Recently Vietnam Immigration Department has not yet issued Vietnam visa exemption for US citizens so applying for Vietnam visa is a must if they wish to enter Vietnam even for tourist or business purpose. However, US citizens still have more advantages than citizens from other countries due to the bilateral relations between the two countries, that is: US citizens can apply Vietnam visa with the validity up to one year multiple entries for both purposes. They can apply for Vietnam visa through 3 ways: Visa on arrival, Getting visa at Vietnam Consulate/Embassy in the US and E-visa. Each way has their own advantages and disadvantages so the applicants should consider which one is more convenient for them.
3 WAYS TO GET VIETNAM BUSINESS VISA FOR US CITIZENS – ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
All of American citizens would like to do business have to apply for Vietnam Business Visa – coded as DN. Please keep in your mind that unlike Vietnam Tourist Visa, US passport’s holder has to have a sponsor company operated and registered currently in Vietnam to fulfill visa dossier.
There are three ways of obtaining such a visa:
1. Apply in person or by post through your nearest Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate
( + ) Advantages:
- Can be done in person or by post
- Can be used to apply for any type of visa
- Can be used for any entrance point, whether by land, air, or sea
- Visa is stamped before departure
- No need to stand in line at the airport
( – ) Disadvantages:
- The fee is uncertain as it depends on the consulate/ embassy
- Takes about 5 working days to process, but can be sped up to 1- 2 days for urgent service.
- Not the most convenient, especially for people who live or work far away from a Vietnam Embassy or Consulate.
Vietnam Embassy or Consulates are situated in some states in the US that you can find:
Vietnam embassy in Washington D.C., US
Address: 1233 20th St NW, Ste 400, Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-861-0737
Fax: 202-861-0917
Email: vanphong@vietnamembassy.us (general information); visatovn@vietnamembassy.us (consular affairs)
Office: Embassy: Mon – Fri, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm & 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Consulate: Mon – Fri, 09:00 am to 12:00 pm & 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Link: http://vietnamembassy-usa.org/
Consulate of Vietnam in New York, US
Address: 866 U.N. Plaza, Suite 428, New York, NY 10017
Phone: 1-212-644-0594 or 1-212-644-2535 or 1-212-644-0831
Fax: 1-212-644-5732
Time: Mon – Friday 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Email: lanhsuquan.newyork@gmail.com
Link: http://www.vietnamconsulate-ny.org/
General Consulate of Vietnam in San Francisco, US
Address: 1700 California Str, Suite 580, San Francisco, CA 94109
Phone: (415) 922-1707 ; (415) 922-1577
Fax: (415) 922-1848 ; (415) 922-1757
Time: 8:30 AM – 12.00 PM, 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM. Monday – Friday, except for holidays
Link: https://vietnamconsulate-sf.org/en/home/
Consulate General of Vietnam in Houston, US
Address: Vietnamese Consulate General in Houston, United States
5251 Westheimer Road, Suite 1100
Houston, TX 77056
United States
Phone: (+1) 713-850-1233 ; (+1) 713-840-0096
Fax: (+1) 713-840-0159 ; (+1) 713-871-0312
Link: http://vietnamconsulateinhouston.org/
2. Visa on Arrival
Visa on Arrival is another way to obtain visa authorization by Vietnam Immigration Department. American citizens have to go through two steps to obtain Business Visa:
Step 1: Obtaining a Business Approval Letter from Vietnam Immigration Department
Step 2: Stamping the business visa
( + ) Advantages:
- Convenient, can be submitted at home via online application form
- No need to go Vietnam Embassy or Consulate
- Available for any type of visa (1- 3, or 6 months, or 1 year multiple-entry visa)
- Business Visa for American is valid up to ONE YEAR with MULTIPLE ENTRIES
- The service fee is paid online to the service provider
( – ) Disadvantages
- Only available for air-passengers
- Can only pick up your visa at Vietnam’s international airports in Hanoi, Danang, Ho Chi Minh, Cam Ranh or Phu Quoc Airport
- You will need to pay two fees: 1. Service fee for Visa approval letter, 2. Stamping fee
- Queue at arrival airport to get stamped
- The business approval letter takes 7 working days to process
=> Strongly recommend use this service for those who would like to apply for Business or Tourist Visa due to cost-effective and convenience
3. E-VISA
E-VISA was launched on 1st Feb, 2017 only available for 46 countries. However, it is applicable for US citizens.
( + ) Advantages:
- Convenient, as it can be done by completing an online application form
- Only costs USD 25
- Can be picked up at any entrance point, whether by land, air, or sea. (28 entrance points, including 8 international airports, 13 international border gates, and 7 seaports.)
- Time processing: 3 working days, so you’ll know quickly whether the application was accepted or not
- The visa does not need to be stamped on your passport; hence there is no stamping fee and no need to queue for your passport to be stamped on arrival
( – ) Disadvantages:
- The fee is non-refundable if the visa is declined
- Only for 1 month single-entry (long-term visa is not applicable)
We hope that our analysis can be useful for you to decide which option is convenient for you to issue your VietNam Business Visa.
If you would like to make clear some issues about Work Permit, Temporary Residence Card or other types of Vietnam Visa, please visit these following links.
OTHER INFORMATION RELATED TO VIETNAM’S WORK PERMIT, VISAS AND TEMPORARY RESIDENCE CARD
- How To Apply Work Permit In Viet Nam
- How To Apply Work Permit Extension
- How To Apply For Vietnam Visa On Arrival
- How To Apply For Visa Extension In Vietnam
- How to apply for Extension of Temporary Residence Card
- Procedures For Lost Vietnam Temporary Residence Card
- Vietnam Temporary Residence Card For Foreigner’s Relative
- Who Can Get Vietnam Temporary Residence Card
- How To Apply Vietnam Visa On Arrival
- How To Extend or Renew Visa In Vietnam
- How To Apply Vietnam’s Visa For Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Iran, Parkistan, Turkey Citizens
For further information:
Discovery Indochina Travel Co., Ltd
5th Floor | Platinum Building | 145 Dien Bien Phu Street, District 1 | Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam
Tel: 028 39102358 | 028 39102359 Mobile: 0938228856 | 0906640505
www.visa5s.com | www.ditravel.vn
