A new visa should be cost-effective and processed quickly, right? Well, here’s a firsthand account of how to do it expensive and with a never-ending wait time.
Getting a visa for Thailand can only be done while you’re not in Thailand. That’s why I embark on these “visa runs” every 2-3 months. Several agencies organize visa runs to neighboring countries of Thailand. But instead of just sitting on a bus for two days to cross some shady border checkpoints, I decided to use my visa runs to explore new countries and cities. And since I’ve never been to Vietnam, I chose to apply for my next visa for Thailand in Hanoi.
In this post, I share my experience applying for a Thai visa in Hanoi and tell you why you should avoid Hanoi for this visa process. But before I start: if you’re looking for a quick and straightforward option to get a Thai visa, check out my post on the visa process in Kuala Lumpur, you won’t find it in Hanoi.
Planning a Visa Run to Hanoi
As usual, my Southeast Asian travels are spontaneous, maybe a tad too spontaneous. My current visa expires on a Wednesday, and six days in advance I start preparing for the Visa Run.
On Thursday I check the Thai Embassy’s website in Hanoi, and it says that the processing time for a 60-day tourist visa officially ranges from 1 to 3 days, but it’s usually ready by the afternoon of the next day. But I don’t want to leave anything to chance. I decide to leave on Tuesday, submit my application on Wednesday, and depart on Friday evening. That way, I stick to the 3-day processing time without having to wait for the weekend in Hanoi.
I book an appointment at the Thai Embassy in Hanoi for 10:00 am on Wednesday and start gathering all the necessary documents. At the same time, I apply for an E-Visa for Vietnam, which also requires several documents like flight tickets, hotel reservations, photos, and more. But I’m not that far in my planning yet. So, I first organize the ferry, bus, and flights from Koh Tao to Hanoi and back. It takes a bit of time to coordinate everything and factor in delays. When everything is finally booked, it’s past midnight, so I postpone further planning to the next day.
On Friday, I apply for my Vietnam visa and find a hotel. Since I’m booking on short notice, I snag a fantastic last-minute deal on Booking.com with a free room category upgrade. Next, I focus on gathering all the documents needed for the Thai visa. This includes my rental agreement (which doesn’t exist), passport photos, and flight tickets for both entry and exit. While searching for a cheap fake flight out of Thailand (I’ll never actually take it but extend my visa again), I receive an email from the Vietnam E-Visa Service. It states that the processing time for my E-Visa is 3 working days, meaning my Vietnam visa will likely be ready on Wednesday afternoon, after my planned arrival on Tuesday evening.
I could pay around 130€ to expedite the visa as a “rush-visa” and get it processed within a day. Or I could change my travel plans? I could cancel my hotel reservation, but my flights can’t be refunded; they’d be lost. The quest for a Plan B with a new destination and the best ferry/bus/flight combo begins. Since it’s past midnight again, and visa applications won’t be processed on Saturday anyway, I decide to continue the search the next day.
On Saturday morning, to my surprise, I discover that my hotel reservation could only be canceled until 11:59 pm on Friday. So, I’m stuck with it, and I pay 130€ for a rush visa for Vietnam.
Until Tuesday, I continue to gather the remaining documents for my Thai visa. I ask my landlord for a rental agreement, which doesn’t exist. He suggests presenting monthly rent and utility bills (a screenshot of the cost breakdown in an Excel sheet) to the embassy. I’m a bit unsure if this will be enough as I could easily fabricate them myself. He offers to write an invoice for three months of prepaid rent and assures me it will be just fine.
Additionally, he sends me a screenshot of my registration in Thailand, something every landlord has to do for their tenants. I print everything and am ready for my appointment at the embassy. The only thing missing is the processing fee of 40$. In Vietnam, US dollars are widely accepted and according to Google you can exchange USD almost anywhere in Vietnam. Consequently, I plan to get them once I’m there.
On Tuesday, everything goes according to plan. I take the ferry at 9:30 am and fly from Surat Thani to Hanoi via Bangkok. I land around 8:30 pm, buy a SIM card at the airport, and book a Grab to my hotel. My appointment at the embassy is on Wednesday at 10:00 am, and it’s roughly a 15-minute walk from the hotel. After breakfast, I still have plenty of time to pick up some US dollars on the way to the embassy. The hotel even recommends a bank that’s on the way.
