I flew 33 hours to Vietnam but was denied entry because of a common travel mistake that I’ll never make again

The author (not pictured) made a travel mistake that almost derailed her travel plans.

After nearly a day-and-a-half of flights that took me from Phoenix to Dallas to Tokyo to Ho Chi Minh City, I was exhausted but thrilled to finally reach my destination.

It had been six months since I last visited Vietnam and I was looking forward to exploring new-to-me cities in this beautiful country.

Upon deplaning, I headed to the passport-control area with my passport and a print-out of the visa I had applied for — and was granted — about six weeks earlier.

When I got to the front, I handed over my two documents and awaited the inevitable stamp of approval. Instead, the employee handed them back to me and said, “Denied.”

I was so confused — I’ve traveled to 46 countries and had not had issues gaining entry to any of them before.

After bouncing around the airport and waiting in lines I found an employee who would review my documents to tell me what the problem was.

It turns out they didn’t match: My middle name was on my passport but not on my visa.

I couldn’t believe such a tiny error had cost me

I had landed in Ho Chi Minh City but could not leave the airport. 

Visa applications can be denied if your name doesn’t match the one on your passport, and I’d missed this discrepancy.

Eventually, the employee told me I had two choices: I could fly back to Japan, where I’d just arrived from, or pay for a “very, very expensive” emergency visa.

I knew flying back to Japan wasn’t an option, as I was embarking on a river cruise out of Vietnam in less than 12 hours. So, I chose the latter.

I let out a sigh of relief when I learned my new visa would be $130 — I’d expected it to cost much more. But I panicked again when I pulled out my credit card, and the employee told me they only accepted cash.

Fortunately, I found a few $20 bills shoved in my bag. After a stressful wait, I had my new visa and was free to go.

I learned 2 valuable travel lessons I’ll never forget

I still don’t understand how my visa application was approved in the first place — I had to submit a photo of my passport to get it — but now I know to be extra vigilant.

Later, I also realized why I’d forgotten to include my middle name: The electronic visa application didn’t have a specific spot labeled for it.

The form says “Given name” and “Surname” — I didn’t think to include my middle name in the same spot as my first because I’m used to seeing a separate spot for it on applications.

From now on, though, I’ll remember that names on a passport and visa must match perfectly, which means including every detail (even if the application doesn’t ask for it in a way you’d expect).

I’m glad I was able to continue on my trip — and I’ll never travel again without money on hand for emergencies. Cash is still king in most places, and I’m lucky this mistake only cost me a few bills and few hours.