How to get Vietnam visa on arrival for US Citizens

Last Updated on September 8, 2018

As a holder of US passport you need a visa to enter Vietnam. If you are traveling to Vietnam by air, getting a Vietnam visa on arrival is the easiest and best way to you to get a valid visa.

At the moment, you may hear that there are up to 3 ways to obtain a visa to Vietnam, consisting of visa at Vietnam embassy, visa on arrival and e-visa. But as a US passport holder, only the first two ones are available for you, and as said before, the second one is best if you travel to Vietnam by air.

How to get a visa on arrival to Vietnam for US passport holders?

If you are holding a US passport and would like to get this kind of visa, you need to obtain a visa approval letter beforehand through a local travel agency to then get visa stamped upon arrival at Vietnam airport. This process is detailed in 4 simple steps as follows:

Step 1: Complete the online application form

In this step, I recommend you the form on https://booking.vietnam-visa.com/step1.html which is simple and easy to fill out.

You need to access this link, and complete the form with just some simple information (purpose of visit, type of visa, arrival airport, arrival date, full name, nationality, gender, passport number, passport expiry date, and contact information). That’s all.

Tip for this step: Have your passport next to you while you complete the form to ensure all information you provide is correct.

Step 2: Pay the service fee

In this second step, you need to make the payment for service fee via online portals (PayPal, OnePay) with your Credit/Debit cards.

Step 3: Receive visa approval letter

You will then receive a visa approval letter stating that you are allowed to enter Vietnam within a certain period of time, and a detailed guide on how to get your visa stamped.

Step 4: Get visa stamped

When you land at the Vietnam international airport, you need to head to the Visa on Arrival / Landing Visa counter there, showing your documents and pay the fee to get your visa stamped.

This is the entire process to obtain a Vietnam visa upon arrival for US citizens. The next question is:

How long you can stay with Vietnam visa on arrival?

At the moment, US citizens have several options for the length of their stay in Vietnam with a visa on arrival:

For Tourist visa:

1 month single/multiple entry visa;
3 months single/multiple entry visa;
6 months multiple entry visa; and
1 year multiple entry visa (maximum 90 days per each stay);

For Business visa:

1 month single/multiple entry visa;
3 months single/multiple entry visa;
6 months multiple entry visa; and
1 year multiple entry visa

Which local travel agent you should trust?

This kind of visa, despite being issued by the Vietnam Immigration Department, must be obtained through a local travel agent. Which brings up the issue which travel agent you should trust with your money? I recommend Vietnam-visa.com for their prompt and accurate support and timely delivery of the visa approval letter. Reading through their website and Facebook, I also found a lot of great feedback from their clients.

Now you have detailed information on how to get a visa on arrival for US passport holders. But, as I said right at beginning of my post, visa on arrival is only an option if you travel to Vietnam by air. Otherwise, you need to obtain the visa at a Vietnamese Embassy.