Traveling to Vietnam on Business

Vietnam is fast becoming one of the most vibrant business centers in Asia. With many multi-national companies doing business there and many more considering setting up shop, it is no wonder so many businessmen and women visit Vietnam every year.

To the uninitiated, traveling to Vietnam can be somewhat frightening – not in terms of personal safety but in terms of perceived hassle and inconvenience. If you have never traveled outside your home country, or just traveled to Europe, you might not understand some of the entry requirements needed for travel to Vietnam.

For instance, business travelers to Vietnam must have a valid passport, and the expiration date of that passport must not be more than six months from the date of travel. Business travelers whose passports expire before then will need to make arrangements to have the document renewed well in advance of their trip. It is far easier – and less expensive – to renew your passport when you have plenty of time to spare.

In addition to the valid passport, those traveling to Vietnam on business will need to have some additional documentation to prove the legitimacy of their trip. That documentation consists of either a Vietnam visa, a visa exemption document from a Vietnamese embassy or consulate, or a written approval letter for a visa. Travelers must have this documentation upon arrival at the airport, so it is important to make arrangements with a quality travel agency before you leave home.

Many business travelers find the best route is to arrange for an approval letter which can be picked up at the airport upon arrival in Vietnam. Having that approval letter arranged ahead of time can make the entire trip easier, faster, and ultimately more productive. Once the approval letter has been arranged, all the business traveler needs to do is pick it up at the airport. With that document, and the passport, in hand, the businessman or woman can simply head over to customs, present their documents and be on their way.

While having an approval letter waiting for you at the airport will make your business trip easier, it is important to choose your travel agency with care. Not all travel agencies understand the somewhat unique entry requirements of Vietnam, and those inexperienced agents could make a mistake that could force you to delay – or even cancel – your important business meetings.

When obtaining travel documents for a business trip to Vietnam, it is important to work with a travel agency that fully understands the entry requirements of the country, and one that has plenty of experience helping visitors to Vietnam get into the country with a minimum of hassle. Working with an experienced travel agency is one of the most important tips for business travelers to keep in mind. Doing business in Vietnam can be very profitable for you and your company. The last thing you want is to have a problem with your paperwork delay your business dealings.

Vietnam Visa service for Frequently Traveling Members

Whether you travel to Vietnam once in a lifetime or once a month, you need to make sure that your paperwork and documentation are in order before you head out to the airport. Traveling to a foreign country is costly, and it can be complicated as well. Understanding the passport, visa and other documentation requirements of the country you are traveling to is one of the best ways to make sure your trip comes off without a hitch.

Understanding the visa and other entry requirements is important no matter where you travel, but it can be especially critical for travel to Vietnam. Whether you are traveling on business or just for fun, you will need to have a valid passport whose expiration date is more than six months away. If you have been meaning to have your passport renewed, it is a good idea to get that taken care of before you start planning the rest of your trip.

In addition to the valid passport, you will need to obtain either a Vietnam visa, a visa exemption document, which can be obtained from a Vietnamese embassy or consulate, or a written approval letter for a visa. Having this documentation on hand will make the entire entry process, and the whole trip, run a lot more smoothly.

No matter when you are planning to travel to Vietnam, or for what reason, it is important to work only with a high quality, reputable travel agency. There are a lot of travel agencies out there, but not all of them have experience dealing with the specific entry requirements for a country like Vietnam. If you choose an agent who lacks these skills, you could end up at the airport in Vietnam without the paperwork you need to enter the country.

Working with a reliable travel agent is one of the best ways to ensure a smooth process and a happy productive trip to Vietnam. A quality travel agency with plenty of experience in Vietnam will be able to walk you through the process step by step and help you get the paperwork and documentation you need to get through the airport and be on your way.

If you expect to be a frequent traveler to Vietnam, you can work with us and enjoy a significant discount off of our regular prices. When you sign up for our frequency program, you can save 18 percent off of our regular prices for our services, and that can be a significant savings.

Vietnam visa extension

What is Vietnam visa extension?
Vietnam visa extension helps travelers continue staying in Vietnam after their visas expire without exiting Vietnam to apply for a new one again.

When do I need to extend my Vietnam visa?
You’d better extend/renew your visa at least 1 week (for 3 months visa, preferably 2 weeks) before your visa expiration date.

