International > Vietnam

Vietnam in January

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gibszilla:
Hi, I'm going to Vietnam in January for a wedding. I'm in Korea now, and I've never attempted travel in a foreign country by myself. Does anybody have any advice? Specifically, I'd like to know how hard it is to travel to Vietnam from Korea (the legal preceedings), and what airlines are best to book with?

miss_cho:
You'll need a visa - Vietnam offers single and multiple entry visas - single entry visas are cheaper, you'd only need a multiple entry visa is if, for example, you plan on visiting Vietnam then going to one of the neighboring countries (Cambodia, Laos, etc) and then returning to Vietnam. I got a multiple entry visa when I went and I believe if was $60-90 (I'm American).

I used a travel agent to get my visa - I actually was living back in the USA when I went so I used an agent back home. When I go this winter I plan on using Soho Travel since they've proven to be helpful with other things. I'm going to use Soho to get my ticket as well since they've come up with reasonably priced flights for me in the past. However, I've heard Airasia (www.airasia.com) is a good inexpensive airline and you could look into that - however, it looks like they don't fly directly to Vietnam so you'd have to buy a ticket to somewhere else and then take a different flight to Vietnam.

A wedding in Vietnam would be really cool to see - have a great time!!

vw08:
For the visa, you can either apply through the embassy here in Korea, or the easier option is to apply online.  Just google "Vietnam visa" and a bunch of websites will pop up.  You submit all your information through a company and in a few business days they give you a letter from the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry saying you are permitted to enter Vietnam for the dates you applied for.  Just bring the letter and cash to the visa window at the airport and they will put the visa in your passport.  For the inital letter, it is about $20USD so so depending on the company and I think it was $25USD in cash at the airport.  I'm pretty sure I used http://www.myvietnamvisa.com/ for my single entry visa, but there are many other companies out there.

For flights, your two big options are to fly directly from Korea to Vietnam or stop over in another country first.  Flying direct is easier, but also substantially more expensive.  When I went to Vietnam, I flew on AirAsia from Seoul-Kuala Lumpur then took a flight from Kuala Lumpur-HCMC.  One way, it was less than $275USD for both flights because I booked early.  You have to book each leg of your journey separately with AirAsia, so it is bit of a pain, but if you are looking to save money it is worth it.

If you want to know what airlines fly directly to Vietnam from Incheon International, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incheon_International_Airport.

I was in Vietnam in January and had a great time! The weather in the south, HCMC, Nha Trang, Hoi An, was quite nice, but up north, Hanoi, Halong Bay, it was pretty cold.  Also, be prepared, if you are going near Tet, Vietnamese New Year, the restaurants and services offered will be minimal since the country pretty much shuts down during Tet.

gibszilla:
Wow thank you both so much! Your advice is very helpful. I've just taken a small glance at the websites since class is about to begin, but I will look at them in more depth later. I will be sure to book my flights and get a visa as soon as possible. I really appreciate the help!

Thanks again!

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