I’m thinking of doing a visa run thru the Moc Bai border. I understand there is a public bus from HCM to Moc Bai but it takes 3 hours or so. How much would a taxi or other private transportation cost to the border and back? I would like to get back to HCM by late afternoon the same day. Has anyone done this visa run lately?
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“…..so now we can just cross the border and re-enter Vietnam as visa exempt the same day, right?”
Short answer, yes.
But it’s really – exit Vietnam, enter another country, exit said country, re-enter Vietnam.
So, yes.
Scott
Yeah, so now we can just cross the border and re-enter Vietnam as visa exempt the same day, right? Thanks!
“In the past, you would have to stay outside Vietnam for at least 30 days before re-entering, but this regulation has been abolished.”
Yep, even long before the visa exemption for certain nationalities was extended to 45 days.
Scott
I’m planning to cross the border, turn around, and come back into Vietnam the same day as visa-exempt status (with my passport, we can enter Vietnam without a visa and stay for 45 days). In the past, you would have to stay outside Vietnam for at least 30 days before re-entering, but this regulation has been abolished. I assume other people who are doing the overland visa run within the same day are doing the same thing. I just wanted to make sure this can be done today.
Thank you!! You’ve been super helpful. I won’t have to renew my visa until mid-March, but I will let you know how it goes. I just joined a bunch of FB Saigon expat related groups. Is there any particular one that you recommend? THANK YOU!
You should be back before lunch time. You can also go onto FB ex-pat page Saigon. There will be plenty on there about the subject. Just make sure it is new. Let us know how it all goes.
Thank you so much again. This is very helpful. I was going to fly out to Bangkok or Singapore and fly back, but this option costs so much more than doing the overland visa run and I’d have to deal with a long line at the immigration at the airport. Sounds like if I leave HCM early enough, I should be able to get back to the city by the afternoon.
Border opens before eight as I get there approx 7.30 am, could be 6am. Tourist bus from Saigon is approx two and a half hrs.. Yeah dead easy to get on a tourist bus going back to Saigon but may have to wait a bit for them to start coming through from PP. Motorbike guys are waiting at the gate entrance of immigration offices. You can see them as you exit the building. There are also private car drivers hanging around there but they will want a million plus to take you back to Saigon. I have once gone back on a mini bus for 250,000. Got talking to a couple that were doing a visa run by mini bus. Just gave there driver the money and got dropped in district 1 right next to the bus office where I had caught the bus at 5 am.
Thank you so much for the information. This is very helpful. So, the tourist bus to Cambodia would still take three hours to get to the border, I guess, since I read that the immigration office opens at 8AM. Have you had any difficulty getting the ride back to HCM or was it easy to hitch a ride with the tourist bus or the motor cycle?
The public bus stopped a long time ago. Now you can take the tourist bus that goes to Cambodia, PP. Good company to use is Danh Danh Express bus. Office is at 285 Pham Ngu Lao street in District 1 ( tourist area ) Buses start leaving from 5am and every hour or so until late afternoon. Plenty of other bus companies, mini buses, private cars to choose from. Bus costs 260,000 VND to the border. You get off there and do your visa run, exit Vietnam, walk to the Cambodian border, 5 mins. Enter Cambodia, $ 30 for visa on arrival tourist visa. Exit Cambodia straight away and walk back to Vietnam border post, enter Vietnam. This is all done in approx 30 mins if you catch the 5 am bus. If you take later buses from Saigon can take well over an hour if not more.
It does take a few times to work it all out but pretty easy once you have done it many times.
Getting back to Saigon you have a few choices. Wait at the immigration for buses coming from Cambodia and jump on one of them giving the driver 200,000 VND or more. Back in Saigon by lunch time. Can take a car or mini bus and pay what they ask. Can jump on a motorbike, 100,000 vnd and get him to take you to the bus station in Tay Ninh. You then jump on the bus to An Suong bus station, 100,000 vnd, which is almost in Saigon and take a public bus back to District 1.