The Quest for US Dollars
On Wednesday morning just before 9:00 am, I head to this bank. Thanks to Google Maps it’s easy to locate. I walk in cheerfully and ask a bank teller if I could get US dollars here. The lady behind the desk looks at me hesitantly and asks, “Western Union?” No, not Western Union. I explain that I want to either withdraw USD from my account or exchange another currency for USD. She directs me to the ATM outside, there I can get USD. Easy! I step outside and insert my card into the machine, select English as the language, and enter my PIN. But when I get to choose the amount, I only see Vietnamese Dong as an option. Did I overlook something? I cancel and start over, with the same result. Maybe I need to choose the currency afterward? Nope, I just withdrew 1,000,000 VND. Confused, I head back into the bank and ask the nice teller how to withdraw US dollars here. She looks at me as if I have no clue about life and offers to help me at the ATM outside. So, she inserts my card into the machine, asks me to enter my PIN, and then shows me how to select the desired amount—in Vietnamese Dong. When I reiterate that I need USD, she looks at me somewhat annoyed and explains, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, that in Vietnam, you can only withdraw Vietnamese Dong from ATMs. I have to withdraw VND first and then exchange them to USD. I thank her for her help, withdraw another 1,000,000 VND, and follow her back into the branch. I sit down at her counter, placing all my Vietnamese Dong in front of her. She takes the money and looks at me questioningly. I’m a bit puzzled. What else does she need besides the Vietnamese Dong? An ID perhaps? No. Finally, she asks what I want to do with the money. I explain, for the umpteenth time, that I need $40 and ask her to exchange the money. She then places the VND back in front of me, shakes her head, and says, “We don’t exchange to US dollars here.” Wait, what? I’m utterly confused and ask her again for $40. She tells me the bank accepts USD but doesn’t distribute them. Where else could I get USD? She has no idea — of course not, why do I even ask her? So, thanks for nothing…
It’s 9:18 am, my appointment at the Thai embassy is in 42 minutes and I have no idea where I can get the processing fee of 40$. Stressed out, I leave the building and go to the next bank. I ask again for US dollars, but once more, US Dollars are only accepted but not distributed.
At 9:29 am and four bank branches later, I change my strategy. I search for “Money Exchange” on Google Maps and head to the nearest listing. I stand in front of a massive building that looks like a bank and “Money Exchange” is written prominently next to symbols for Euro, US Dollar, Yen, and others. Full of hope I walk inside. At the Money Exchange counter, a friendly lady explains to me that they accept USD but, just as all the other banks here, don’t distribute them . Desperate I ask her where I can get USD in Hanoi. Her response: “In the jewelry store.” A jewelry store? A jewelry store is supposed to exchange VND to USD when no bank will? She tells me that many jewelry stores accept payments in USD, and some are willing to exchange VND to USD. She advises me to walk around and ask in various jewelry stores.
It’s 9:36 am, and since I have no better plan, I set out to find a jewelry store. Just 100 meters from the Money Exchange I find one, but here my request for USD is rejected as well. A few steps ahead is another jewelry store. Here, they recommend a different jewelry store around the corner for exchanging VND to USD. By now, I’m running like a maniac from A to B, regardless of the chaotic traffic around me. I excitedly open the door of the recommended jewelry store and explain that I have Vietnamese Dong and need US Dollars. “No problem,” I get as reply – did I just find US Dollars? The saleswoman asks how much USD I need and quotes the amount in VND to exchange for 40 USD. I can hardly believe my luck and readily pull out my freshly withdrawn Vietnamese Dong from my wallet. But then she looks at the money in my hand, gives me a strange look, and says she can’t exchange it. What? I ask again for 40 USD, but she shakes her head while staring at my Vietnamese Dong and explains she forgot she currently doesn’t have any USD at the store. What’s the issue with my Vietnamese Dong? I don’t know, but I don’t have time to argue with her. Clearly, I won’t be getting any US Dollars here. Panicked, I rush back onto the street and have no idea where to try next. Aimless, I enter the surrounding shops, trying to hide my panic behind a friendly smile and ask if VND were exchanged to USD here. This doesn’t go over well at all. Not only do I get a clear “No,” but I’m also looked at with despite. I feel like I’m asking random strangers for drugs and start doubting whether exchanging VND to USD in Vietnam is even legal.
It’s 9:42 am and I have no idea where I am in Hanoi right now or how far the Thai embassy is. And even if I did, I don’t have the right currency to pay for my visa. What am I doing here? On the opposite side of the street, I see a shop that looks like a high-end jewelry store. A last attempt at a jewelry store? Do I have a better plan? No… I rush through the wide open doors and as soon as I enter I notice that this is not a jewelry store at all. Shiny metal bonsai replicas are on display, and various beads and stones adorn the walls. My friendly smile is long gone, replaced by stress and a hint of panic on my face. A very kind saleswoman approaches me, smiles, and excitedly asks “Do you have the tree?” I have no clue what she’s talking about and no time to discuss trees. I apologize, tell her I don’t have a tree and I’m not here for trees but just to ask if she knows how to get US Dollars in this city. I think she senses my desperation and asks for my phone; she wants to show me a street on Google Maps where I can get USD. Great… if she needs Google Maps for it, it’s probably quite a distance away, and I won’t make it in time… She hands me back my phone and tells me that every shop on this street, P. Hà Trung Street, exchanges VND to USD.
