1. Starting on an unofficial look-alike website
The Vietnam Embassy in India warns that unofficial private websites can mimic government sites. The Embassy currently identifies evisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn as the official electronic-visa domains.
A private company may offer legitimate assistance, but it should clearly say that it is a private service. Confusing a private service with the government portal makes it harder to understand who is charging what and who can actually issue the visa.
Check the domain first. Official application and official result checking should be anchored to the Government of Vietnam's e‑Visa system.
2. Typing passport information from memory
Do not rely on memory for passport number, expiry date or the precise way the name appears. Keep the passport open while entering the application and compare every identity field before payment.
The passport image and typed data should tell the same story. A one-character error can become a serious travel problem if it carries through to the issued document.
- Compare passport number character by character.
- Recheck date of birth and passport expiry date.
- Check the full name against the passport and machine-readable information.
- Review nationality and other identity fields before submission.
3. Uploading a cropped or unsuitable passport/photo image
Current Embassy guidance asks for the full passport data page including ICAO lines and a 4×6 cm white-background portrait looking straight without glasses.
Common quality problems include glare, blur, cut-off ICAO lines, a portrait taken from an angle, or images compressed so heavily that text becomes difficult to read.
A quick messaging-app screenshot may be easy to send, but the source image should still meet the official upload requirements and remain clearly readable.
4. Choosing the wrong entry type for a multi-country itinerary
A traveller may think only about the first flight into Vietnam and forget that the holiday later leaves Vietnam and returns. That is how a single-entry selection can conflict with the actual route.
Map the itinerary end to end before choosing single or multiple entry. This is especially relevant for Vietnam–Cambodia, Vietnam–Thailand or other regional combinations.
The itinerary should determine the visa structure; the price difference is secondary.
5. Applying too close to departure
The Embassy in India currently states 5–30 working days for processing and recommends a much earlier 7–40 working-day or greater buffer to reduce risk.
Last-minute applications magnify every other mistake. If a correction is requested, there may be little room left to recover without disrupting the trip.
6. Forgetting the registration code or waiting only for an email
The Embassy says the registration code must be saved to check and print the e‑Visa result, and its current guidance says no email is sent regarding e‑Visa results.
Do not rely on passive waiting. Keep the registration code, email and date of birth available and use the official result-search page.
Check the issued e‑Visa against the passport and itinerary, then carry the required printed visa document with the valid passport.