Vietnam and Laos are neighboring countries in Southeast Asia, which is why these two countries share a land border. Because of this, those who are backpacking across Southeast Asia would opt for land border crossing when heading to Vietnam coming from Laos. For those who need a visa to enter Vietnam, you’d be happy to know that you can now apply for the Vietnam e-visa from Laos.
The Vietnam e-visa is an electronic visa that will allow you to enter the country and stay for 30 days. What’s great about this visa is that you can easily apply for this online. Therefore, if you are in Laos right now, it’s possible for you to acquire for this visa and bring it with you as you cross the border going to Vietnam.
If you’re coming from Laos, you can enter Vietnam in various ways. The easiest way is to fly. There are several flights daily coming from the Laotian cities of Vientiane and Luang Prabang going to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, and other major cities of Vietnam. However, some travelers who are not in a hurry would prefer to enter Vietnam via the land border by taking a bus or other modes of transportation.
Once you receive the Vietnam e-visa from Laos, you can use this to enter Vietnam through the following land borders in Vietnam from Laos:
Once your e-Visa is approved, it will be sent to your email and all you need to do is to print the e-Visa and carry it with you as you pass by any of the borders mentioned above. Simply present the e-visa along with your passport to the Vietnam Immigration and they will let you enter the country with no issues.
The best thing about traveling by land is that you get to save a lot of money since it’s way cheaper than buying a plane ticket to Vietnam coming from Laos. And although it can take a while, you’ll be passing along various places and see the unique beauty of the countryside, which makes it an even more enjoyable experience.
The most common option is to travel by bus coming from Laos. You’ll find plenty of transportation companies that can book you a ticket going to any of the borders above. Depending on where you will come from in Laos, the journey could take several hours up to a few days.
If you’re coming from Luang Prabang and you want to go to Hanoi, you can take the sleeper bus and travel for 27 hours going to Hanoi. This should cost you around $45. The bus will leave Luang Prabang at 6 PM and will reach the border at 6 AM. You just need to exit out of Laos and walk towards the Vietnam Immigration.
When entering Vietnam, simply show the printed copy of the Vietnam e-visa from Laos together with your passport.
Since the Vietnam e-visa is an electronic type of visa, the only way you can avail of this visa is by going online. It does not matter where you are, for as long as you are connected to the Internet. You can even apply for this visa right at the comfort of your hotel in Laos.
When applying for the e-visa, you just need to fill out the online application form with your name and other important details. Make sure you have your passport with you because you also need to provide some details coming from your passport, such as the passport number, expiration date, and others.
You must also have a credit card or debit card to pay for the processing fee. After you fill out the form and made a payment, your visa application will be confirmed through email. All you need to do is to wait for up to 3 business days and the e-Visa will be sent to your email in a PDF file. Download the file and get it printed at the lobby of your hotel. Then take that document with you as you cross the border going to Vietnam.
As you can see, applying for the Vietnam e-visa from Laos is so easy. In fact, it will only take a few minutes of your time. However, it’s very important that you double-check the information that you provide because one small mistake could delay the processing of your visa. Also, if the data on the visa will not match with what’s on your passport, the Vietnam Immigration won’t let you get inside the country. So to be safe, double-check the details before you submit.