Vietnamese Consulate General

I will have to say this is the best and easiest service I’ve ever gotten at a government establishment. Walked in around 11:35am this past Thursday, May 5^th and walked out at 11:45am. Inside there were about 3 people in line and that line was very quick. I filled out and printed my online Visa application ahead of time and had that with me along with my valid passport and one 2x2inch color head shot photo of myself. The lady at the window was very friendly and greeted me warmly. While I was there she complimented me on my nails and we were comparing our nail polish colors and had a friendly chat about nails and styles. I didn’t have cash on me but they do accept debit/​credit cards. She said that my visa will be ready on Tuesday, May 10^th and asked if I wanted to have them mail it when it’s ready and I said yes. She handed me a UPS envelope to fill out my home address. She even gave me a UPS tracking # to track it. Today (Tuesday, May 10^th) I received my passport with my visa when I got home. I am so happy that I wanted to review my experience on Unilocal right away. Best experience I’ve ever had to date.
Parking: I drove there and there are tons of metered parking available right next to the building. There is also a parking garage at the building. I put in 45 minutes worth of coins in the parking meter but that was way too much time. You’ll need at the very most 20 – 30 minutes (if that) worth of coins if using the meters. When you walk up the steps from outside, enter the glass doors to your right. When you walk into the building, look at the directory on the wall near the elevator and that will direct you to which floor they’re located at. If I remember correctly, it is the 5^th floor. On the 5^th floor, turn right and the office is on the right.

All you need is your passport, recent 2×2 passport photo, and the online application form. Prices vary depending on whether or not your Viet or Viet-​American! Since I’m Viet I paid $ 50 for a 5 year Visa. The process was a breeze, came in around 2:30pm on a Thursday. no lines whatsoever. My visa will be ready for pick up on Tuesday!

First time here. I was the 6^th person in line. My turn came about 15 min. Spent 3 min at the window. $ 50 for 5 year Visa. $ 20 for immediate processing and same day pickup. I got mine after 15 min wait. Wow! very friendly and efficient people here!

Needed a tourist visa for Vietnam. I went to submit my application and pick up the visa during the mornings, right around the time they open.
Very smooth and friendly staff. Also, there were no lines! In and out in under ten minutes. No problems.

The system for getting the Vietnamese visa by mail is so simple it’s brilliant. Download and fill a form online, print it and send it together with 2 pictures, cashier check for $ 100, a copy of your passport, (only the photo page) and pre-​paid return envelope. Within a couple of days you get your visa. No need of sending your passport and travel itinerary, hotel booking, etc… No need of knowing the address where you will stay. The choice of consulate is yours. I chose SF.
PS. To get them on the phone is tough, indeed, and they have French-​inherited long lunch breaks, but if you really need to call them choose the general consular number, not the specialized ones, and you will be able to talk with somebody. However, the process is so simple that you shouldn’t need to.

Ok so idk how this place gets more than 2 stars but this is an inaccurate rating for this business. I’ve been here countless times and experienced AND witnessed horrible customer service. Not to discredit everyone, but it is primarily the one chick who works at the window all the time. Every time I come here, I witness her down talking to customers and being rude to them. What I’ve noticed is she talks down to Asian people, primarily those who don’t speak English or speak very limited English. I have seen her being rude to my mom in front of my very eyes. I never write reviews but this is an exception. I KNOW there are lots of customers who feel the same way and it’s unfortunate they can’t share it dt their limited English and knowledge of accessing the internet.

Ttheir website isn’t working at all! No page found. I’ve been trying to call and check out their hours for today on the website since it’s Chinese New Year and I have no luck. The automated message came on and no mention of holidays. I saw a past review that they are closed on CNY so maybe I shouldn’t even try to go there. I’ll just have to wait another day.
Like other reviewers, the only reason why I am sticking to 3 stars is because there wasn’t a line when I went in the afternoon last Friday. It was a smooth and easy process.

Need a visa? This is the place to go, forget sending in your passport to DC.
If you’re viet, a 5 year visa will cost $ 50.
Rushed for time? It’ll cost an extra $ 30/​visa.

Smoothest, less stress I’ve ever been for getting a visa! Aside from driving into the city and looking for parking. Came here at 15:30 and only a few people waiting. The rep helped me within 5 mins and I have a Vietnamese last name, so I got special treatment…5 year visa for $ 50! Score! AND I only have to wait for 20 mins for the visa and I’m done! Loved it.
Btw, I parked past the Consulate building across from the church, plenty of free parking. (At least I hope, I read so many signs!!)

Went in for a Visa on a Thursday morning at 9:30AM. No line. Was in and out in less than 1 minute. Will be back to pick up in just 3 business days. Great experience.

Yes, there was a line before the door opened, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t quick with it. One girl worked both windows: drop-​off or pick-​up.
I got a five-​year multiple entry visa for $ 50, same day turn-​around. This price and service is for Vietnamese-​Americans only.

