A Da Nang visa run without transport costs $120, and that fee covers the paperwork and border escort only - you get yourself to Lao Bao and back. I broke down what’s actually in that price after one too many messages asking whether $120 quietly turns into more once you’re at the checkpoint.

What $120 Actually Buys You

The short answer: exit and re-entry paperwork, the application form, the government e‑visa fee paid on my card if you need a fresh visa, and someone on the ground at the crossing who keeps in touch and tells you which window to use next. The correct border point on the form matters more than it sounds: get it wrong and the portal still approves the visa, but you’re turned back at the actual checkpoint and have to reapply - a lost travel day, not just paperwork. I fill that field in myself, from the route you’re actually taking.

Terraced rice fields on a misty mountainside in northern Vietnam
Rice terraces in the north - a stop while an e-visa for a Da Nang visa run gets processed.

The $155 tier adds one thing on top: transport, a sleeper bus or car from your door to the border and back. The visa outcome is identical either way - a fresh 45-day stamp or a new 90-day e‑visa. If you’re still weighing a visa run against an e‑visa extension in general, I laid out that decision separately in do I need a visa run in Vietnam.

Step by Step: How the No-Transport Run Works

The sequence is the same whether you drive yourself or take our transport - only the ride to the border changes:

Traveler at an infinity pool overlooking misty mountains in Sapa, Vietnam
Sapa in the clouds - a side trip between visa runs, not related to the Lao Bao crossing itself.
  1. Send your passport scan ahead of time; if you need a new e‑visa, the form and government fee are handled on my end.
  2. Get yourself to Lao Bao - car, motorbike, or a scheduled bus.
  3. Get your Vietnamese exit stamp, following the written instructions sent before departure.
  4. Walk to the Laos side and join the visa-on-arrival queue.
  5. Get your Laos stamp, turn around, and show your fresh e‑visa or visa exemption at the Vietnamese counter.
  6. Head back the same way - the whole run takes 10-12 hours minimum, most of it spent on the road rather than at the border itself.

$120 vs $155: Where the Line Sits

Both tiers land on the same visa result. The $155 door-to-door run adds the ride; $120 doesn’t. If you already have transport to Lao Bao, or driving yourself works out cheaper, $120 makes sense - you’re not paying for a bus seat you won’t use. If there’s no easy way to get there, $155 closes the whole thing out from your door via the Da Nang visa run service.

Travelers taking a selfie in a rice paddy in northern Vietnam
A rice-paddy stop on a trip north of Da Nang, unrelated to the border crossing itself.

The Only Hidden Cost: the Border Cash Fee

There’s exactly one charge on top of the $120: 200,000 dong in cash, no change given, paid straight to the border service - not to me, and I don’t take a cut of it. Bring small bills ahead of time; there’s nowhere to break a large note at the checkpoint itself.

Dense motorbike traffic on a street in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Vietnam road traffic on the way to a border crossing - the part a 20 visa run does not cover.

If you’re applying for a new e‑visa rather than just resetting the stamp, the government fee is already inside the $120 - nothing extra there either. Market rate for a guided Da Nang visa run in 2026 usually runs $125-160 all-in, so $120 without transport sits at the low end rather than the “surprise fee” end.

DIY Alone vs Paying for the Paperwork

Doing the whole thing yourself - bus tickets, border tips, no escort - typically runs around $40 before the visa fee, plus the $25 government charge on the official e‑visa portal if you need a fresh one. That’s genuinely the cheapest route, and nothing about it is a scam; it’s just a long day with several transfers and no one to call if a window closes early or your form has an error in it.

Paying for the paperwork side doesn’t remove the road - you still travel to Lao Bao either way under the $120 tier - it removes the risk of a rejected form, a wrong entry point, or a government fee your card can’t pay because the portal rejects a lot of foreign-issued cards outright.

Which Option Fits Your Trip

If your route to Lao Bao is already sorted - your own bike, a friend driving, a bus you already know - $120 is the logical pick: the paperwork risk goes away and you keep the transport savings. If you’d rather not plan 280 km of road yourself, $155 covers the whole trip door to door, same visa outcome either way.

Decide once you know your dates and which stamp you actually need - new e‑visa or a reset - message me on Telegram with your arrival city and I’ll tell you which tier comes out cheaper.

Frequently asked questions

Can I switch from $120 to $155 after booking?Yes. Tell me before you leave and I'll requote the difference - no need to resend documents, you just pay the gap between the two tiers.
What happens if the wrong border point is on my e‑visa?The portal approves it anyway; the mismatch only shows up at the actual checkpoint, where you'd be turned back and have to reapply. That's why I fill in the correct entry point myself rather than leaving it to the form.
Do I need US dollars at the border, or is dong enough?The 200,000 dong border fee is cash-only in dong, no change given. You don't need dollars for this crossing - bring dong in small bills, since there's no way to break large notes on site.