Vietnam Tourist Visa Guide: Who Needs One and How to Apply

Vietnam's visa requirements divide travelers into two broad groups: those whose passports qualify for a visa exemption and those who must obtain a visa before or upon arrival. As of 2026, citizens of 38 countries can enter without a visa for stays ranging from 14 to 45 days, depending on nationality. Everyone else — including US and Canadian citizens, for whom no exemption agreement exists — needs a valid visa regardless of how long they plan to stay. Every traveler, including infants, must hold their own individual visa or qualify independently under their passport's exemption. Passports must carry at least six months of validity from the intended entry date and have a minimum of two blank pages available for stamps.

Recent regulatory changes have expanded visa-free access for European travelers. Under Resolution 44/NQ-CP, effective March 7, 2025, Vietnam extended its exemption period to 45 days for citizens of 13 countries including South Korea, Japan, Russia, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and four Nordic nations — an increase from the previous 15-day limit. A second resolution, 229/NQ-CP, effective August 15, 2025 through August 14, 2028, added 12 more European countries — among them Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, and Croatia — to the 45-day visa-free list for tourism. Separately, APEC Business Travel Card holders with 'VNM' printed on the back may enter for up to 60 days on business trips, and any foreign visitor arriving directly by air or sea to Phú Quốc Island may stay up to 30 days without a visa, though this exemption does not apply to the Vietnamese mainland.

Travelers who require a visa have two practical routes: the e-Visa or Visa on Arrival. Since August 15, 2023, Vietnam's e-Visa has been open to citizens of every country and territory worldwide. It costs USD $25 for single entry or USD $50 for multiple entry, covers stays of up to 90 days, and is processed entirely online at evisa.gov.vn — no embassy visit or passport submission required. Standard processing runs 3–5 working days, and applicants are advised to apply at least 10–14 days before travel, as the non-refundable fee is forfeited if the application is rejected. The e-Visa is accepted at 83 designated ports of entry as of December 2025, but the port selected during application cannot be changed after the visa is issued. Visa on Arrival, by contrast, is available only to air travelers arriving at international airports and requires obtaining a pre-approved letter from a licensed Vietnamese agency before departure, then paying a stamping fee in cash upon arrival — making it more suitable for last-minute air travel than for land or sea crossings.

As of 2026, Vietnam grants visa-free entry to citizens of 38 countries. Under Resolution 44/NQ-CP (effective March 7, 2025), 13 nationalities — including South Korea, Japan, Russia, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark — receive a 45-day visa-free stay. Resolution 229/NQ-CP (effective August 15, 2025 to August 14, 2028) extended the same 45-day exemption to 12 additional European nations: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland. APEC Business Travel Card holders with 'VNM' printed on the card may enter for up to 60 days for business travel.

Citizens of the United States, Canada, and all nationalities not on the exemption list must hold a valid visa regardless of trip length or purpose. Vietnam has no visa exemption agreement with the US. Every traveler — including infants — must hold their own individual visa or qualify under their passport's exemption; there are no family-linked waivers. Entry requirements apply universally: passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of arrival and a minimum of 2 blank pages available for stamps.

Vietnam Visa-Free Exemption Summary by Nationality Group

Exemption durations apply per single continuous stay. Travelers who are exempt from a visa must still meet passport validity (6 months from arrival) and blank page (minimum 2) requirements.

Phu Quoc Island operates under a separate visa exemption from the Vietnamese mainland. Any foreign traveler arriving directly by air or sea from outside Vietnam can stay on the island for up to 30 days without a visa, regardless of nationality — this includes US and Canadian passport holders who would otherwise require a visa. The critical operational condition is that the traveler must arrive on an international flight or vessel going directly to Phu Quoc; the exemption does not activate if the traveler first clears immigration on the mainland.

Air transit passengers of any nationality may pass through Vietnamese international airports — including Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) and Hanoi (HAN) — without a visa, provided the layover is under 24 hours and the traveler remains within the sterile international transit area without clearing domestic immigration. If a traveler transiting through SGN or HAN to Phu Quoc clears immigration at the mainland hub, the Phu Quoc exemption is void and a standard visa is required. Travelers holding the Phu Quoc exemption who wish to continue to mainland Vietnam at any point during their trip must obtain a valid e-visa before doing so.

The only official channel for Vietnam e-visa applications is the Vietnam Immigration Department portal at evisa.gov.vn. The process is fully online: gather a scanned copy of your passport biographical data page (.jpg format), a passport-style photo (4×6 cm, white background, front-facing, no glasses), your intended entry and exit ports, and a temporary Vietnam address such as a hotel name. Enter your full name exactly as it appears in your passport — without Vietnamese diacritics — along with your passport number, date of birth, and nationality. Any discrepancy, including a missing middle name, can result in denied boarding or denied entry at the port.

