While almost all foreign countries require a passport, Vietnam is more strict and requires that your passport not be within six months of expiring. That is, if your passport will expire in five months after the date of your arrival in Vietnam, it won't be accepted as valid, even if you only intend to stay in the country for a few weeks. Travelers from some Scandinavian countries and Russia do not need passports to enter the country, but US citizens do. Your visa needs to state your reason or reasons for visiting the country. Traveling without a visa or with a fraudulent visa can result in imprisonment or immediate deportation. Getting a visa involves paying two fees: the fee for the visa itself and the fee to process the visa. Click this link for more important information about traveling to Vietnam.
Travelers who fall into the visa-needing category can sometimes use visa exemption documents or approval for a visa upon arrival. There are several place from which you can secure a visa upon arrival letter, including the Internet and the Vietnamese embassy. You will be asked to supply some written documentation, which can include your reason for visiting, proof you can afford to support yourself while in country, and proof that you have lodgings. After the agency has had time to verify your documents, they will send you a letter that states you are eligible for a visa upon arrival. This letter will get you an actual visa when you arrive in Vietnam in the major International airports. Check out this website http://vietnamvisa123.com/testimonials.html for more tips about traveling to Vietnam.
When you travel to any foreign country, it's important to make sure you are up to date on your vaccinations. Routine vaccinations include the mumps, measles, and rubella vaccine (MMR), the diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus vaccine (DPT), the vericella (chickenpox) vaccine, and the flu vaccine. All Vietnamese travelers should also get typhoid and hepatitis A vaccines before they leave. Most people should also consider the rabies and hepatitis B vaccines, as well.
It is also a good idea to obtain malaria prevention medication to take before, during, and after your trip. If you are traveling to a rural area, or in the summer or fall, you should also get a Japanese encephalitis vaccine. Some travelers are required to show proof of yellow fever vaccination, as well. This only applies to travelers from countries where yellow fever is common, such as South America and Africa, and does not apply to most travelers from North America or Europe. Check out this official information for more details.
