The hike of the Vietnam visa costs for US citizens had sparked up a lot of rages. It has forced the Vietnamese government to restore the cheap rates of Vietnam visa for US citizens within a short period of time. This makes it an ideal nation for the ones in search of a cheap escape destination from their busy schedule – be it students, backpackers or any other resident in the US. The restoration of the cheap services has brought in a lot of praises among the visitors. And it not limited to the single entry options only. Rather it offers cheap service options for visas for 3 months, 6 months and 1 year as well.

Types of visa options for US citizens planning to visit Vietnam

Vietnam allows multiple types of visa options for the citizens of the United States of America. It includes both single and multiple entry options as mentioned below.

1. Single entry visa for one month – it allows the visitors from the US to enter Vietnam only once and is allowed to stay up to a period of one month.
2. Multiple entry visa for one month – visitors from the US are allowed multiple entries to the nation with the period of one month
3. Single entry visa for three months – allowing the visitors one-time entry to Vietnam and allowed to stay in the nation for 3 months at the max
4. Multiple entry visa for three months – US citizens can enter and leave Vietnam multiple times during the period of 3 months
5. Multiple entry visa for six months – permits the US citizens multiple entries to Vietnam and allows a maximum stay of 3 months during each entry or till the visa lasts
6. Multiple entry visas for one year – it is same as the multiple entry visa for six months except that the US citizens are allowed multiple entries and exit to Vietnam for a period of one month. Similar to the previous options, a maximum stay of three months is allowed during each entry

Charges

The charges for processing the visa of US citizens are very cheap. These cheap rates make Vietnam an ideal option among the students, travelers, and businessmen from the US. The rates mentioned below include the fees for processing the visa as well as stamping the same. That means the visitors will not be required to pay any extra charges when they arrive in Vietnam.

1. $80 for a single entry visa for a tenure of one month
2. $135 for multiple entry visa for one month period
3. $110 for single entry visas for three months
4. $160 for multiple entry visas valid for three months
5. $180 for multiple entry visas functional for six months
6. $220 for visas permitting multiple entries to Vietnam lasting for a year. The San Francisco Consulate office is known to charge $215 for the same process thought the reasons for the reduced charges are not known.

If you are planning to get your visa upon arrival in Vietnam, then it is necessary for you to know that the stamping charges can vary anywhere within the range of $25 to $135 depending upon the type and tenure of the visa.

Documents required

Similar to any other procedural visa application, the US citizens need to present the following documents to avail a tourist visa for a Vietnam tour:

• Application form for the tourist visa in Vietnam
• A couple of 2 X 2-inch passport size photos although a single one may be sufficient
• Money order or a cashier’s check payable and the Vietnam embassy as the fees of processing the visa. A combined money order/check can serve the purpose for multiple applicants who are applying together.
• Pre-paid stamped envelope carrying self-address to be sent to the Vietnam Embassy. This will be used to return the documents of the visitors. Apart from DHL, visitors can choose any of the tracked mail service providers including UPS, FedEx, and USPS.
• The original passport for the visa stamping process. If you are applying for visa stamp on loose leaf, you may provide a colored copy of the page of the passport. The validity of both the options is equal.

Time for processing the visa applications of US citizens

Vietnam visa services are available in multiple speed options depending upon the requirement of the visitors. Those include:

1. Normal service option and it takes up to a couple of working days to get done with the processing
2. Urgent service option that provides the visa facilities within one working day
3. Super Urgent service that allows visa processing within one to four working hours
4. Services in non-working hours. It includes any time of Saturday, holiday or the regular day after Vietnamese time of 4 pm. The service is not available during night time

Where to apply for a visa?

Vietnam visa for US citizens can be applied in multiple ways. One can apply for it upon arrival in Vietnam or just apply for it beforehand before boarding. The option of e-visas is also applicable. Apart from this, the US citizens are also allowed to apply for their visas at the Vietnam Embassy located in the state of Washington DC. They can also apply for the visa at any one of the other Vietnam Consulate Offices in the nation. San Francisco, New York, and Houston host the consulate offices. You can check out their websites to know more about the process.