Vietnam has international airports that are located in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang city. Direct flights into the country are available from most countries, but non-stop flights are very limited with most visitors making a transfer in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, or Taipei. They are the fastest way to travel, especially within the country.
If you intend to enter into Vietnam by train, there are direct train services available from Nanning and Beijing, China to Hanoi with most of them requiring a change at the border as well as a four hour wait for immigrations and customs.
When coming into Vietnam by car or bus, there are some border crossings into the country that the visitor must be aware of. When coming from Cambodia, the visitor can enter into Bavet, Kaam Samnor, and Phnom Den. From China, one can cross the border into Vietnam from Dongxing, Hekou, and Youyi Guan. Laos has at least six crossings that include Donsavanh, Kaew Neua, Nam Can, and Tay Trang.
Visas:
If you are a visitor to Vietnam, you will more than likely need to apply for a visa in advanced before you enter the country. They are valid for all points of entry and exit into the country. If you are looking to get a single-entry tourist visa, it can take between 4-7 days for processing. A 30-day Visa can also be obtained from a Vietnamese consulate and depending on the location of that embassy, they can offer a single entry visa which can be made in 15 minutes, is approved instantly.
A potential visitor to Vietnam can also purchase a “visa upon arrival” that takes 10 to 20 minutes to process. This can only be obtained however when entering into Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, or Danang city with a pre-approved letter with a code for picking up the visa. It also depends on whether or not you are coming in from neighboring countries such as Laos or Thailand as the requirements will be slightly different between these ports of entries.
In addition, depending on the country that you come from, the following do not require a visa and the visitor can stay from 15 to 30 days. These include: Denmark, Finland, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, Russia, Philippines, Indonesia, Laos Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Cambodia.
By air – You could take a Vietnam Airlines flight or any other major airline from cities in the world and land at the Noi Bai International Airport . Noi Bai International Airport , Hanoi is well connected to all major cities.
By rail – Come down to Cambodia and hop on to a cross border train that would get you to Vietnam . Please note at times, these trains go crowded, as people prefer this being the cheaper mode to get to Vietnam . Try and avoid trains during monsoon times, as the services often get disrupted due to heavy rains.