Which documents will I need?
Only your original passport, remember that your passport must have 2 blank pages at maximum.
Which type of visa can be extended?
For tourist and business Vietnam visa, the extension/renewal is only applicable for 1 month or 3 months (single/multiple entry).
For diplomatic, official visas, or/and other types of visa, it should be applied through the official agencies or government or business sponsor or contact the Vietnam Immigration Department in person.

How to extend my Vietnam visa?
With the aim of getting more and more opportunities to support our valued clients, we have developed visa extension/renewal services for those who have been in Vietnam. To extend/renew your visa, you are kindly advised to follow the following steps:
Step 1. Please send us your scan of your passport and the page containing your current Vietnam visa . Then we will send it to Vietnam Immigration Department to check your information before extending/renewing your visa.
Step 2. We will inform you about the visa extension fee and whether your visa can be extended/renewed as visa extension varies for each case.
Step 3. For those who are in Hanoi, please bring your original passport to our office:
In case, you are in Ho Chi Minh City, please let us know your current address so that our staff will come in person to pick up your passport.
Step 4. Wait some days to get your passport back together with your new stamped visa.
How long does it take?
The processing time takes from 5 to 10 days, depends on your type of Vietnam visa.

Vietnam immigration policy for Processing Vietnam visa

Foreigners, who stay in Vietnam more than 1 year and want to ask for a temporary residence card, are suggested to send the temporary residence card to the Vietnam Immigration Office or Police Immigration Management of Cities/Provinces under Central authority.

Procedures provided for asking to issue visa, extending, supplementing, visa modifying and asking for temporary residence certificate:

Foreigners would like to ask to issue, extend, supplement, modify visa and temporary residence certificate do need submit records to the Vietnam Immigration Office or Police Immigration Management of Cities/Provinces under Central authority.

If asking to issue visa, extending, supplementing, modifying visa, asking for temporary residence certificate are for tourism, the Vietnam international tourism companies -behalf of customers – will be responsible for dealing with Vietnam Immigration Office or Police Immigration Management of Cities/Provinces under Central authority.

If extending, supplementing, modifying visa, asking for temporary residence certificate are for the individuals such as: family visit, marriage, child adoption, treatment ... the application must be confirmed by the ward, commune or shelter agencies which has jurisdiction.

Procedure provided for asking to issue visa in case of losing passport:

In case your passport is lost in Vietnam, you do need immediately report to the ward, commune where your passport was lost or contact the diplomatic representatives, your Embassy or Consulate in Vietnam to ask for a new passport or other documents that can be used as a valid passport. And then, you should apply for the new Vietnam visa.

Procedures provided for staying purpose conversion:

Foreigners who want to convert their purpose of staying in Vietnam must be approved by agencies, organizations or individuals as a guarantee to complete all the procedures in Vietnam Immigration Office or Police Immigration Management of Cities/Provinces under Central authority (where the agencies, organizations or individuals guarantee).

Procedures for temporary residence card:

Foreigners staying in Vietnam more than 1 year who would like to ask for a temporary residence card are suggested to send the temporary residence card to the Vietnam Immigration Office or Management immigration police Cities/ provinces of Central authority.

Vietnam Embassy in Albania

Are you looking for location of Vietnam embassy in Albania ?
There is currently no Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam Consulate in Albania. Nevertheless, you can also apply for your Vietnam visa by contacting a Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam Consulate in a neighbouring country.
We always try our best to give you the most up-to-date information about the Vietnam representative office in Albania. 

ALBANIA
Complete Name: Republic of Albania
Native Name: Shqipëria
ISO-Code: ALB
Capital: Tiranë
Principal Cities : Tiranë, Durrës, Vlorë, Elbasan, Shkodër, Korçë, Fier, Berat, Kavajë, Lushnjë

Types of visa to Vietnam

Vietnam Tourist visa: (short staying time) It's what you need to enter Vietnam! Available one-month single-entry visa (stay in Vietnam maximum one month). Tourist visa may be extended one time for 30 days after your Visa arrival in Vietnam. If you plan to spend more than one month in Vietnam, or if you plan to exit Vietnam and re-enter from Cambodia, Laos or China, you will need a one-month or three-month multiple-entry visa with the approval from local agents.

Vietnam Business Visa: Business visa is usually valid for three or six months, allow single entry or multiple entries and the right to work. Getting a business visa has now become cheap and easy, although prices are about double those of a tourist visa. It is generally easier to apply for a business visa once in Vietnam, after having arrived on a tourist visa.

