Embassy of Vietnam

I have tried to call for 3 days to ask for help regarding visa exemption application and no one has been answering the calls. They don’t even put you on hold waiting for response but instead asking you to call back later. What a shame! As a government agency, this is so unprofessional! Your system is so broken from inside to outside the country. Imagine how other foreigners think about Vietnam! Sigh…

Due to my oversight, my previous passport had expired for a few years before I realized that I needed a new one for an upcoming trip to Vietnam. I also had an official change of name in recent years, so I wanted to know how it would reflect on my new passport, or if I would even be eligible for one. I emailed this office seeking information and advice. The Embassy responded the next business day advising that I would need to apply for a new passport. It was also explained in the email that my new passport would bear my Vietnamese name, but I could request that my new name mentioned in the "Observations" section. Link and other useful information were also included in the response. I followed the instructions to complete the application and submitted it along with all required documents. It was not requested, but I included a document checklist with a note that I would like to send the application fee via e-transfer once I heard back from the Embassy. I dropped off the application package at a post office in BC on a Tuesday and received a phone call from the Embassy two days later (Thursday). The phone conversation was mutually respectful, and I sent the fee (365 CAD) that same day via e-transfer. My new passport arrived the following Thursday, exactly one week after the phone call with the office. I am grateful! Thank you!
Edit to add: I think the high fee is justified for the following reasons: 1) My previous passport had expired for many years before the application. 2) Information added onto the Observations page meant it had to be stamped and signed by an official for it to be valid. 3) Everything costs a lot more nowadays in Canada. (It costs over $5 for a bag of 5 tomatoes today where I live in BC.)

*ATTENTION ATTENTION*
DO NOT START YOUR APPLICATIONS HERE.
READ THE REVIEWS BELOW AND YOU WILL SEE WHY.

These lazy simians rarely work, never answer the phone and just plain don't work. End Canadian foreign aid to Vietnam now!

NO ONE EVER ANSWERS THE PHONE, AND YOU CAN'T LEAVE A MESSAGE EVER. THIS EMBASSY IS A JOKE. BASICALLY THEY PAY PEOPLE TO DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I NEEDED HELP BECAUSE THERE FORMS ONLINE WERE NOT WORKING PROPERLY. IF I COULD GIVE THEM ZERO STARS, I WOULD. SHAME ON THEM.

I called and emailed them many time but never answered. I wondering if it’s out of service!

This is such a joke that this establishment is called embassy. They ruin Vietnamese image. I emailed twice and called 15+ times, but no one answer. No way to contact them. Who ever in charge of this should feel ashamed.

Overcharged!
Passport renewal fee is $345 something! Awful!
They think we need them so they can charge as much as they want!
There is a Fee List but they are not follow the rules instead they make their own law!

And Hi! Vietnam Government! Can you answer me why do Vietnamese people need Vietnamese passport to enter Vietnam when we are Vietnamese?

Embassy scams people by selling visas for $150 USD. The website does not list the price, instead they call and pressure you to pay the fee and state there is no other option. All Canadians can apply for the e-visa for $25 USD from the official vietnam website

Like other said, no one pick up phone call, email respond is 1 week+ wait. If you just want to apply one time Vietnam travel Visa, DON'T go here, apply in Vietnam immigration website!

Terrible, terrible service or I should say no service at all. They do not reply to your emails, they do not pick up the phone, their online application for visa is not working.how on earth am I supposed to get a visa, I live in Toronto, am not going to drive to Ottawa.what FRUSTRATION.

There was some phone tag / email tag that led to delays and issues with my visa application.but the gentleman working there helped me get a visa to Vietnam on 1 days notice.

Thanks again! You saved my vacation.

We applied visa for my mom online. It was extremely horrible. There is zero communication, no reply. There was absolutely zero transparency when it comes to pricing. We went in person and services was terrible, the lady there is super rude. They took our credit card and said, you will see it on statement. We want to know prior to committing. We didnt have a choice in the matter. Already bought the ticket. Anyway, this is just the worst experience dealing with this embassy. There needs to be a change in the service.

My and my husband’s applications were processed and returned within 2 weeks. So happy and thankful!

Probably the worst establishment I've ever interacted with. Was quoted $500usd for their services. I agreed upon the amount, told them that it was time-sensitive, and they held my documents for 3 weeks before replying that it would in fact cost $1035usd. They were impossible to contact via phone or email. I had to ask someone living in Ottawa to physically visit their office before I could get a reply. Just terrible and stressful all around. Unfortunately since they are an embassy, there aren't really any alternatives but avoid if you can.

I am a Vietnamese and tried to apply online Visa for my husband and newborn 2 months in advance. First of all, it was horrible communication, I felt like nobody working there. Call or email multiple times without response. We ended up with having no visa for our upcoming flight with desperation.
As a Vietnames, I feet ashamed and disappointed.
NEVER NEVER do your visa online here. It's better I think if you deal with them in person.

This is a hopeless review as in I believe nothing will be changed. Anyways…
Much like other reviews point out communication is horrible. They don’t pick up the phone, it takes over a day to reply e-mails and they simply won’t do anything to help you out.
My case:
I applied 2 MONTHS in advance for a visitor visa to go with my wife (Vietnamese) and our newborn daughter to Vietnam. They updated us 1 MONTH before saying a visitor visa was only valid for 1 month, instead of 2 like we previously asked for. Instead of just giving us a visa for a month they made us re-do the application applying for 1 month, which we did right away. After 2 weeks, I emailed asking for an update 3 days in a roll, and the reply I got was to “send them an email 3 days before departure asking for the update”. That was yesterday. I called the whole day yesterday, I sent emails, and no reply whatsoever. Today (2 days before departure, they called back saying my visa wasn’t gonna be ready on time, told me I should change my flight (as if it were that easy) and do a new application with updated travel dates and they would process it in 5 business days (WHY DIDN’T PROCESS IT IN 5 BUSINESS DAYS AT THE BEGINNING?). Now I have to try and not lose money changing my flight in such short notice, and my wife will either have to go first by herself and our newborn on a 17hr flight without any help, or she will have at least 10 days less to spend with her family.

Been trying to call since Dec 2022. Sent my paperwork in for passport renewal and it’s now been two weeks, still haven’t received my new passport yet. No one answers phone calls or reply to emails. Very frustrating.