$ 140 for the visa seems a bit steep . I paid $ 95 poatage last time I had the embassy do the visa . I ' ve flown to Vietnam 3 times this year and found that it was much easier to get a visa on arrival . Get online and have an agent get you a letter from their immigration . Will cost around $ 3050 . Print it out and bring with you . Once you arrive , you fill out a form and pay for the visa . Bring some American dollars for this . Costs US $ 25 for single entry 1 month visa . I used vietnamvisa . org The embassy website says that all these websites aren ' t legit and aren ' t accepted . I ' m pretty sure it ' s just a scam for them to make more money . This is my experience travelling to Ho Chi Minh city . Not sure if it ' s the same in Hanoi .