Compared to other SE Asian countries, Vietnam is relatively devoid of corruption. I'm not suggesting that it is completely without it, I don't think that is true with any country, but here it isn't an every-day part of your life and also, or at least so I have found, if there is some money exchanging hands behind the scenes it does seem to be a mutually beneficial situation for all parties.
The last time I left Vietnam to travel somewhere I was greeted by an extremely long line at immigration. Da Nang is not a huge airport and doesn't have unlimited staff so this is something that happens quite regularly. you just have to get lucky and hope that there aren't a lot of flights arriving at the same time because the tiny immigration post that exists in the airport simply cannot process thousands of people at once.
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I think everyone that travels internationally to some degree has encountered this at one point or another. You get to the end of your flight and you are really looking forward to not being in travel mode anymore and then you round the final corner and you see something like this and your heart just sinks especially after you have been going back and forth in line for half an hour already and the line seems to just be creeping along.
In Da Nang, I have been in line at immigration for over 2 hours at times and there were other times, such as when I was doing a visa run and had no luggage on a flight that was arriving at night where I simply walked to the front of the line. It's always a guess of who is working that day, how many planes are arriving in that time-period, and other factors such as the mood of the various immigration officers who don't really have any incentive to get the line moving as fast as possible. Of course they always look after their own citizens first and well, that's the way that it should be so I am not going to complain about that.
So, on a recent trip that I took to Laos to hang out with some friends someone let me know about "Express VIP visa service" that is available at the Da Nang airport. I had never heard of this so I inquired further. Apparently, you get an agent, give them your passport and visa details as well as your flight number and of course the day you are traveling, and they will send someone to your gate when you arrive with a small whiteboard that has your name on it. You are then ushered to a special immigration area that is normally reserved for genuine VIP's such as heads of state or people that are flying on private jets.
I liked the sound of this because I don't think there are really many worse places to be trapped for hours than in line at an airport, especially when there are no chairs and the staff are on edge about the level of security that is actually necessary at these sorts of things. I have seen old ladies and children get absolute shouted at by immigration for simply looking at their phones because there is a strict "no photos" policy that I have never really understood but seems to be universal.
Getting back to the point, I was definitely willing to get involved in this VIP service provided it wasn't outrageously expensive and guess what! It isn't. For a mere $25 you can skip all the lines and get through immigration almost immediately. You are lead through the masses to a different part of the airport and when my group of 3 people arrived, we were literally the ONLY people that were there that were on our flight.
Immigration was friendly, fast, and we were in and out in under 5 minutes for 3 of us. There is ZERO chance that this is going to happen for you in the regular part of the airport.
Now the things is, while this might seem like corruption and I suppose to a certain degree it is, this moreso feels as though it gives regular people that opportunity to experience some of the things in life that is normally reserved for the rich, famous, and powerful... if only for a few minutes. It is kind of like being able to pay to get into first-class lounges even though you have an economy class ticket. Is it worth it? Well, for the lounges it depends on how long your layover is but for immigration, seeing as how it costs a mere $25 and has the opportunity to save you hours of frustration and discomfort at the time of your trip that you are probably most likely to not want that in your life, I think it is worth it.
This also isn't some sort of underground secret thing that you find out about in dark alleyways. There are websites from agents that are offering this specific service. This one for example, states that their prices start at just over $5 per person but don't get exited, that is for groups and families and in the end it is very likely you will end up paying $25 a person anyway if you are traveling alone or with other adults
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Now if you are really patient, or simply don't have anywhere to be then I guess skip this. but for me, when I get to any immigration in the world and see a line like the one pictured above, my heart sinks a little bit because I know I am going to be standing there for a long long time. It all depends on what you think your time and comfort is worth I guess.
If that's the case they must improve their services at the airport, they must add immigration officers,in your picture that too much passengers in the line, it would be frustrating and discomfort waiting for your turn.
Yes, everything comes at a price now-a-days.
Long lines at the airport is common, some are efficient, some are very slow.
Yes, it is usual to see long lines at the immigration section of airports. Good thing, you were able to avail their service; it saved you time (and patience). I hope this similar issue in my country will also be given solution.
I agree with your point that paying is worthwhile if it ensures comfort and convenience. Since this situation happens frequently, adding more staff would help minimize the waiting time to about 25-30 minutes. Waiting for up to two hours can be extremely frustrating.