Vietnamese visa in Phnom Penh warning!

If anyone is planning to apply for a Vietnamese visa in PP, please read about our experience first.

We asked around the guesthouses and agencies in PP for a month-long Vietnamese visa. We were quoted prices varying between $37 and $39 (just $1-2 more than a 15-day visa). Being on a budget and knowing they were earning a commission, we decided to go to the embassy directly and save the few dollars (we thought that officially the price is still $35). Upon arrival we were really surprised that at the embassy they charged $45! I must admit that in hindsight my incredulous reaction may have bordered on a bit of attitude. I asked how it was possible that they charged more than agencies. Anyhow, we then applied through our guesthouse. They only needed one photo and the passport.

However, it turns out that the officer at the embassy remembered us (passport photo?) and decided that he would not issue us the visa. Now we have no chance to get it in PP (although the guesthouse staff mentioned something in passing about possibly paying more... not sure about that though). They offered to run the passport to Sihanoukville for the same price, but that means more waiting. I'll post whether we got it or not when we hear back in a few days.

So here's how it works (as per the guesthouse staff). The official charge visa is still $35 but the local hustler association managed to organize a deal with the Vietnamese embassy staff. The deal is that the guesthouses can run the passports through the "organization" for a small commission. The guesthouses and agencies participating in this pay a (yearly, I think) fee to be a part of this service. But those applicants who try to go directly to the embassy are faced with an increased price (the whole of which apparently goes to the Vietnamese government). If you do what we did and they remember you, you are refused. Just because they can. Apparently this happens more to Americans (the staff member told us they don't like American applicants) but has happened to other nationalities as well (we're on Canadian passports, I we were told that one French guy was denied possibly because his father was Muslim {but really, when you have the power to issue a visa or not, do you really need a reason?}). Needless to say it's probably not a good idea and/or pointless to try again in PP after refusal. Usually the passports are not rejected on the second try in Sihanoukville (the second most used place, then the other is Battambang), but there are no guarantees. In the case of one American who was simply refused in PP, the delivery guy who took the passports to Sihanoukville had to plead with the officers to get the visa in Sihanoukville. Of course, I don't know the details of that situation, but it looks like they can be really fickle.

Who knew? This is the first we've seen this type of deal fixing. Not a good introduction to Vietnam...

Edited by: aleksandray