Vietnam does not have an embassy in Malawi. Hence, Malawian citizens who wish to apply for Visa through the embassy will have to get in touch with the Embassy of Vietnam in the nearest neighboring country. The procedure of application through the embassy requires that the individual personally visits the embassy and fills the application form. However, in this case, you will have to travel to another country. Also, this procedure will require you to visit the embassy several times till the procedure is complete.
On applying through the embassy, you will be asked to fill up the Visa application form in English and mention the place of collection and submission of Visa as Vietnam. Once the application form is filled, you will be asked to submit it along with a recent passport sized photograph, one self-addressed envelope and your original Malawian passport. Make sure your passport has a validity of at least six months from the date of your departure from Vietnam. Once the documents are submitted and the fees paid, you will have to wait for a few days. The embassy takes at least five days to process all documents and then the Visa will be issued to you in the self-addressed envelope you had submitted at the embassy.
This procedure will give you a fully stamped Visa document before your departure to Vietnam. However, there are a number of drawbacks. You will have to visit the embassy several times and thus incur huge expenditure. In case you are applying through correspondence, you will have to send in your documents via postal mail, which means there are chances you will lose your documents in case there is any kind of misplacement.
In order to avoid all these problems, you can apply for Visa through the Visa on Arrival procedure. The Visa on Arrival procedure is far more convenient and safe. To apply for Visa on Arrival, you will have to contact a reliable travel agent based in Vietnam. You will be asked to fill up an online application form on the travel agent’s website and pay the required fees and service charges. While filling up the form, carefully key in all your details. Once the form is filled, submit it for processing.
Your form will be processed in a couple of days and then you will be issued a letter of approval. This letter of approval can be collected by your travel agent and forwarded to you. You can travel with this letter of approval and your valid Malawian passport. On reaching Vietnam, you can submit this letter of approval at the Visa on Arrival counter in the airport you arrive to collect your Visa on Arrival. You will also be required to pay the Visa stamping fees along with the letter of approval.
The Visa on Arrival facility is extended only to those travelers who arrive in Vietnam by air.
