The ground staff at your departure airport will ask to see the visa or your approval letter and you'll also need to show it when you arrive in HCMC so print out a hard copy.
If you have got the time, the best option is to go in person to the Vietnamese Embassy and get a visa stamped into your passport. The advantage being that you avoid waiting at the airport and having to deal with a Vietnamese official who speaks very little english, after a long flight.
There's a few different types of visa 1 month single entry, 1 month multiple, or 3 month single / multiple entry. A 1 month single entry will work for most people, but if you are going to visit neighbouring countries during your trip, obviously you'll need the multi plus visas for the other countries.
For those who do go the visa-upon-arrival route, check out the Essential Info page and here's a step by step guide of what to bring and what to do once you arrive in HCMC (Ton Son Nhat) airport.
Print / bring with you:
_your letter from the visa service (it's not personal, you'll see other names on your letter)
_bring a pen
_bring 2 x passport photos (if you forget they'll do at the visa desk, but that adds 15 mins + $5)
_have the address of your hotel handy
_bring the correct US dollars to pay for the visa (they do NOT process card payments, or accept other currencies)
What to do:
1) The visa window is on the left of the entry hall / passport control
2) Go straight up to the window and get a form, there is likely to be a swarm of people rather than a queue.
3) Fill in the form with your details, dates of stay, address for hotel...
4) Hand your form, photo's, visa letter and passport to the official on the left hand side of the visa desk
5) Then you wait.
6) Finally an official will call your name (first time I wondered who Kwis Wawwell was...)
7) Go to the right hand side of the visa desk and pay
8) You can now go through passport control, pick up your bag and get started with your holiday!
It really is that simple, but it can be a little bit daunting especially if you haven't travelled in Asia before. Be polite, smile and don't ask the guys behind the window lots of questions (they barely speak english!) and don't keep going back up to the window asking how long will it take. Generally you'll be waiting between 30-60 mins depending on how busy it is.
If there is a problem, they'll call your name and tell you - work on the basis that everything is fine and you'll be called up soon to pay. I've found the more polite and friendly I am, the shorter the amount of time that I wait.
Getting a visa from the embassy sounds like a much better idea now doesn't it?
Here's a photo of the queue last time I went.
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