After submitting the application and paying the non-refundable fee by credit or debit card, check your application status through the same portal. Once approved — typically within 3–5 working days, though often 5–7 days in practice — download and print the e-visa to present alongside your original passport at the designated port of entry. The port of entry you select during the application cannot be changed after the e-visa is issued. Arriving at or departing from a different airport or land border than the one listed on your approved e-visa will result in denied boarding by the airline or denied entry by Vietnamese immigration officers.

Both e-visa fees are paid online by credit or debit card at the time of application and are non-refundable even if the application is rejected. The 90-day window covers a single continuous stay for single entry, or multiple entries within a 90-day period for the multiple-entry option. Processing excludes the submission date, weekends, and Vietnamese public holidays — so a Monday submission may not clear until the following Wednesday or Thursday under normal conditions, and often longer in practice.

Two calendar periods create significant processing bottlenecks. The Tet holiday (late January or early February, dates shift annually with the lunar calendar) shuts Vietnam's immigration offices for approximately one week, meaning applications submitted in the days before Tet may not be processed until offices reopen. National Day (September 2) creates a shorter but similar pause. Travelers planning arrivals around these periods should apply a minimum of 10–14 days in advance and factor in the possibility that the office closure extends processing beyond the standard window.

Vietnam E-Visa Fees and Processing Times

VOA is available only at international airports and requires a pre-approved visa approval letter obtained through a licensed Vietnamese travel or visa agency before departure. It cannot be used at land borders or seaports.

VIP fast-track services are offered by licensed DMCs and ground handlers at Vietnam's three main international hubs: Ho Chi Minh City (SGN/Tan Son Nhat), Hanoi (HAN/Noi Bai), and Da Nang (DAD). The service is booked in advance through the DMC or travel agent, which coordinates a licensed airport representative to meet the traveler airside — before reaching the standard passport control queue. The representative handles document verification, assists with any form completion, and escorts the group through a priority or diplomatic lane, reducing the immigration process to a fraction of the standard time.

During peak international arrival windows — typically early morning wide-body bank arrivals at SGN and HAN — standard immigration queues regularly run 1–2 hours for foreign passport holders. Fast-track is most practical for groups traveling on tight domestic connection schedules, elderly or mobility-limited travelers, business delegations requiring immediate onward transfers, or any itinerary where a 2-hour immigration delay would cause a meaningful downstream problem. It is a legitimate, government-sanctioned service distinct from unofficial facilitation; travelers should confirm that any fast-track service is booked through a verifiable DMC or licensed ground operator.

The Vietnam e-visa cannot be renewed or extended from within Vietnam. Travelers who need to remain longer than their visa allows must exit the country, then reapply for a new 90-day e-visa through the official portal from abroad. A common approach for travelers based in Ho Chi Minh City is the Moc Bai/Bavet land border crossing into Cambodia; for those in Central Vietnam, the Lao Bao crossing into Laos provides an alternative. After crossing, the traveler submits a fresh e-visa application, waits the standard 3–7 working days for approval, then re-enters Vietnam at a designated port listed on the new visa.

Vietnam has increased enforcement of visa overstays. Hotels are subject to government sanctions for hosting foreigners with expired visas and may refuse accommodation, which effectively forces an overstaying traveler to self-report. Fines are calculated on a per-day basis. Overstays exceeding 3 days carry the additional risk of being blacklisted by Vietnam Immigration, which can result in future visa applications being denied or entry being refused. Travelers who have already overstayed must obtain an exit visa through Vietnam Immigration before they can leave the country — a process that typically takes 1–2 weeks and involves substantial administrative fees.

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1. ATL DMC booking log · 12,000+ trips since 2011
2. U.S. Department of State — Vietnam International Travel Information · https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Vietnam.html
3. U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Vietnam — Vietnamese Visas and Entry/Exit · https://vn.usembassy.gov/vietnamese-visas-and-entry-exit/
4. Vietnam Tourism (Official National Tourism Portal) — New Visa Exemption Policies Effective 15 August 2025 · https://vietnam.travel/things-to-do/new-visa-exemption-policies-effective-15-august-2025
5. Wikipedia — Visa Policy of Vietnam · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Vietnam
6. Vietnam Briefing — Vietnam E-Visa: A Complete Guide · https://www.vietnam-briefing.com/news/vietnam-e-visa-eligibility-application-criteria.html/

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