Vietnam Visa Requirement and process for US Citizens

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Vietnam requires a valid US Passport that is valid for six months beyond your planned departure. You must have one blank page in your passport. Vietnam also requires a visa, which can be a pre-approval for visa on arrival or an e-visa.

Instead of using E-visa which we used for Cambodia and India we tried the Vietnam Visa Center at https://vietnamvisacenter.org/ and opted for the pre-approval for visa on arrival letter.

Paid Online

  • One-month multiple entry 3-day service
    • $25.00 per person
  • Fast Track Service
    • $20.00 per person
  • Confidential Letter
    • $10.00 per person
  • Total paid online
    • $55.00 per person

Paid upon arrival in Vietnam     

  • Government charge for multiple entries
    • $50.00 per person
      • (Single entry is $25.00 per person)

Process

  1. At home online
    • Applied for “visa on arrival” at – https://vietnamvisacenter.org/
    • Received confirmation email with travel, applicant, and invoice details
    • Received second email seven days later with
      1. Visa on arrival letter
      1. Entry form to complete ahead of time
        1. You must bring a color or black and white copy of the letter
        1. 2 passport photos – We did this at Walgreens pharmacy 
  2.  Upon arrival in Vietnam
    • We were met before customs/immigration by a Vietnam visa center person with our name on a sign 
    • If no one is there to meet you go to the Landing Visa counter
  3. We gave them
    • $50.00 US per person or $100.00 US new bill in our case
    • Passports
    • Visa on Entry letter
    • We did not give them the passport photos and they did not ask for them  
    • They disappeared for some time and then came back and said they needed a different $100.00 bill. It happened quickly so we obliged and off they went again  

Lesson learned

We assumed they needed a different bill since the one we gave them had a bank ink strip on the side. They gave us a torn and taped $100.00 bill in return. We found out later that cash is king when using US currency in Vietnam and no one will take a torn or worn US bill. This left us with an unusable $100.00 US bill the entire trip. Essentially the representative used us to get rid of a bad bill they had.

  • They came back again about 40 minutes later with
    • Our passports and a Vietnam Visa glued into our passports 
    • Stamp “Fee Paid 50 USD”
  • We then waited in the customs/immigration line for about an hour where we showed them
    • Passports with glued in Visa
    • Entry form we pre-filled out – They kept this  
  • Received stamp and off we went into Vietnam

Tips

Double check current regulations and guidelines. A good place to read up on Vietnam visa requirements and other information on Vietnam is the state department web site at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Vietnam.html.

Pay attention to where the crowds are in the lines for customs. People enter the hall on both sides so the lines may be quicker on the opposite side of where you came in.

Make sure you have new crisp US currency and don’t accept worn or torn bills in return as change or an exchange.

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Turneff Island Resort Belize

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img_1426.jpgIt’s the ultimate get away to fly fish, scuba dive and recharge

If you want to experience a small island focused on fishing and diving this is your place. It’s about an hour and a half from Belize city by boat.

The whole island can’t be more than 5 acres total but has everything you need, The rooms are gorgeous stained and lacquered wood, top to bottom. There is both an indoor and outdoor shower. The beds are comfortable and well-appointed with soft linens.

Before you actually go to a great breakfast you are brought fresh coffee along with freshly baked slices of bread. They are delivered to the table of your screened-in porch, at your requested time. Each morning all the items were hot and fresh. Once you’ve had your morning coffee and warm slices of bread and watched the sunrise over the water you then head to breakfast for a larger variety of breakfast items. 

The fishing was wonderful and the guides will put you on fish all day long. They have a good basic lunch for you so you don’t have to head back in and can get the most out of the day. One day we stopped at a 40 foot by 40-foot island to eat and just relax before heading to deeper water to go for Permit.

I only dove one day but it was excellent drift diving. Going down the anchor line we were treated to a nice shark in the base of the coral head. The boat will follow the group’s bubbles so pick up at the end of drift was a breeze. We saw more lionfish then we cared for but I think this is how things are changing at most dive locations.

They have a pool and a great poolside bar to relax before and after dinner. The meals were top-level and flavorful. One night we had excellent fresh conch fritters. I consider myself a conch fritter snob and was very pleased.

The staff was beyond friendly and accommodating. This was like going to visit a happy and gracious family for a week.

If you don’t fish, dive, or like to sit all day this may not be your place. If you do, you will be well rewarded and recharged.

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Colorado Spirits Trail

04 Monday Nov 2019

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This past summer my wife, father, and two dogs headed to Frisco Colorado to relax in the mountains. We walked our normal trail that was still deep in snow.

Not quite ready to call it an afternoon we took a drive towards Breckenridge with a detour up Swan Mountain Road and Windy Point on Lake Dillon reservoir. The access was closed so we made our way to Breckenridge and the Breckenridge Distillery.   A tour was starting in 15 minutes and had room for three more.

After the tastings, which included bourbon maple syrup, of course, we bought some, my wife picked up a Colorado Spirits Trail official map and guide. Knowing about the Whiskey, Scotch and Bourbon trails we asked if we could have one.  Of course, was the reply. While I paid for the maple syrup, and other items we couldn’t live without my wife started to browse the “Colorado Spirits Trail, Discovering the Spirits of the West, Official Map and Guide” “CSTDTSOTWOMAG” for short. There are 51 distillers listed that are members of the Colorado Distillers Guild.

Reading on we found the guide is set up like a passport that you can collect stamps from each distillery you visit. That in itself is pretty cool and perfect for cocktail imbibing competitive OCD adults.

Continuing to read, soft trumpet music began to play while my wife read out loud that the first 24 people to visit each distillery and get a stamp would get a signed bottle from each of the participating distilleries.

To recap; Travel around Colorful Colorado exploring, drinking liquor, eating, fishing, camping, driving, staying in hotels, sightseeing, and doing all his with family and friends?  Text messages were sent before we left the tasting room to three different couples with a picture of the printed challenge and the map. The text itself read “The challenge is on”. Moments later the responses came back; “Challenge accepted!”, “I’m in”, “Ha ha ha – Three smiley faces with tears”.

That  was Sunday. Wednesday was our  next stop.

Credit Card Exchange Rate Mark-up – Be Informed 

11 Tuesday Jul 2017

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 Credit Card Exchange Rate Mark-up – Be Informed 

While you may have a credit card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees beware of charges the credit card reader machine companies charge if you pick US as the currency. Sometimes the credit card reader machine will give you a choice to pay in US dollars or the local currency at time of purchase. If you pick US currency they will add a 3.5% mark-up to the purchase. There is nothing on the credit card machine that alerts you of this before you chose the currency.

If you chose US currency the bottom of the receipt will read “I have been offered a choice of currencies and have chosen to accept DCC and pay in US Dollar. Exchange Rate provided by U.S. Bancorp. Exchange Rate Mark-up 3.5%.”

Most people don’t notice this but it does add up over a two-week vacation. We didn’t notice it until the end of our trip when a waiter in Dublin alerted us as he brought us our check. He said he tries to warn folks of this “scam”.

My credit card company, had never heard of this practice and to this point doesn’t feel there is anything they can do about it.