It’s 9:46 am and it’s a 7-minute walk to P. Hà Trung Street. I don’t really have time to contemplate whether I’ll make it. I thank the nice saleswoman and start running. Four minutes later I reach the street, and what can I say… it looks pretty shady! It’s a narrow alley with no tourists in sight for. By now, I’m convinced that exchanging VND to USD is comparable to dealing drugs. I ask the first shop for USD and I am immediately invited inside. Looking around the shop I have no idea what’s actually being sold here. There are a few empty display cases, cardboard boxes strewn about, and three men sitting on small stools, glued to the television on the wall. The saleswoman stands behind the counter with a small notepad and a calculator, asking me how much USD I need. Once again, I place my freshly withdrawn Vietnamese Dong in front of her and say I want 40 USD. And to my surprise, she hands me 40 USD. However, I have no idea if the US Dollars are real. Considering how I got this money, I seriously doubt it. But I have absolutely no clue how to tell genuine from fake US Dollars and no time to research it.
It’s 9:52 am. I look up the Thai embassy on Google Maps – 10 minutes on foot – and start another sprint. And believe it or not, at 9:59 am I enter the Thai embassy with all my documents and 40 USD in my wallet.
The Thai Embassy
It’s 10.00 am. After my ID is checked at the entrance I am directed to the Visa Affairs counter. Here a very friendly lady greets me. I hand over my stack of paperwork and start praying that the US Dollars don’t look obviously fake. She starts sifting through the documents and immediately asks for my lease agreement. I explain to her that I don’t have one, but I printed rent and utility bills instead. Of course, this is not enough… I should have known. She wants a lease agreement or a letter from my landlord confirming our rental agreement. Plus, she wants documents proving that my landlord owns the apartment building. She gives me back my paperwork and says I need to get the missing documents and come back with them. Before 12:00 pm I could return without a new appointment.
It’s only 10:15 am and I feel like my day has already been long enough. I’m exhausted and sweaty, and all I want is to get back to my hotel bed. But let’s sort out these documents first. I message my landlord on Facebook – our only means of communication – explaining what the lady at the embassy said about the missing documents. He doesn’t understand why his Excel spreadsheets won’t suffice, but after some back and forth, he agrees to write a few lines instead of the lease agreement. He doesn’t have time right now, but because he’s such a great landlord, he tries to send the documents before noon. Until then I sit in the Starbucks across from the embassy and sip a much-needed cup of black coffee while waiting.
At 11:20 am, he sends two photos. One is a handwritten letter, and the other is a poor copy of a document, both in Thai. I have no idea what’s written in them.
According to my landlord, these two documents should be enough for the embassy. Since I don’t know where to print anything, I go to the embassy first and ask if they’ll accept the documents as they are. Back at the counter, the lady asks for the lease agreement several more times and can’t believe I don’t have one. She even suggests that my landlord should create one and send it by email. Eventually, she accepts the two new documents instead of the lease agreement (something I didn’t expect!) and sends me to a copy shop around the corner.
By 11:55 am I’m back at the embassy to officially submit my visa application. The kind lady accepts the $40 without any issues – I still doubt their authenticity and think I just got lucky that she didn’t inspect them closely. While giving me my receipt for the visa processing, she tells me that I probably won’t be able to take my flight on Friday as my visa won’t be ready in time. But I specifically planned for the three-day processing time, which is usually not even needed? Yes, but Wednesday is counted as day 0, and it’s quite busy right now, so it probably takes three days. She can’t give me more precise information; she just wanted to inform me because she saw my planned entry date on the visa application.
I thank her kindly and leave, there’s nothing I can do about the situation anyway. My passport is submitted which means I can’t leave. Plus, I assume she only saw the entry date, not the departure time. My flight is on Friday in the early evening, allowing me to pick up my passport on Friday afternoon before heading to the airport. I’ve planned this out well!
Waiting and Drinking Coffee
I focus on my stay in Hanoi. After all, I’m here to discover a new city. For three days, I explore Hanoi, constantly checking my emails on my phone – almost by the minute. Nothing.
On Friday it’s time to face it, I’m spending the weekend in Hanoi. My flight back to Bangkok expires but I manage to reschedule my ferry for Monday. Oh, and my great hotel deal is no longer that great. Extending the room over the weekend – without a last-minute deal or a free upgrade is pricier than expected.
On Monday afternoon I still don’t have any news about my visa. As I am getting a bit worried I decide to walk to the embassy and ask. Back at the Visa Affairs counter the same friendly lady greets me with the words “oh, I was just about to email you, your passport is ready”. I’m slightly annoyed but also happy to get my passport back. I head back to the hotel and book my trip back to Bangkok for Tuesday.
On Tuesday, after spending 6 days here I’ve had enough time to explore charming Hanoi, fall in love with this special city, and write this blog post over several cups of coffee at Starbucks.
But in the future, I’ll only submit visa applications on Mondays…
