Transit in Vietnam – Visa required or not?

1. Visa required or not required?

Apart from the countries on the visa exemption list, a Vietnam visa stamp is required for all ordinary passport holders visiting the Vietnam mainland. If you transit in Vietnam you might belong to one of those cases:

1.1.  If you are just stopping over in Vietnam for a few hours and plan to solely stay inside the transit area to wait for the next flight  you do not need a Vietnam transit visa. Both  Tan Son Nhat airport, Ho Chi Minh City and Noi Bai airport, Hanoi offer quite comfortable sleeping services and good food and beverage for transit passengers who do not enter Vietnam.

1.2. However, if you stopover in Vietnam for more than 6 hours and have intentions of visiting the mainland you must obtain a Vietnam transit visa. The most appropriate visa for you in this case is a Vietnam single entry visa on arrival, which allows you to enter/exit one time during one month. Normally it takes 2 hours to 2 working days to process from the moment you apply for the visa online. Carefully check your provided information with those in your passport as it will cost you time and money if there are any mistakes. It is suggested that you apply for the visa prior to departure as it is much cheaper than using the urgent requirement (Ex. Normal visa for one month single entry charge you visa service fee of USD 10 per person while urgent 2-hour visa for the same takes you USD 40 per person). Once you have the visa approval letter in hand, print it and get a visa stamp at the landing visa counter at the airport. The shortest length for a visa is 30 days during which you can enter and exit one time or multiple times depending on the type of visa you chose.

2. Worthy experiences during your transit

Apart from the people who possess a member card others can use the Lotus Lounge with a fee of approximately 30USD, where fresh food and drinks are served around the clock. However if your transit in Vietnam is from 8 – 35 hours, besides a transit city tour we would also like to recommend to you some of the best experiences in the transit cities : Hanoi (located Noi Bai International airport), Saigon aka. Ho Chi Minh City (located Tan Son Nhat International airport). It is easy to book tours with tour desk in the airport or with local Vietnam tour operator.

2.1. Ho Chi Minh City

Transiting in Ho Chi Minh City you definitely have an abundance of choices of activities:

- Downtown sightseeing: You can choose to visit a historical building in the city centre (Independence Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, War Museum, Saigon Post Office), which is just a 30 minute drive from the airport. They are all open in the day time except during lunch break.

- Visiting Cu Chi Tunnels: It will take you half a day to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels which is just one hour and a half driving from Tan Son Nhat airport. The Cu Chi tunnels offer you an amazing visit of extended underground life of Vietnamese soldiers during wartime. You can visit the battle field and try out a shooting range. It is open 7am – 5 pm daily.

- Tasting authentic Vietnamese food: There is a wide choice of food at the airport but if you want to find something delicious and authentic, take a taxi downtown where you can savour a banh mi or any kind of varied and amazing street food. Near the airport are a few safe choices such as Pho Phu Vuong restaurant (339 Le Van Sy street), Com tam Ba ghien (84 Dang Van Ngu Street), etc

- Shopping: Killing waiting time by shopping is a good choice because Saigon has many shopping centres like Takashimaya, Saigon Square, Bitexco and Ben Thanh market. You will definitely find a bargain in the markets rather than in the modern shopping centres

Source: Collective Memory

- Massage: After a long travel you may be thirsty for recuperation at a spa. Located on the 3rd floor is a foot spa, the 2nd floor is a relaxing lounge and a Vietnamese traditional spa in the domestic terminal.

- Playing golf: Golf Tan Son Nhat is one of the top golf courses in Southern Vietnam. If you are a golf lover it is a great place to take some swings.

2.2. Hanoi

If you transit in Hanoi, there are numerous things to experience.

- Hopping on a city tour: Four hours is enough for a city tour around the President Ho Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda, The Temple of literature, Hoan Kiem Lake and Hanoi Old Quarter. Sites are not too far from each other and take you around 45 minutes by driving.

- Visiting Viet Phu Thanh Chuong: Just 20 minutes driving from Noi Bai airport, this miniature northern village covers 8000m2, set up with many traditional patterns and artefacts. The short trip to the ancient complex would be more informative with a tour guide.

- Savouring authentic Hanoi food: The must try delicacies in Hanoi are Pho, bun cha and banh cuon, which you might see in the airport’s food court however the best places to taste them are in the Hanoi Old Quarter. For first time travellers to Vietnam, here are some addresses: Banh Cuon Ba Hoanh (66 To Hien Thanh Street), Bun Cha Dac Kim (1 Hang Manh), Pho Bat Dan (49 Bat Dan Street)

Source: Sen Buffet West Lake

- Shopping: A varied choice of shopping ranges from shopping centres (Trang Tien plaza, Vincom Ba Trieu, Lotte Mart) to shopping street (Pho Hue Street, Hoi Vu Street, Pham Ngoc Thach Street) and not to be missed is the famous Dong Xuan market in the old quarter.

- Massage: Like in Tan Son Nhat airport, you will find some spas in the airport. Moreover, moving downtown you can easily find some good spa treatments in Midori Spa or La Spa Trendy.

- Playing golf: Van Tri golf, Legend Hill BRG, Hanoi Golf Club Soc Son all have quite new facilities that may pique your interest. They are between 20 to 30 minutes by car.

Visiting the mainland requires you to have a Vietnam transit visa which can be stamped at the embassy in your country or quickly obtained online. But you don’t need a Vietnam visa if you do not travel into the mainland. 
Check this link to know everything about Vietnam tourist visa.