Get Vietnam visa through land borders

Vietnam border crossing can be a fun and adventurous experience for many travelers. Though traveling on land requires more time than by air, you can save a good sum of money on transport and possibly gain unforgettable memories and acquaintance. The only thing you have to put your mind to is probably how to get Vietnam visa through the land border.

Since the visa on arrival is only applicable for those who travel by air, the only option left is E-visa or traditional visa application. If you want to find out more how to obtain Vietnamese visa at the land border, this article is what you need. We will provide you with detailed instruction on how to get a visa at the border gates.

Vietnam border crossings

Vietnam shares the same borderline with China, Laos, and Cambodia, which means you can enter Vietnam from any countries of those through land border crossings. Though entering Vietnam through land border crossings seems to cost less on transport than by air, sometimes you will have to let money talk in order to get your visa quickly.

Our suggestion is if you want to visit Hanoi and other provinces in the middle, you should enter Vietnam from Lao through these border points: Sop Hun/Tay Trang, Na Maew/Nam Xoi, Nam Phao/Cau Treo, NamCan/ Nam Khan, Bo Y/ Ngoc Hoi, Dansavanh/Lao Bao. Whereas Lao Bao, Cau Treo, Bo Y border point accepts tourists with E-visa, other border points require tourists to obtain a visa prior to entering.

If you want to enter Vietnam from China, you can enter through these border points: Huu Nghi/ Ping Xian, Mong Cai/ Dong Hung, Lao Cai/ Hekou. You can enter Vietnam through three of the checkpoints.

From Cambodia, there are five border points: Bavet/ Moc Bai, Kaam Sammor/Vinh Xuong, Phnom Den/ Tinh Bien/ Prek Chak, Le Thanh/O Yadao. Moc Bai and Tinh Bien allow tourists with E-visa to enter Vietnam.

Types of visa accepted inland border gates

There are three types of visa for tourists who want to obtain a visa at the border gates: E-visa, visa via land border/ sea, and visa from the Embassy.

E-visa grants accessibility for citizens from 40 countries in the world. The procedure is simple and quick and you can get Vietnamese visa via email. However, only 13 border gates allow E-visa holders to enter Vietnam. Furthermore, this type of visa only grants visitors up to 30 days of stay with only single entry. The purpose of visit must be tourism.

If you don’t want to wait at the border gates, it’s better to apply for Vietnamese visa at the Vietnam Embassy or ask any travel agency for a visa via land border/ sea service. Otherwise, you can go to the border and apply for a visa yourself. You can apply for a tourist visa or business visa with various length of stay and entries.

How to get a visa through land border gates

Vietnam E-visa

These basic steps below will help you understand the procedure of obtaining Vietnam E-visa.

Step 1: Go to the website of the Immigration Department at https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/ and fill out the application with required information including your photo and a photo of your passport.
A registration code will be sent to your email after this step is done.

Step 2: Pay for the E-visa fee, which costs $25. You can pay via PayPal or with credit cards. Remember you only have to pay one time.

Step 3: After 3 working days, go to https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/tra-cuu-thi-thuc to check whether your application is approved. You shall use the registration code to check the result. In case your application is accepted, there will be a link for you to download the E-visa.

Step 4: Print out the E-visa and present it at the airport along with your valid passport to enter Vietnam.

Visa at the Vietnamese embassy

You can go to the nearest Vietnam embassy to apply for a visa. The embassy will require some documents as following:

• A valid passport with at least 6 months of validity
• A visa application form
• Recent passport-sized photos

You have to wait up to 5 days (again, it depends on the embassy policy) for your application to be processed. With the new visa, you can enter Vietnam from any border gates you wish.

Vietnamese visa via land border

Applying for a Vietnamese visa via land border is quite a challenge since you will be likely to ask for an original version of the approval letter. If you don’t live inside Vietnam, the chance to get the original version of the letter is zero. So it’s advised to obtain a Vietnamese visa at the Embassy before crossing the border.
On the contrary, if you live inside Vietnam and want to get out then re-enter Vietnam for some reasons, then you should go for a visa run. The process for a visa run is quite simple.

Step 1: Prepare for your visa run. This step includes finding a nearby country you want to visit (in case you want to cross the border, there are only 3 options available: Laos, Cambodia, and China), prepare for the visa to enter your destination country, and obtain the letter of approval to re-enter Vietnam.

Step 2: Get out of Vietnam and enter the country of destination.

Step 3: Re-enter Vietnam. You must present the original version of the letter of approval along with your valid passport to get a visa stamp.

In conclusion, we would recommend you two options to get a visa through land borders: E-visa and visa at the embassy. If you are in the lucky 46 countries eligible for E-visa, the application process is really simple. If not, you can find the nearest Vietnamese Embassy and apply for a visa there.

Still have any questions about getting Vietnam visa through land borders ? Contact our dedicated support team at:

Website: Vietnamvisavoa.com
Email: support@vietnamvisavoa.com
Phone: +84969255515(Whatsapp/Viber/ Wechat)