize visa on arrival as a legitimate travel document, such as the U.S. Department of State and the British Embassy in Hanoi: "In order to enter Vietnam, you will need a valid passport with at least six months validity remaining and a Vietnamese visa, a visa exemption document, or a written approval letter for a visa upon arrival. To obtain a written approval letter to enter, you must contact a travel agency prior to departure."

"Visa approval letter" is a document issued by Vietnam Immigration Department (Vietnam Ministry of Public Security). It functions as an official permission allowing its owner(s) to board the flight to Vietnam and get visa stamped onto the passport upon arrival at Vietnam airport. Please find the visa approval letter sample processed by e-visasvietnam.com.

The approval letter is processed and emailed you within two (02) working days (excepts Saturday, Sunday and public holiday). In urgent cases, you are able to get the approval letter within 8 hours, 4 hours, 2 hours or even 1 hour. For emergency visa processing at the weekend (Saturday, Sunday) or public holiday, please contact us. The visa counters at Vietnamese airports open 24 hours x 7 days. If you already have the visa approval letter, you can pick up your visa at Vietnam airports anytime.

A colour scanned copy of the approval letter (in PDF or JPG format) will be sent to your email. Please make sure that your correct email registered and you have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to open the file.

Please find the visa approval letter sample processed by e-visasvietnam.com.

Visa on arrival is just valid for those who enter Vietnam by air. For land and cruise entry, please visit a Vietnam Embassy or Consulates to get your visa before your departure. There are three international airports in Vietnam that you can get your visa stamp with visa approval letter including: Noi Bai International Airport (Hanoi), Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh City) and Da Nang Airport (Da Nang).

Normally, passport scan is not required. However in some cases, the Vietnam Immigration Department may request for your passport copy to verify your information before giving the approval.

Photos are required upon arrival airports only, thus please remember to bring at least 2 photos of standard passport size (04×06 cm). If you do not have time to prepare those photos before your departure, you can also have it taken at a Vietnamese airports for about 2 USD/ photo.