The embassy will take at least five days to process your documents. Once your documents are processed, you will be issued a fully stamped Visa. One of the advantages of applying through the embassy is that you will have a fully stamped Visa in hand before leaving for Vietnam. However, there are a few drawbacks as well to this system. You will have to visit the embassy several times, which can be a hassle as it is time consuming and expensive.
If you decide to apply for Visa through correspondence, you will have to send in all your documents by postal mail. This is highly risky as there are high chances of your documents getting lost if your package is misplaced or lost in transit.
Visa on Arrival is far more convenient and easy as compared to the embassy process. To apply for Visa on Arrival, you will have to get in touch with a travel agent based in Vietnam. You will have to fill up an online form with details such as your name, occupation, purpose of visit, duration of stay etc. When filling up the purpose of stay section, you will have to choose from options such as business, tourist and transit. A business Visa has a validity of one month, three months and six months. A tourist Visa offers a validity of one month and transit Visa offers a validity of less than five days.
Once your online form is processed, you will be issued a letter of approval. This letter of approval can be collected by your travel agent and forwarded to you. On reaching Vietnam, you will have to submit this letter of approval at the Visa on Arrival counter of the airport you arrive in. You will also have to submit the Visa stamping fees along with the letter of approval at the counter to collect your Visa on Arrival.
It is to be noted that the Visa on Arrival facility is available only to those travelers who arrive in Vietnam by air. For those taking land routes, it is mandatory that they carry all their documents with them while traveling. In case of a cruise ship, the cruise authorities can be contacted for information on Visa on Arrival.