I don’t know if it’s the same for Americans, but in my case:

I applied for a 90 days visa to Vietnam(from Thailand)— it took 5 days and cost me around $20. Once in Vietnam, after procrastinating for a few weeks, I started preparing my application (visa stamp, 500k baht, etc.).

The first time I applied, my application was rejected within 24 hours because I wrote my full name (I have 3 first names and 1 last name), while only 2 of my first names appear on my passport. So you absolutely have to write your name exactly as it appears on the passport.

Then I resubmitted my file for the visa. Three days later, I received a notification on the website saying I needed to provide another document. Basically, they wanted to check that I still had the 500k baht in my account at that exact moment. I had to take a photo with a second phone because my banking app doesn’t allow screenshots. And that worked.

After that, I waited another 7 stressful days because my Vietnam visa was about to expire, and I didn’t know if my DTV would be approved in time. In the end, I received a positive answer the day before my Vietnam visa expired.

Regarding my file and proof of income, I think Vietnam is much more lenient than many countries. I don’t have a contract with a company — I work independently in crypto with no official status or anything. I think the key is to be as thorough as possible, even overwhelming them with information if needed, to make it go through.

(As proof, I accidentally sent an email to a Thai consulate in Europe, and they told me I didn’t meet the requirements — yet I still got the DTV. So Vietnam is clearly more flexible than Europe when it comes to granting visas.)

Sorry for the long message, but I hope it helps! :)

*I have digital nomad /workation visa