It was really great news that since August 30, 2016, US passport holders are eligible to get a Vietnam visa valid for up to 1 year with multiple entries. Other visa types of 1 month, 3 months (single/multiple entry) are still available for US citizens. And in this post, we will go in details of the Vietnam 1 year visa for US citizens only.

Who are eligible for a Vietnam 1 year visa for US

All US citizens, not US Green Card holders can apply for this type of visa. It is highly recommended for those who wish to take several trips to Vietnam during 1 year or almost 1 year, even on tourism or business purpose.

How to get Vietnam 1 year visa for US citizens

There are two options to get a 1 year multiple entry visa for US citizens to Vietnam, including:

1. Getting visa at Vietnam embassy (required documents depend on the embassy); or
2. Getting Vietnam visa on arrival (no required document for application – get visa approval letter online before departure and then get visa stamped upon arrival at Vietnam airport; highly recommended for those traveling to Vietnam by air).

1 year Vietnam visa fee for US passport holders

The Vietnam visa cost depends on the way you select to get your visa.

• For Vietnam embassy visa, the fee would vary depending on the embassy you wish to submit your visa application to. If this option is selected, you are highly recommended to contact the embassy for details.
• For visa on arrival, you will need to pay two kinds of fee: Service fee and Stamping fee. While the stamping fee to be paid in cash at Vietnam airport is fixed at US $135, the service fee varies by visa types (tourist or business), processing time (2 working days, 1 working day, 2-4 working hours for tourist visa OR 7 working days, 2-3 working days for business visa). You can see full 1 year Vietnam visa fee for US passport holders here.

Difference between 1 year business visa and 1 year tourist visa to Vietnam for US citizens

The main difference between this 2 type of visa for US citizens is in how long the US citizens can actually stay in Vietnam under 1 year tourist visa and 1 year business visa.

• With 1 year tourist visa, maximum duration for each stay in Vietnam is 30 days. It means that you, with this type of visa, can’t stay in Vietnam for more than 30 days a time, and have to leave the country and return for another 30 days stay or consider extending visa in Vietnam.
• With 1 year business visa, you can stay in Vietnam for maximum 6 months in one stay. As such, the 1 year multiple entry business visa is exactly what you should apply for if you wish to stay in Vietnam for more than 30 days consecutively extending visa every 30 days.