At the embassy, you will have to fill up the Visa application form. Along with the filled up form, you will have to submit one self-addressed envelope, one recent passport sized photograph and your original passport. Besides submitting these documents, you will have to pay the Visa fees. The fees can be paid in favor of the Embassy of Vietnam by way of money order or cashier’s check. 

The embassy will take at least five working days to process your documents. Once the documents are processed, you will be issued a fully stamped Visa. The biggest benefit of applying for Visa through the embassy is that you can get hold of a fully stamped Visa before leaving for Vietnam. However, this procedure has certain drawbacks. It may not be possible for you to undertake multiple trips to New Delhi for Visa application process. This procedure requires the applicant to pay multiple visits to the embassy before the procedure is complete. Also, you will have to bear the expenses on travel and accommodation. 

In case you decide to apply through correspondence, then you will have to send in all your documents to the embassy through postal mail. This is highly risky as you can lose your valuable documents if your package is misplaced or lost in transit. 

• Apply for Visa on Arrival from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India

Visa on Arrival is a much easier, faster and convenient process. In order to apply for Visa on Arrival, you will have to get in touch with a travel agent based in Vietnam. You will be asked to fill up an online application form on the agent’s website. You will have to key in details such as your name, occupation, duration of stay, purpose of visit etc. When filling up the purpose of visit section, you will have to choose from options such as business, tourist and transit. A business Visa can get you validity of one month, three months and six months. A tourist Visa can get you a validity of one month and transit Visa can get you a validity of less than five days. 

Usually, online application forms are processed in two or three days, after which 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 pay the Visa stamping fees to get your document 

It is to be noted that the Visa on Arrival facility is extended only to those travelers who arrive in Vietnam by air.