Compared with my other experiences obtaining visas, obtaining the visa at the Vietnamese Consulate in Shanghai was a very pleasant experience. I must have arrived around 2:00pm in the afternoon to submit my paperwork. While they did not accept a form that I had printed which is used by the Vietnam Embassy in the US, the Shanghai Consulate form requests exactly the same information and looks more or less the same.
Upon submitting my paperwork, the officer looked at my proposed dates of travel and did question me why I was applying for a visa so early. I told him that I would be traveling and that this was one of my few chances to obtain the visa. Submitting my paperwork was not a problem.
The fee for US citizens applying through Shanghai for a Vietnamese tourist visa is 380 RMB. I didn't have enough cash on hand, so I headed across the street to an ATM and pulled out the rest of what I needed. I did notice that Chinese nationals obtaining a Vietnamese tourist visa are requested to pay 760 RMB.
It takes four working days for the visa to be ready without paying an expedite fee. I returned to the consulate between 4:00pm and 5:00pm on Friday and had no trouble retrieving my passport with visa by handing in my receipt.
Here's what the building looks like in Pudong which houses the Vietnamese Consulate in Shanghai:
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment and I will try to respond.
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