Introduction
Chalk this post up to another one of those, “I’m glad it didn’t happen to me” posts. Anyway, I had booked my buddy’s flight from Hong Kong to Vietnam. I had written the wrong date in the email, so instead of telling him Jan 4th, I had written Jan 5th. Thus, he got his visa on arrival entry date as Jan 5th.
Checking in at airport
We got to the Hong Kong train station and was checking in at the Cathay Pacific desk there. After we showed him our visa on arrival paperwork, he then pointed out that my buddy’s date is wrong. He then said he’ll try to contact the Vietnam immigration office to see if they can expedite or change his date to Jan 4. Luckily we got there early and had about 4 hours to kill. We then walked around the IFC while we waited for his callback. After about an hour, he said there was no reply from the Vietnam immigration office.
Cathay then rebooked my buddy to a later flight that got in at just after midnight, which would have made his visa valid. He was getting in about 6 hours after the original flight. Luckily he didn’t have to spend the night in HK; I found it very intriguing that Cathay would have a flight that landed just after midnight. Coincidence? Maybe. Lesson learned – double and triple check your dates when filling out your visa. Maybe even pick a day or two earlier (not sure if that would work.)
It does work to put a couple days earlier, that’s what I always do (well, the two times I’ve done it, and it’s been fine). FAQ on Vietnam’s e-visa website:
3. Do I need to enter Vietnam on the exact date specified in my e-Visa application?
The validity period of your e-Visa begins from the date specified in your approved e-Visa document. You can enter Vietnam on any date within this validity period.