While visiting Laos in August 2019, we discovered that we would need a visa for our next 15-day travel in Vietnam.
As of July 2015, the Vietnamese government has announced that visitors from England, Germany, France, Italy and Spain will be exempted from visas for 15 days.
As this does not apply to us, we must obtain a visa in Luang Prabang (Northern Laos), which is one of the cheapest places to apply for your Vietnamese visa in comparison with other places in Southeast Asia. like Bangkok or Vientiane.
If you want to avoid the hassle of applying for a visa, you can do it online by using an agent’s service such as www.vietnamvisaservice.org, they will take care of the entire application for you.
Where is the Vietnamese Consulate in Luang Prabang?
- Address: 417-418 That Boset Village, Luang Prabang, 15-20 minute walk from the central night market
Vietnam Visa in Luang Prabang: first visit to the Embassy
This is the simplest visa application we have made so far. The only thing we needed was a photo with the original money and passport.
The embassy opening hours are 8- 11:30 am and 1:30- 5pm from Monday to Friday. We went to the embassy at 8am on Wednesday morning, waiting in line (In fact, the Vietnamese Embassy in Luang Prabang is not busy at all, we only have to spend 30 minutes being in it)
At the Embassy, we have completed a very simple registration form, paid a $60 visa fee and handed over our passport, photo and receipt of a return receipt within 3 business days. You could pay more to get it sooner, but we had a week in Luang Prabang.
Vietnam Visa in Luang Prabang: a second visit to the Embassy
We came to the Embassy the second time on Friday afternoon to get our passport back. This was very simple. No queues or noise and it just took 5 minutes.
Recommended travel to Vietnam
Flights in Vietnam: Airfare in Vietnam can be very reasonable if you do research and booking. For example, flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi are priced at as low as $ 35 one way. We recommend that you use Skyscanner to find the best price for any given month.
Visa in Vietnam: Depending on your nationality and the number of days you plan to stay in Vietnam. We recommend using the online service of a reputable agency like vietnamvisaservice.org to apply for a visa if your location is not near the Embassy.
Travel insurance: Whether you are on a plane, going for a dive, hiking or just lying on the beach all day, you need travel insurance. We use World Nomads because they provide exceptional levels of specificity for adventure travelers. They also make it easy to make claims since they’re all done online.
Hotels: Vietnam has a wide range of accommodation options. We recommend that you go to Tripadvisor to find out reviews of the best places to stay and shopping and leisure activities. Use Booking.com or Agoda.com to find the best deals and book your hotel online.
Tour operator: We have traveled by ourselves to Vietnam but we have been often asked whether we can recommend a good travel agency. We have partnered with Eviva Tour, providing personalized luxury tours and cruises suitable for Vietnam.