VIETNAM VISA RUNS EXPLAINED: Lynn Visa Review and Pro Tips
Source: Open AI. Created by Me.
THE ONE TRADE-OFF ABOUT LIVING IN DA NANG
The one downside of living in Da Nang is the limited visa options for long-term stays in Vietnam. The maximum stay on a single visa is 90 days on an e-Visa, which you must apply for online at least a couple of weeks before arriving. That’s it—no in-country extensions beyond that. Sure, they have an investor visa for anyone with a few million USD burning a hole in their pocket, but that’s not me, and I’m guessing it’s not you either.
So, for those of us who are not millionaires, we are left with one of the oldest tricks in the expat book: the visa run.
WHAT IS A VISA RUN?
The visa run, or border run, is when you leave the country you are currently in to get your passport stamped with an exit stamp, enter a different country to get an entry stamp, then immediately turn around to get an exit stamp and re-enter the first country on your newly activated visa. To put it simply, you go in and out of the country to get a new visa.
IT IS ESSENTIALLY A LEGAL LOOPHOLE
While technically this falls into a bit of an immigration gray area, in some countries, after you do a bunch of visa runs, you could eventually get denied entry for exploiting the visa system. In some cases, you may be required to have a cool-down period before you can re-enter the country.
This can vary from as short as one week to as much as a year. Or you may be "asked" to donate to the "Immigration Officers’ Ball," and after doing so, you will be granted entry.
UNLIMITED RUNS IN NAM (FOR NOW)
Luckily for us, Vietnam currently has no limits on the number of e-Visas they will issue to someone, and you don’t have to cool off for a certain number of days outside the country before returning. I’ve met people here in Da Nang who have been living here for years just on visa runs. You can go by air or land to border crossings, depending on your budget and time constraints.
A TRIED AND TRUE EXPAT TRICK
Using visa runs to stay in a country for an extended period of time is by no means a new thing. People have been doing visa runs as a way to extend stays since the ’70s and probably even longer. And before people start chiming in with, “In Vietnam, you can get this visa or that visa—this guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” let me clarify: for the purposes of this article, I am sticking to the KISS* method of staying in Vietnam for an extended period.
DIFFERENT MODES OF VISA RUNS
THE DIY BY LAND VISA RUN:
For the guy who likes to do everything himself, this is right up your alley. You will have to apply for your Vietnamese e-Visa online a couple of weeks out, along with the visa for whichever country you will be temporarily crossing into and out of. I suggest printing out copies of both. Then, you’ll need to book your travel. If going by land, that usually means a bus or a private car (if you’re a baller).
You’ll have to figure out where to go at the border because no one will help you. Then, you exit, enter, exit, and enter, and bada-boom—you have your new visa. Hop on a bus or car back to your apartment. This is the least expensive method of doing a visa run.
THE PACKAGE BY LAND VISA RUN:
With a package border run, you pay a visa run service to arrange everything for you, including transportation to and from the border, all visas, assistance at both border crossings if you run into issues, and all the miscellaneous logistics (like knowing where to stop for bathroom breaks and food).
This will cost you about 20% more than if you made all the arrangements yourself, but all you have to do is pass the visa service your information and drop off your passport a day or two beforehand. In my opinion, the extra $40 or so bucks you spend on a package deal is totally worth it because you don’t have to do squat other than show up and get on a bus.
Another advantage is that visa services have connections with immigration on both sides of the border, which can come in handy if you realize your visa expires in four days and you need to do an emergency visa run. In situations like that, they can get your 90-day visa on short notice—something you can’t do yourself.
VISA RUN BY AIR:
If you decide to fly for your visa run it’s just like any other trip: You buy your flights and arrange for accommodation and visas. This is a good option if you plan to stay outside the country for a few days.
I currently use both land and air methods because sometimes I like to use a border run as an excuse to fly over to one of my old Southeast Asian stomping grounds for a week. This is by far the most expensive way to do a border run.
LYNN VISA PASSPORT SERVICES
Disclaimer: I have not received any compensation or incentives for recommending Lynn Visa in this guide, nor were they aware that I would be writing this review. This is simply the service I use and prefer based on my own experiences. As always, I encourage you to do your research and choose the service that best meets your needs.
I highly recommend Lynn Visa for visa runs in Vietnam if you want to do a visa run with the least amount of effort and stress. I have used them for all of my land border runs and plan on using them for future visa runs.
All you have to do is text them the following information over WhatsApp,
Pictures of your passport
Local Phone Number
Current visa
Answer a few questions
Lynn Visa does everything else, including all the visas.
They use nice "VIP" buses, and when you cross the border, they have people there to help guide you and keep you updated. Be advised: a visa run from Da Nang to Laos and back will take all day. Don’t expect to get back before 8 to 10 PM.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO DO A VISA RUN WITH LYNN VISA?
BEFORE 7:00 AM:
RALLY UP AT LYNN VISA
Show up at their office before 7:00 AM.
Pick up your passport from one of the girls sitting out front.
EAT A COMPLIMENTARY BREAKFAST
Only available If you show up at least 20 minutes early.
They have a selection of packaged snacks, coffee, tea, and a girl who will make you a fresh egg Banh Mi. Get the Egg Banh mi, it’s tasty.
7:00 AM:
GET ON THE BUS
Around 7 they begin loading up folks on the buses.
Don’t worry if you see a bus load up and leave, they more are on the way.