I took out one star because, like other reviewers, they do NOT answer their phones. I tried calling many times over a period of several days. Nothing. I had to call the Vietnamese Embassy in DC to get some answers. One being how much does it cost to get a Visa. As of November 2015, it’s $ 100 for a normal application (3 – 5 days) and $ 130 to be expedited. I got mine expedited. Sent it in on Monday and got it back today, Wednesday. I gave them four stars for speed.
Make sure to include an overnight self addressed envelope in addition to all the stuff that’s in the on-​line application.

I am so glad that I found this place so close to our home.
There’s no appointment for applying the Visa. We just got the information from their website.
We tried to fill in the form through their website but couldn’t get through … so we printed the form and filled it in by hand…
On the day of… we brought our passport + our 2×2 inc pictures + filled form + $ 100 per single entry visa/​person. They are open at 8.30 am, we got there around 8.45 am there were 4 people in front of us.
It took us about 15 mins for waiting in the line + dropped off our document and they told us to come back on the 3 days from now to pick up our visa…
I would say the whole experience was not so bad at all… just make sure to bring everything that they require, we are not sure if they demand more document or fee for multiple entry… (we think they do). So please check out their website for into.

They don’t answer the phone. Tried calling for about a week at different times during operating hours. My most tenacious attempt lasted about 20 minutes. I was just stuck in their automated loop the entire time.
Trip to the office was quick for application drop off. Got there right at opening time but wasn’t let in for about 10 minutes. Other than that there wasn’t a wait. There was only one other person there to pick up her visa.
Received my visa/​passport promptly so aside from not being able to reach the office by phone, everything went smoothly.
Pro tips
/​/​No crowds so (probably) no need to get there before opening
/​/​U.S. Passport holder visa fee was $ 100 in ⁰⁹⁄₂₀₁₅

Was in a bit of a hurry to get my Visa to enter Vietnam, and was expecting the consulate to be busy, unwelcoming, and accompanied by many hours of waiting (as my experience has been with other consulates).
I was dead wrong!
I was greeted by a gracious young lady there and needed the following:
— Needed a Vietnamese Visa
— Same Day service if possible
She obliged with relevant and helpful information and hospitality. The fees amounted to $ 100 ($ 70 for special status + $ 30 same day rush processing). All in all, I spent about 20 minutes there (this included waiting in line with 2 customers ahead of me, submitting my application, paying for my fees, and picking up my approved Visa to Vietnam)!!!
By far the best experience I have had in acquiring a travel Visa! Looking forward to my trip to Vietnam!

When I went in, then took credit/​debit cards for payment, which was super helpful! Be sure to check the hours in other reviews since they are only open limited hours each day.
I paid $ 150 for a multiple entry, 30 day visa.
The form online was easy to understand. When I brought in the printed form, passport and photos, there was literally no line. When I picked up the passport and visas 3 days later, I waited about five minutes. From my research, there are cheaper ways to get a visa, but the convenience alone made it worth it.

It costs 70 dollars for me to get a multientry visa for 3 yrs bc I filled out the special application. If you are Vietnamese American or one of your parents is Vietnamese or your spouse is Vietnamese then you can take advantage of this special visa. Maybe I should have bargain (apparently you are suppose to bc they charge on a person to person basis) but I just want to get out of there. The site said it should cost 25 although they might need to update it site. It will be great if others could post in their prices.

Excellent service.
In and out in less than 15.
Managed to find street parking on Van Ness.
Things to consider: Their lunch break is 12 – 2:30. We arrived at 2:34 and waited in line for ~5 min.
DEFINITELY complete the online application and print it. It’s super convenient. Also bring;
1 passport photo (costco $ 4.99)
Checkbook ($ 100 for single entry, $ 150 for multiple)
1 FedEx prepaid shipping envelope, unless you’d rather return in 3 days for pick up.
The staff we’re extremely helpful and polite. They waived the $ 200 fee for a 3 month visa since we only needed to add 10 days for our departing flight.
Tltr; the place is super convenient, bring a photo and completed app and you’ll be out of here in under 30 min.

Employee working here is nice and efficient. She cleared up confusions I had about the visa patiently. Lines are short. However, no one picks up the phone, which was a big issue because I had to change my date of entry but couldn’t reach them through the phone, resulting in a $ 20 fee. They also have a very long lunch break. Cash or check only!

Getting my Vietnam tourist visa was super easy. I spent a total of 5 minutes at the consulate, 3 minutes to drop off the application, and 2 minutes to pick it up 3 days later.
To get your visa, your passport needs to have at least 6 months validity from your exit date. You should fill out the application form online and bring a printed copy of the completed application to the consulate, along with your passport, a recent passport photo, and cash ($ 150 for a 1 month multiple entry visa). The visa will be ready for pickup 3 business days later.
There was no wait both times that I was there, and the staff was courteous and efficient. Street parking was pretty easy too.