Embassy of Vietnam

Location :

1233 20th St NW #400, Washington, DC 20036, USA
Added by Jopie, at 10 May 2023

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• Craig S

  20 September 2023

  I had to cancel a vacation to Vietnam upon arrival at the airport because my "Letter of Invitation" to get a visa upon arrival was not accepted by the airline. I tried everything I could to get help with my visa application using their evisa software. Not because I was not qualified but because of insufficient information like they needed my full name in capital letters! I sent numerous emails asking for assistance but never got any replies. I called the embassy and, after days of trying, somebody actually answered the telephone. I was told they could not help me get a visa even though their website indicates they can issue one. I may have lost thousands of dollars as a result of the trip and airline cancellations. This is third-world country behavior. If you plan on getting a visa for Vietnam, start very early as things are not like you can expect in the USA.

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• Angelina Nguyen

  23 August 2023

  There IS an easy, quick, convenient way to get your visa. The website just needs to be decluttered and updated with streamlined contact info and links. This embassy office team handles A TON of requests. The staff here do their best. Streamlined and updated website communication and payment system would help all stakeholders here.
  
  I needed a visa to visit Vietnam. The website instructions list all the components of the application, except I didn’t know how to get an approval letter from Vietnamese authorities. Since I was going to be in DC for work, I went to the embassy to apply in-person. I printed out the application form, filled it out, brought everything except an approval letter.
  
  The staff member who helped me said, “you want a visa for multiple visits?” No, just one-time entry. “This is the wrong application. Go online and apply for an e-visa. It’s quicker. You don’t need an approval letter.”
  
  So I did. It took a few minutes to find the right link because there are several government (and private travel agencies) websites that all had the same keywords for Vietnam visa. When I got on the right page, the instructions were detailed and clear. I filled out the online application and paid $25. System said it didn’t accept my credit card. I tried to pay again, system told me to start a new application instead because you can’t change a transaction once it happened. Second attempt yielded the same result: credit card payment not accepted. I figured I should wait 3 days and check back to see if I get an e-visa.
  
  After 4 days the system still showed payment failed. I applied 2 more times using different debit and credit cards. Payment declined. I did some research and discovered that banks in the US use a different system and cards than the system used in Vietnam, that's why the government site rejected my cards. I called my aunt in Vietnam to borrow her debit card and paid with that. It worked!
  
  There’s a learning curve, but overall it was a very easy, convenient process to get a e-visa. Had the embassy staff not told me about an “e-visa”, I would’ve mailed in my passport and followed instructions for some complicated visa I didn’t need and gotten the process wrong. Now, if you don't have anyone in Vietnam with a credit or debit card that you can use, you can pay extra fees to a third-party travel site or agent to get an e-visa on your behalf. It costs 3-4 times more. You can also get one upon arrival, which I've done before. The drawback with that was it could take 1-2 hours if your plane has a lot of passengers off-boarding.
  
  Overall 4-stars because the embassy staff do a lot with what they have to work with. The embassy itself was easy to find and is a welcoming space. Took off 1 star because of the learning curve.

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• Tuyet Nguyen

  30 June 2023

  Mai is very rude and has an attitude. Most people there don't know how to smile and has an attitude. Smile is free and polite. They think they work for the Embassy and we need them to get the paperwork done so they act like they are big deal. Folks! They are all from the north of Vietnam. They are known for having bad attitude and they don't represent for all Vietnamese. We are nothing like them. Vietnamese are very friendly and kind. We pay to get tthe paperwork done. We are not there to beg them.
  The website said the Vietnam Embassy only accept Money Order, Cashier Check, Card and Credit Card. No cash. But they take cash, too!
  
  The Vietnamese Ambassador should replace all of those current staff at that office or train them about the manner and attitude.
  
  All of one star comments are absolutely right!
  Shame on you! Don't call yourself Vietnamese.

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• Iam “TheTraveler” TheTraveler

  06 June 2023

  I had to shoot over here from Chicago because they do not have a Vietnamese Consulate in Chicago. There was only two windows and a person standing next to me told me that the family at the window was at the window a couple hours the day before. Only one person working at one of the two windows. Thought I had my Visa situation handled before I left Vietnam but immigration stopped me on my way out saying it was a one-time entry or one time exit which I've never heard of warning me that I would not be able to reenter on that visa. Thus making the force trip and unplanned trip to Washington DC for the Vietnam embassy. I had what I needed completed paid the fee and then needed a photo a young kid behind the glass came out to help me take it with his cell phone. That was nice of him. Vietnam is a very backwards country. They use a Gmail account for their email here and that should say enough. Five stars just because of the great customer service when I did get to the window. Both of them were friendly.

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• Fernando Rivero

  17 May 2023

  Do NOT waste your time and money with this embassy. This experience left me with a bitter taste in my mouth.
  
  We followed the instructions with the Embassy worker over the phone before mailing it out. They stamped only four out of the five pages. We did not even realize this until we arrived in Vietnam and were told re-do everything.
  
  When we called, they told us it was a mistake but we should go to the US embassy in Vietnam to correct it. We had to pay extra to do the same thing because someone else’s careless mistake.
  
  We wasted $200+ on fees and shipping for no reason to do it in the US.

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