So at least for now Vietnam has gone back to being very "chill" about people having never-ending tourist visas as long as they are prepared to go in and out of the country every 3 months. Most people use either a bus that takes all day to drive to Laos, or if you are like me, you book a flight that leaves Da Nang, goes to Bangkok, you get a Burger King, sit for a while, and then catch the very next flight back to Da Nang. It's a pain in the ass and I think everyone hates airports, but it is all done in one day. If you can deal with shitty airport wifi, I suppose you could get some work done if you have a job like I do.
Well recently, a friend of mine and I made a mistake when we waited too long to book our flights and we ended up nearly getting screwed by this process. There are only 2 flights leaving Da Nang to BKK and vice-versa every day and when we went to book our "there and back" process, there wasn't any seats available on the return flight the same day.
This was a scary moment because the E-visa process that they have in Vietnam dictates that you have a 24 hour window of opportunity to arrive once the validity of the E-visa begins. If you are just ONE DAY late, your visa is invalid and I don't even know what you do from that point forward. Probably re-apply and wait the horrific 5 days or so that it takes in order for them to process this thing that should be a very straight-forward process
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Now, I will admit that this was a very stupid decision on our part and it is particularly dumb because me and the other person that were involved used to travel for business and are very aware of the fact that flights frequently sell out, they are designed so that precisely this sort of thing will happen. Airlines don't want a bunch of empty seats, so of course they adjust the prices and size of the plane so that almost every flight is sold out.
Well we being the dumbshits that we are, we waited just 2 days before the end of our visas and then when it came time to book them, there was no option for going to and from Vietnam in the same day. We were able to find a flight leaving the next morning, but it wasn't even at the same airport. There are two airports in Bangkok and the only way we could possibly make this flight happen was to arrive at one of them, and depart at a really early time in the morning from the other. The journey between the two airports, depending on traffic, can take hours.
This was a monumental mistake on our parts and one that we will not make again.
So if you are booking visa runs in Vietnam just go ahead and book it as soon as you arrive on your original visa. You already know when your visa is going to run out and when you are going to have to leave, so why not just go ahead and get it over with?
Don't be a fool like me. I was just hours away from my E-visa being invalidated, and if that had happened, I don't even know what I would have done.
I'm putting this note in my travel plan. Thanks for sharing! I am planning to do the Ha Giang loop on the first week of December. So Ive been thoroughly planning my trip these days as I, as much as possible wanted to minimize the problems during the trip. Minimize because theres always be problems randomly poppoing out right? I already prepared my international driver's license and booked all the hotels 😁 I hope all will go well and more importantly the weather. Now I am just reading all over the internet about those small issues I could encouter during the trip.
Ouch! That sucks! So are you going to need to have someone check in on Nadi while you are gone until you can get back the next morning? I can only imagine how much of a headache it is to have to deal with that sort of thing. I'm glad I don't fly very frequently anymore. It's something I used to love, but not so much anymore.
Fortunately I have quite a few friends who live in my building and there is a password override on the doors that will unlock it. So in the event that I did get locked out of the country I would be able to send one of my friends who lives in the building to look after her.
I hate flying now but yes, I remember the days that seem oh so long ago that it used to be an enjoyable experience.
Ah, that is good then! I figured you would do everything you could to be sure she was okay if something happened like that.
This is normal human behavior though leaving everything to the last minute. My drivers license expires next week on the 19th and have a renewal appointment booked for this Friday the 10th. The problem is it takes months so you are screwed anyways and need to have proof you have applied.
I once accidentally allowed my drivers license to expire, not that it matters much over here where nobody really seems all that concerned about whether or not you have a license. The process of renewing your license in the state I come from in USA is something that you can do online unless your license is already expired. Getting another license because mine was expired was an absolute nightmare and involved me sitting for a written test with a bunch of 15 year old's that probably assumed I was a narc and also doing a road test with someone 20 years younger than me being my instructor.
The strange part was when they told me it was time to do my road test and they asked me where my car was.... you mean you expected me to drive a car here without a license? to get a license? huh?
Things happen for a reason, and I guess this happened to teach you and your friend a lesson. Life can be like that. Throwing experiences our way. And I am glad you decided to let others know. Thank you.
They say that knowing how to do the right things normally comes from already having done the wrong things.
And that's right. Experience works miracles.
I want to visit Vietnam!! When is the best time? It would be amazing to meet up with some Hivers in Vietnam.
There's only a few of us here in Da Nang but I have heard that Hanoi has quite a few more. The best time of year to visit here depends on you. The cool season is the one I prefer and it is Dec-Feb. However, it can be rainy during that time of year as well. If you don't mind intense heat, the prime time is likely during the summer but be prepared, it is exceptionally hot and humid during that time of year.
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