Student visas: A student visa is usually arranged after your arrival. It's acceptable to enter Vietnam on a tourist visa, enroll in a Vietnamese language course and then apply at the immigration police for a change in status. In reality, the easiest way to do it is to contact a travel company and have them help you make the application.

Visa Extensions: If you've got the dollars, they've got the rubber stamp. Tourist-visa extensions cost as little US$10, but it is easier to pay more and sort this out through a travel agency. Getting the stamp yourself can be a bureaucratic nightmare. The procedure takes two or three days and you can only extend one time for 30 days. In theory you should be able to extend your visa in any provincial capital. In practice it goes smoothest in major cities, such as HCMC, Hanoi, Danang and Hue, which cater to mass tourism.

Re-Entry Visas: It's possible to enter Cambodia, Laos or any other country from Vietnam and then re- enter without having to apply for another visa. However, you must apply for a re-entry visa before you leave Vietnam. If you do not have a re-entry visa, you will have to go through the whole Vietnamese visa nonsense again. Re-entry visas are easiest to arrange in Hanoi or HCMC, but you will almost certainly have to ask a travel agent to do the paperwork for you. Travel agents charge about US$25 for this service and can complete the procedure in a day or two.

Visa Exemption Agreements between Vietnam and other countries

Vietnam has signed agreements on Vietnam visa exemption with 55 countries (56 agreements), of which 54 agreements has entered into effect while 2 agreements has not been in force. The Exemption of visa includes exemption of visa for entry, exit and transit. The duration of stay subject to visa exemption begins from the date of entry.
Besides, Vietnam has unilaterally exempt visa for the following people

1. Officials and staff of ASEAN Secretariat are exempted from visa by Vietnam with the stay duration not exceeding 30 days, whether they bear any passports.

(Circular No.04/2002/TTLT/BCA-BNG dated January 29, 2002 guiding the implementation of Decree No.21/2001/NĐ-CP dated May 28, 2001 on concrete provisions for implementing the Ordinance of entry, exit and residence of foreigners in Vietnam.)

2. Since July 1, 2004, citizens of Japan and citizens of the Republic of Korea, whether they bear any passports have been exempted from visa for entry into or exit from Vietnam, with the stay duration not exceeding 15 days, provided that the following conditions are satisfied:

- They bear appropriate passports issued by competent authorities of Japan or the Republic of Korea and still valid for up to 3 months from the date of their entry;

- They have tickets for boarding transportation means to return or travel to another country;

- They are not in the list of persons not permitted to enter Vietnam.

(In fact, it is mainly granted to bearers of ordinary passports because Japan and the Republic of Korea already entered into agreement with Vietnam on exemption of visa for bearers of diplomatic passports or official passports.)

(Decision No. 09/2004/QĐ-BNG dated June 30, 2004 by the Minister of Foreign Affairs promulgating Temporary Regulations on exemption of visa for citizens of Japan and citizens of the Republic of Korea.)

3. Since May 1, 2005, citizens of Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden, whether they bear any passports and their entry is for any purposes, have been exempted from visa upon their entry into or exit from Vietnam with the stay duration not exceeding 15 days, provided that the following conditions are satisfied:

- They bear appropriate passports issued by competent authorities of the country of which they are citizens and their passports are still valid for up to 3 months from the date of their entry;

- They have tickets for boarding transportation means to return or travel to another country;

- They are not in the list of persons not permitted to enter Vietnam.

(Decision No. 808/2005/QĐ-BNG dated April 13, 2005 by the Minister of Foreign Affairs promulgating Regulations on exemption of visa for citizens of Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden.)

4. Since January 1, 2009, citizens of Russia, whether they bear any passports and their entry is for any purposes, have been exempted from visa upon their entry into or exit from Vietnam with the stay duration not exceeding 15 days, provided that the following conditions are satisfied:

- They bear appropriate passports issued by competent authorities of the country of which they are citizens and their passports are still valid for up to 3 months from the date of their entry;

- They have tickets for boarding transportation means to return or travel to another country;

- They are not in the list of persons not permitted to enter Vietnam.

(Decision No. 3207/2008/QĐ-BNG dated December 10, 2008 by the Minister of Foreign Affairs promulgating Regulations on exemption of visa for citizens of the Federation of Russia bearing ordinary passports./.)