So, every 90 days, myself and many others have to do a "visa run" if we wish to remain. Is this allowed? Is it legal? I suppose it falls into three camps: is it ethically, morally, and legally right?

The Visa Reality

Vietnam doesn't have a long-term visa for people of retirement age who don’t work. If you work, you can go the work visa route and potentially get a Temporary Resident Card, which gives you a few added privileges. There’s also an Investment visa, but that requires a pretty large amount of money to be invested, minimun of 3 Billion Vietnamese Dong, around £90k GBP. I won't go into those here, but I might do a separate blog on the different types of visas available later.

Legally, visa applications are dealt with independently. Providing you fill out your application truthfully, there shouldn’t be any reason why it wouldn't be successful. The biggest "catch" is that you must be out of the country to make an application. Hence the visa run scenario.

Morally and ethically, it may feel a bit "grey," but legally there currently isn't any rule or limitation on how many times you can apply for a tourist visa. You do run the risk of this "loophole" being closed, though. I know Thailand is tightening up on repeat applications and length of stays, so will Vietnam follow? 

Myself and many others hope Vietnam follows other local countries and introduces a Retirement visa before they shut this door.

The Costs and the "Hassle"

There are two types of tourist visas:

Single Entry ($25 / £18.60) or Multiple Entry ($50 / £37).

They are pretty self-explanatory. If you don’t intend to leave and come back within those 90 days, go for the single entry. But if you fancy a break or a few days out of the country within that period, you’ll need the multi-entry.

I’ve done a few successful visa runs now, and I’ve tried them a few different ways:

The Bangkok Break: I usually fly Hanoi to Bangkok, spend a few days, apply for the visa there, and return once approved. A return flight is usually around £90, plus hotel costs and spending money. This is the costliest way to do it.  Anf all depends on your own budget how cheap or expensive you want it to be.

The Same-Day Sprint: To keep costs down and take advantage of the "loophole," I once did Bangkok and back in a single day. No hotel costs, just a £100 return flight, plus the cost of the visa. Had breakfast outside my apartment early morning and was back in Hanoi Old Quarter for an evening meal. Was tiring but doable vaue for money.

The Agent Method: You can pay a fee to an agent who "expedites" your visa in a few hours while you wait in Thailand, or country of choice.  Morally, you may not want to know how they do it so fast! I have not doen it this way, yet, so cannot tell you how much Agents charge you , but there are plenty advertising their services.

My Method:

I applied for more than one new visa while I was out of the country on a previous trip. I timed it so I could leave on the day my old visa expired and return the same day on the pre-approved one. Again—maybe not "morally" right, but legally possible currently!  Ao I don;t have to wait for a visa to be processed and basically can get stamped out the country and come straight back in.

My Latest Adventure: The Border Bus

For my latest run, I had to be even more frugal. I’ve got an expensive trip to South Korea coming up in June to play in the World Veterans/Masters Table Tennis Championship (watch out for a separate blog on that!), and flights to Thailand had spiked to £170 because of the Thai New Year and global fuel increases.  So, I booked a return bus from Hanoi to the Chinese border (Huu Nghi/Friendship Pass).

Cost: £25 return for the bus, £30 for one night in a hotel in China, plus cost of the visa.

The Experience:

Doing it independently is always a risk, but it’s a buzz and an adventure too! The bus was well-organized; they collected me right at my apartment in Hanoi and dropped me at the bus station near the border.

The Buggy: You pay 12,000 VND (about 12p!) to take a little electric buggy from the bus station to the border crossing, aout 5 or 6 minutes away.   Crossing on foot was a totally new experience for me. It took about an hour total to walk through passport control, customs, and immigration. I had a little trouble filling out the Chinese entry card online (I wasn't sure which province I was staying in!), but a security guard was there to help. 

Luckily, as a UK passport holder, I took advantage of the new agreement where we can travel to China for up to 30 days visa-free.

I did notice a lack of staff to show you where to go—unlike an airport where you are marshalled every step of the way, I had to use my own judgment and follow the crowd through the complex.  But once you're on the Chinese side, it's just like any airport in the world with taxi drivers everywhere offering rides, beware of scams or over pricing.  I had previouly looked up how much I expect to pay for a taxi so managed to barter the price to my hotel.

The return to Hanoi was the same in reverse. I even got a Zalo message telling me exactly where the bus was waiting. Three hours later, I walked back into my apartment.

Final Thoughts

Living in Vietnam isn't "ideal" for retirees yet without a formal visa, but as you can see, the visa runs are a necessary evil. If you’re the sort of person who doesn’t like this kind of hassle—I call it an adventure—then retiring here might not be for you just yet.

Thinking of making the move? If you have any questions, contact me here. I also offer one-to-one 30 and 60-minute chats where I can help answer any concerns you might have!