How to Apply for a Vietnam Visa in Boston : visasupply.com

Greater Boston is the eleventh-most populous metropolitan area in the United States with a population of 4.9 million people, and includes towns such as Cambridge, Brookline, Quincy, Brockton, Lynn, Newton, Waltham, and Medford. Boston is one of America’s oldest cities and has a rich history that attracts over 20 million tourists each year. Known as the “intellectual capital of the United States”, Boston is a center of education that has more than 350,000 college students from around the world, including students from Vietnam. Schools like Boston University, Northeastern University, Harvard, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology all have Vietnamese student organizations. The city of Boston has about 15,000 ethnic Vietnamese and there are well over triple that number living in the Boston suburbs and state of Massachusetts. There is a “Boston Little Saigon” cultural district in the Fields Corner neighborhood of Dorchester that is a great place for local Bostonians to enjoy Vietnamese restaurants, cafes, and markets. This area is also home to the Vietnamese American Community Center, which serves as gathering point for civic and cultural activities. The city plays hosts to Tet in Boston, an annual event celebrating the Vietnamese Lunar New Year that attracts over 10,000 attendees.

Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia with a population approaching 100 million people bordered by China, Laos, and Cambodia. It has a huge coastline stretching 2,140 miles along the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand. The country’s long coastline, abundance of natural resources, and geographic location have made it a target of invasion and dominance from many foreign powers. Despite its recent turbulent history, Vietnam is a nation on the rise and firmly in control of its destiny. After suffering through years of economic stagnation after their civil war, Vietnam is quickly developing its economy and has become a strong partner for Boston-based companies seeking to establish manufacturing capacity outside of China. Relationships between Vietnam and the United States have never been better, which is reflected in the large number of Americans visiting the country each year (which topped out at 750,000 before the pandemic). Americans are attracted to the mix of Vietnam’s natural beauty and the excitement of its cities—like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City—that offer authentic cultural experiences. It’s the perfect destination to trade the cold winters of Boston with the warm tropical sunshine along the beaches of Nha Trang, Quy Nhon, Hoi An, Da Nang, and Phu Quoc Island.

Obtaining a Vietnam Visa from Boston

Vietnam E-Visas are issued by the Vietnam Immigration Department in Vietnam and can be obtained through the following website: Vietnam evisa - National portal on Immigration (xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn)

Traditional sticker visas (the visa placed in one of the pages of your passport) for Vietnam are issued by the Vietnamese government in the United States. The government of Vietnam is represented by their embassy in Washington, D.C. along with three consulates located in San Francisco, Houston, and New York.

To apply for a visa from Boston, you can either apply for the E-visa using the website mentioned above, or you can apply for the traditional sticker by filling out the visa application and shipping your original passport and supporting documents to the consulate in New York by FedEx, UPS, or USPS. Here is the address:

Consulate of the Social Republic of Vietnam
866 U.N. Plaza, Suite 435
New York, NY 10017

It is important to review the requirements for visas on the Vietnam consulate website and ensure your application and all supporting documents are accurate. Here is the link to the consulate website with detailed information: Visa (vietnamconsulate-ny.org)

It may also be possible to apply for a loose-leaf visa by emailing a scan of the data page of your passport along with a scan of your completed application form and a digital version of a passport-style photo to the consulate at lanhsuquan.newyork@gmail.com. You will also provide your return mailing address so the consulate can ship the visa to you. And you will make payment by providing a debit card number and the card’s expiration date.

Traditional sticker visas generally take about a week to process through the consulate and the government fee for U.S. citizens is $70 for the single-entry visa that allows for a 30-day stay, $100 for the single-entry visa that allows for a 90-day stay, $125 for a multiple-entry visa valid for 30 days, $150 for a multiple-entry visa valid for 90 days, $165 for a multiple-entry visa valid for 6 months, or $200 for a multiple-entry visa valid for 12 months. The government fee for the E-visa is $25 and the processing time is usually 3 business days. Please note that the Customs and Border Protection Authority at the port of entry into Vietnam determines the length of each authorized stay.

Be sure to include a self-addressed FedEx prepaid envelope and make note of the tracking number so the embassy can return your passport and visa to your home or office. You can also use the United States Postal Service (USPS), however, FedEx is the preferred method for shipping important documents like a passport. If you decide to use USPS, please use their express mail service where a tracking number is provided.

Other things to consider:

All U.S. citizens require a visa to enter Vietnam and they must have a valid passport that does not expire within six months of their date of entry into Vietnam. However, visitors to Phu Quoc Island do not require a visa if they stay less than 30 days and have a round-trip ticket coming from another country. For example, a round-trip flight from Bangkok, Thailand to Phu Quoc International Airport would not require a visa.
U.S. citizens must obtain a visa in advance and should not attempt to obtain a visa on arrival.
The E-visa can only be used to gain access to Vietnam through specific entry points. Please review the list of entry points on the E-visa website: c774e24b-1ab8-4fb6-9ac1-dcdfaccecf8e (xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn)
The government of Vietnam is now developing plans to re-open their country to foreign visitors. For the latest news published by the government, please visit this site: Latest guidelines for 2nd phase of pilot program to welcome international tourists (baochinhphu.vn)
For the latest updates regarding the virus situation, please review the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam website: COVID-19 Information - U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Vietnam (usembassy.gov)
It is recommended to purchase travel insurance before any international trip in case of medical emergencies. We advise getting the Geo Blue Voyager Single Trip Plan.

Emergency Assistance for Vietnam Citizens in Boston

If you are a citizen of Vietnam living in the Boston area with an emergency or require urgent assistance, you can reach the Vietnam consulate by calling 929-523-5888 or 917-513-8688 (the consulate’s non-emergency number is 212-644-2535 or 212-644-0831). The consulate’s email address is lanhsuquan.newyork@gmail.com. If you need to renew your Vietnam passport, you can apply in person at the consulate or apply by mail (applicants applying for a first-time passport or those applying for a lost or stolen passport will need to appear in person at the consulate). Please review the consulate’s website for more information: Passport (vietnamconsulate-ny.org)

We Can Help if You Need Assistance

If you live in Boston or anywhere in the New England region and have difficulty applying for a Vietnam visa or require assistance with any part of the visa process, please give our office a call at 404-682-5445 or schedule an appointment with our company. We are a private agency in Atlanta providing Vietnam visa services for Americans and other U.S.-based residents. Our number one goal is to ensure your application documents for a visa are submitted accurately to the Vietnamese government. Our services eliminate delays and give you the peace of mind to focus on your travel plans.

We provide the following Vietnam visa services for our customers in Boston:

Vietnam Tourist Visa (E-visa, loose-leaf visa, or sticker visa)
Vietnam Business Visa (E-visa, loose-leaf visa, or sticker visa)
Vietnam Official Visa (sticker visa)
Vietnam Diplomatic Visa (sticker visa)
Vietnam Student Visa
Vietnam Work Visa
Vietnam Exemption Certificate (Viet Nam 5-year visa)
Vietnam Packaged Tours
Vietnam Hotel Accommodations