15. More travel trials

Well, I got great news from Vietnam Airlines. At first they said I needed papers from Laos in order to fly my cat to Hanoi, but after I emailed information about my cat being from the US and the Laos government requiring 10 business days to approve forms for my flight in 6 days, they agreed to let me fly him. Big relief!

That was a couple days ago. Today chatting with some girls from Germany who are taking the overnight bus to Vietnam, I found out that there are no eVisas being issued during the Tet holiday (January 25-Feb 2) so I have to get a "Visa on arrival" which is not possible by land, so it is even better luck that Vietnam airlines allowed me to fly as I would not have been able to get myself into Vietnam with no eVisa. I applied when I found out my change in plans but they rejected it because I have to be outside of the country in order to apply and I was still in Vietnam. As soon as I landed in Laos and was waiting at immigration, I applied, but that was on January 22, and they did not approve it before they closed on January 24.

Tonight I googled the process for "Visa on arrival" and to my horror, it is not just showing up and paying money when you get there. You need a pre-approval letter. Costs for this since I am now 2 business days from leaving range from $8 for a sketchy site that may not be legit, to $79 and up for 2-day service. Additionally, multiple sites have indicated I should contact them immediately for letters during Tet and one quoted the rate as "last minute" which is $350! Plus of course the regular $25 visa fee at the airport. That makes the $79 sound a whole lot better. Stay tuned.