Vietnam "sells" visa extensions without leaving the country - the masses complain
Ask anyone who lives abroad about the headaches of living in a country that they are not a citizen of and I guarantee one of the top things on that list will be getting, and especially maintaining, a long-term visa.
I know that I have at least a dozen whiny articles between here and the other site that we don't talk about regarding this very issue. Visas are a pain in the ass and a lot of the rules don't really make a lot of sense such as why is it that I need to apply for a new visa to a country that I am currently residing in outside of the country, when the answer is always "yes?"
Since no one can travel right now to anywhere aside from the rich, famous, and powerful, Vietnam made it possible for those of us that are stuck here, or like in my situation not-so-stuck, to obtain a visa extension without leaving Vietnam.
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There are a number of options for visas in Vietnam, none of them are difficult to acquire - almost all of them require some amount of leaving the country, reapplying and paying a bit of money. I have never heard of anyone that INTERPOL or the FBI wasn't looking for being denied this visa regardless of how often or even consecutively they perform this process. Vietnam has a very laid-back approach to visas and that is part of the appeal of living here.
However, even though I was entitled to the best tourist visa that this country offers based on my nationality (USA), I was still going to need to leave the country once every 3 months, even if this simply meant jumping to a border, then entering Cambodia or Laos for 2 minutes, and then coming straight back in. It all seems a bit dumb but I would guess they have their reasons for doing that and it is pretty universally applied at many other countries I have lived in (all of them.)
This is more of an inconvenience than anything else but when Covid came to town the game and the rules of it all changed. You can't leave this country and go into another one other than the one you are from and even then you are subjected to the very real possibility that there aren't any flights anyway. Therefore, myself and thousands of other people were faced with a real problem: You can't renew your visa in country and you can't leave the country - what now?
I just got my passport back this morning (too early!) and I am now legally residing here until the 22nd of August and all other people are entitled to do the same thing - however, this is not given away - you have to pay for it.
For 3 months extension it was $300 for me including what I presume is some sort of fee for the agent who did the legwork. I was happy to pay this just for the convenience but there are a lot of people in the expat community that are bitching about corruption and how this is too much! Normally, a 3 month visa would cost $50 at the border and everyone is crying foul.
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Let's look at this logically ok? My previous plan had been once every 3 months I was going to fly over to Thailand, tour around for a few days, and then come back and my visa (because I am USA guy) would cost nothing. So $300 still seems like a lot. However, the flights to and from the places I might choose to visit in Thailand such as Chiang Mai, Bangkok, or Phuket, would easily cost $120 each way unless there was some sort of super special offer going on - which is unlikely and then between hotels and food and mostly drinks (for me) I would definitely spend more than $300.
This temporary immigration "corruption" is actually saving me money.
I'm not going to get on anyone's case for being stingy or just angry at anything the government decides to do that costs more than free, but I think people are kicking on the wrong door here: Vietnam and all other countries that rely on tourism for a big part of their overall income are suffering right now - and honestly they could have charged us a LOT more than this and we would have no choice but to pay it.
I'm just saying, you might want to save your outrage for something that is a little more reasonable.
For the time being: If you don't have enough or make enough money to afford $3 a day for a visa, you may with to reevaluate your decision to live as a expat.
I understand those complaining about 300 USD being much for a VISA extension, and also see your point that you are saving money as you don't have to travel... but no matter what, 300 USD for a VISA extension for three months sounds like a lot to me...
Of course, when you count it down to 3 USD per day, it doesn't sound that much, but when you see the bill of 300 USD suddenly showing up, it feels much.
I know it's much but in such a specific condition like the country rather the world is facing, this much amount of money would seem like alright.
As in you must help the country as well. As far as Veitnam is considered it is already less expensive to live there than other countries
so I guess expats should cope up with circumstances.
Complaining is objectionable here! People surely should co-operate and look at the positive side of the situation.
i try to. Visa runs are a pain and I would honestly rather pay for the convenience.
I thought it was a pretty fair deal. I don't know if you were here yet but the price was almost double this back before covid for the same process.
$100 a month doesn't seem too bad but then again I don't really have any idea what a person can expect to make over there. I do know a few people here in USA on student visas and met a couple of folks on tourist visas and when they told me the process they had to go through in order to be allowed inside the USA at all it was immense. I think that your options are pretty good TBH
My daughter lived in Thailand for a year and she also reported on the country hoping visa situation. But she thought it was a plus, as she had reason to request time off from her job, visit another country and relax. Your visa process is much faster then hers as she spent 1-2 days in the other country. While I first thought $300 was expensive, the way you explain it, it makes sense.
I have heard news reports about vietnams response to Coronavirus and all of them have been positive. I hope your experience has been positive as well?
To be fair I am not tremendously internationally experienced but the few countries i went to had some sort of an "admission fee" and I didn't even bother to look at how long the visa was because we were only there for a few days or maybe a week. Such is the life of an American who is a slave to the "2 weeks a year" grind.
well, living cheaply and without government getting involved in every aspect of your life and taxing you like crazy comes with a price. Even though visas are a pain if i reflect on it, it is very easy for me to realize that it is worth it. Also, that 2-weeks vacation a year is really nuts, no wonder a lot of Americans are so stressed out.