The seats on the buses are comfortable and roomy, like Lazy Boy recliners, complete with USB charging ports.
Unless you are with someone, you will likely get a seat with no one sitting next to you.
Big old seats on the buses. Source: Me. Created by: Me.
8:30 AM & 10:15 AM
BATHROOM BREAK:
On the trip to Laos, the bus will stop twice at a convenience store so you can pee and grab a snack if you want. You will also get any important announcements during the drive.
The drive will give you a chance to see Vietnam’s beautiful countryside and smaller towns that most people living in the city never get to see.
NOON:
LUNCH
The last stop before the Laos border is at a restaurant serving delicious Vietnamese food for 30K Dong (USD 1.17).
This is a local restaurant with local food storage and handling practices, but if you’ve already been in Vietnam for three months, it’s nothing your stomach can’t handle.
QUICK TIP: Bring Cash for your lunch.
Local restaurant before the Laos border. Also I forgot to ask if it was ok to take peoples pictures so I blocked out faces, because some people move overseas to start over. Source: Me. Created by: Me.
12:30 PM:
ARRIVE AT THE BORDER
At the Vietnamese/Laotian border, you’ll get a briefing.
Then you’ll wait around inside immigration for the Lynn Visa staff to get your Vietnamese exit stamp (they take your passports and handle it themselves).
You will get your passport back from one of the Lynn Visa staff.
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM:
WALK INTO LAOS
Walk over the border into Laos.
LAOTIAN IMMIGRATION
Go over to the Laotian Immigration ENTRY Booth, and get your entry stamp for Laos.
Immediately walk to the left to the Laotian Immigration EXIT Booth, and get your exit stamp.
QUICK TIP: If you’re asked to pay 20K Dong for entry or exit at Laotian immigration, just pay it and let one of the Lynn Visa staff know. They will reimburse you.
Laotian border crossing. Source: Me. Created by: Me.
WALK BACK INTO VIETNAM
Stand by at Vietnamese immigration.
The Lynn Visa staff will gather up passports again.
This is where how long it takes to get your may vary.
IF THE VIETNAMESE IMMIGRATION COMPUTERS ARE UP
You are looking at no more than an hour
IF THEY ARE DOWN
It could take hours.
HURRY UP AND WAIT
Expect to spend a minimum of one hour up to several hours at the border just hanging out.
When the Lynn Visa staff gets your passports stamped with your new 90-day visa, they’ll hand them back to you for the final time.
Now you have a shiny new 90-day Vietnamese Visa.
Vietnamese immigration at the Laotian border, you will get to know this room. Source: Me. Created by: Me.
4:00 PM
GET BACK ON THE BUS:
Everyone will load up on the buses.
Just like the trip to the border, on the way back to Da Nang.
The bus will stop two times for bathroom breaks just like on the way there.
9:30 PM to 10:00 PM
ARRIVE BACK AT THE LYNN VISA OFFICE
Hop on your bike or grab a Grab to your place.
HOW MUCH DID IT COST?
STANDARD VISA RUN:
3,170,000 VND (USD 123.63)
EXPEDITED VISA RUN:
4,070,000 VND (USD 158.73)
Expedited Visa Runs are for last-minute visa runs like when you have a week or less before your visa expires and you have not applied for your e-visa.
100% WORTH IT
As I said before, the small amount extra you’ll spend is worth it to let someone else deal with all the hassles of a visa run.
Some of the Vietnamese countryside views you will see. Source: Me. Created by: Me.
FYI ABOUT GOING ON A VISA RUN BY BUS
For those of you who have never been on a bus traveling through the countryside in the Third World or developing world, prepare yourself mentally. It is standard practice for bus drivers to drive very fast on winding mountain roads, make left-hand passes straight into oncoming traffic only to yank into the right lane mere milliseconds before a head-on collision, and run over baby goats that jump out in front of the bus.
You are crossing a border in the developing or not-so-developing world, so set your expectations beforehand. On every border run, there’s inevitably one or more people constantly complaining about how long things take at the border.
Despite seeing goats and chickens walking around, Border Guards in freshly pressed uniforms wearing flip-flops, and tires burning in the horizon like you’re in a Third World comedy sketch. There is always one idiot who can’t figure out why things don’t always run smoothly at the border.
Don’t be that guy, everyone on the bus talks smack about that guy, everyone hates that guy, that guy is dumb.
SEND THE INFORMATION REQUESTED, THEN ASK QUESTIONS
The office staff is nice and professional. I get the impression they deal with a bunch of “visa run lookie-loos” wasting their time with a bunch of stupid questions just to never use their services in the end. Because of that, they may not take you seriously until you send in your information first.
MR LYNN of LYNN VISA
The last thing I’ll say about Lynn Visa is that Mr. Lynn himself is a cool guy. He’s probably in his 50s and has lots of cool stories about Vietnam back in the day. He’s also quite the entrepreneur, having built his company from doing border runs in a minivan to now running three big passenger buses twice a week. So Mad respect for him for his hustle while maintaining his integrity and honesty.
LAST QUICK TIP: If you can, try to get on the bus he’ll be on—you won’t regret it.
IN CONCLUSION
Not much more to say here. That’s how you do a visa run in Da Nang or Vietnam in general, and my recommendation on what visa run service to use. If you have any questions about visa runs in Da Nang that I didn’t cover here, please feel free to ask in the comments.
*KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid
