Visa

There are a couple of ways to get a visa for Vietnam.

E-Visa

You can apply for an e-visa on this Vietnamese government site. It takes a couple of working days and you will have to pay 25 dollars in advance.

Don’t forget to double- or even triple-check all information on the application. The Vietnamese government doesn’t check the data you enter. If you swap your passport number with your national identification number as I did for example you’re visa will be refused at the check-in. Doing this will give you a couple of minutes, if you’re lucky, to hastily book a very expensive last-minute visa. This will create a lot of stress, not recommended.

It’s not necessary but also highly recommended to print the e-visa.

Embassy

Another, more expensive, option is to apply for a visa at the Vietnamese embassy. In the Netherlands it’s located in Den Haag and in Belgium in Brussels. This costs 77 dollars and you have to physically go there.

Third-Party Service

Another, also more expensive, option is to use a third-party service to get your visa. In the Netherlands the ANWB can be used for example.

Plane

We recommend booking the plane 6 months in advance to get a good deal.

You can fly from Amsterdam to Ho Chi Minh city with a transit flight, or drive to Frankfurt and take a direct flight.

The airline we recommend are “Vietnam Airlines”, since they have big planes with a bit more leg space. The airlines you should avoid are “Swiss Airlines” and “Edelweiss” because the planes are small and there’s little room for your body parts. If you have Ha’s size (unlikely) it doesn’t matter which line you book.

Websites to compare and book tickets:

• https://www.momondo.nl

Airport in Vietnam

It’s highly recommended to bring at least 25 dollars or equivalent in Vietnamese Dong to the Vietnamese airport, just in case. Something might go “wrong” and you might have to “pay” an official. It’s not possible to use an ATM there and they don’t accept euros.