• Apply through the Embassy
Since Vietnam does not have an embassy in Mali, Malian citizens will have to contact the Embassy of Vietnam in a neighboring country for Visa application process. Usually, an applicant is required to visit the embassy and fill the application form in person. Along with the duly filled form, he is also required to submit documents such as a self-addressed envelope, a recent passport size photograph and his original Malian passport. It is mandatory for the applicant to hold a valid and original Malian passport, with at least six months validity and a few pages left for stamping. He will also have to submit the Visa fees which can be paid in favour of the Embassy of Vietnam through money order or cashier’s cheque.
The embassy will take at least five days to process the documents after submission. Once the documents are processed, a fully stamped Visa will be issued in the self-addressed envelope submitted. The advantage of applying for Visa through the embassy is that you will have a fully stamped Visa in your hands before leaving for Vietnam. However, there are certain issues that you will have to face while applying through the embassy.
Since Mali does not have a Vietnamese embassy, you will have to travel to a neighboring country for the application process. This will incur huge travel and stay costs. In case you are applying for Visa through correspondence, you will have to submit your original passport through postal mail. This is quite risky as you stand to lose your valuable document if there is loss in transit. Moreover, it is a time consuming process which will involve additional expenditure.
The easier alternative to this procedure is the Visa on Arrival process.
• Apply for Visa on Arrival
To apply for Visa on Arrival, you will have to first contact a reliable travel agent based in Vietnam. You will be required to fill an online application form at the agent’s website and pay the Visa fees and his service charges online. The online application form will require your details such as name, occupation, travel dates, duration of stay etc. You will have to choose from business, tourist and transit options against the purpose of travel section. A business Visa offers a validity of one month, three months and six months. A tourist Visa offers a validity of one month and a transit Visa offers a validity of less than five days.
Once the form is filled and submitted, you will have to wait for it to be processed. After the form is processed, you will be issued a letter of approval. This letter of approval can be submitted at the Visa on Arrival counter in the airport you arrive along with the Visa stamping fees.
