June 13, 2020
Visa tips

How To Apply for a Vietnam Visa for Journalist

If you’re a journalist and you’re traveling to Vietnam to cover a story, it’s important that you have the necessary Vietnam visa for journalists. Remember that it is against the law of Vietnam to work as a journalist while holding a tourist visa. So before you book your flight to Vietnam, make sure you have the appropriate visa.

Applying for a Vietnam visa for journalist is now so easy. That’s because there are lots of agencies online that can process the visa on your behalf. They will provide you the form that you need to fill out. Then they will send it to the Vietnam Immigration to be processed. They will also provide a list of requirements that you need to submit.

We recommend you contact Official website of Foreign Press Center of Vietnam (https://presscenter.org.vn) for your Vietnamese Journalist Visa

Applying for a Vietnam Visa for Journalist

Foreign journalists who need to go to Vietnam for a short-term press assignment must do the following:

  • Look for an agency to request assistance in applying for the Vietnam visa for journalist.
  • The agency will then ask for your passport details, including your proposed working program in Vietnam.
  • After receiving your passport and documents, the agency will forward this to Vietnam’s Press and Information Department so they can assist in facilitating your visit to the country.
  • Then it will be forwarded to the Vietnam Immigration for your visa to be processed.
  • Once the Vietnam visa for journalist is approved, they will send in an approval letter to the agency. The agency will forward the letter to your email. You need to print this letter because this is what you need to present to claim your visa.
  • The visa can be claimed at the Vietnam embassy near you or from the airport upon your arrival.

It is highly recommended that you apply for the Vietnam visa for journalist at least 15 days prior to your date of arrival to the country. This is to give them enough time to process your visa. There are also instances when they will require you to submit additional documents.

Authorized Vietnamese Press Officer

An authorized Vietnamese press officer will escort all foreign journalists arriving in Vietnam. The press officer will be with you as you undertake your press project. This is a normal procedure as required by the Vietnamese law. Take note that foreign journalists are prohibited from conducting any press-related program without the assistance of a Vietnamese press officer.

The press officer will also serve as your interpreter and will be with you in all your press tasks in the country. Take note that you are obliged to pay for the salary of the press officer and shoulder the transportation expenses that will be incurred. The Foreign Press Center of Vietnam will also charge a fee for the services rendered by the press officer.

Foreign Journalists With Vietnamese Working Counterparts

For foreign journalists who have a local working counterpart, they are required to provide all details regarding this partnership. They must provide details about the composition of the press team, purpose of presswork, passport details, working program, itinerary, schedule of activities, as well as a list of equipment that will be used for the coverage.

The Vietnamese counterparts of these foreign journalists must get in touch with Vietnam’s Press and Information Dept. They are also required to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to get permission for them to receive and perform presswork with the visiting foreign journalists.

Things to Keep In Mind When Applying for the Journalist Visa

It’s important that you provide all the details necessary for your visa application. Aside from the passport details, you are required to provide your contact details, date and purpose of visit, working program, schedule of activities, and all the other requirements. Failure to do so could result in the rejection of your Vietnam visa for journalist.

As a foreign journalist working in Vietnam, you are expected to abide by the local laws at all times. For more information about this, refer to the Circular 84 on Press and Information Activities of Foreign Journalists in Vietnam. This was issued by Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture and Information in accordance with the Government’s Decree No. 88/2012/ND-CP , which was issued on October 23, 2014.

Decree 88-2012-ND-CP about Foreign Press in Vietnam

When claiming your visa, there is a stamping fee that you are required to pay. This will cost around $25 per person. If you will claim your visa from the airport, make sure you carry with you some cash. They will not accept card payment. You can pay in USD currency or in Vietnamese dong. After paying the stamping fee, the visa will be attached to one of the pages of your passport. After getting the visa, you can then proceed to Passport Control and you will be stamped for entry into the country.

PERHAPS YOU ARE INTERESTED IN

Several foreign films have been filmed in Vietnam in the past. These include Hollywood Box Office Hits like Tomorrow Never Dies and Kong: Skull Island.

If you are working with the press and you are planning to visit Vietnam, there are lots of things you need to know about. First of all, you need to know that there’s media censorship in Vietnam, as implemented by Vietnam’s Communist Party.