Visas and border crossings forum
Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam
Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam
Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam
Hi there,
planning a trip with a mate in December 2013 to SE Asia for 3-4 months.
The plan, is to start in Bangkok, go into Laos, then to Camodia, then into Vietnam, spend roughly a month in each place. But we are having a major confusion about visa's... how does one go about about sorting visa's out? Like do we have to buy visa's whilst we are out there, or can we get it all done in the UK? sorry for the noob question : )
thankyou!
#1 soulkeepe has been a member since 8/2/2013. Posts: 3
You can just get them on the border.. Except Vietnam which you need in advance. Cambodia is very easy, got mine in Phnom Penh in one day... Sihanoukville is like 20 mins
#2 SaltwaterGem has been a member since 4/1/2013. Posts: 22
Laos and Cambodia are dead easy - visa on arrival at the border, bring USD for best price ($35 Laos, $20 Cambo). Vietnam get in Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville for around $60. For Thailand you can get 30 days visa-exempt on arrival by air, but note only 15 days if you re-enter by land.
#3 Captain_Bob has been a member since 27/5/2006. Location: Thailand. Posts: 1,950
Oh blimey thats cool, so we can just fly there, then get the visa's on the move? that's easy enough :) i thought you had to organise the visa's in london, thats a load off :D i read somewhere that you don't need a visa if your flying from the UK to Thailand.
So is this correct, we fly to Bangkok, mess about in Thailand for a month, head over to Vientiane to get visa into Laos, mess about in Laos for a month, then we want to get into Cambodia from southern Laos, where can we do that? Then in Cambodia mess about for a month, then in Phnom Penh get the visa to get into Vietnam, then travel from the south of Vietnam to the north for a month, fly home.
Do some places take a week or so to process visa's? Or is it pretty much instantaneous? Like say we are in Cambodia and want to get into Vietnam, but we are on day 28 or 29 of our 30 day visa, but it takes 5 days or something to process, what happens then? Or should you do it a week early or something?
Thank you for the help guys! :D
#4 soulkeepe has been a member since 8/2/2013. Posts: 3
Laos and Cambodian visa on arrival usually takes a few minutes, although it's not uncommon to argue over the visa fee when entering Cambodia by land crossing. It's supposed to be $20 but they often try to charge more. Be firm but friendly they usually give in.
Vietnam visas usually take 2 days but same-day service is sometimes available for an extra fee. In Sihanoukville it can take as little as 10 minutes.
#5 Captain_Bob has been a member since 27/5/2006. Location: Thailand. Posts: 1,950
When standing in line at immigration to get into Cambodia, get the $20 out and tuck it into your passport, and put your wallet away. Stand your ground when they try to get you to pay more, or to pay in Thai Baht (or some other currency) at a terrible rate. I politely but firmly did just that in Siem Reap, explaining that I knew that the correct cost was $20. They eventually let me through.
#6 busylizzy has been a member since 31/12/2007. Location: New Zealand. Posts: 2,152
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Ah excellent, thanks very much for the information guys :)
#7 soulkeepe has been a member since 8/2/2013. Posts: 3
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