Visa policy of Vietnam


Visitors to Vietnam must obtain a visa from one of the Vietnamese diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries or countries eligible for electronic visas. However, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, no new visitors are currently able to obtain visas to enter the country.

Visa policy map

Visa exemption

Holders of normal passports issued by the following 24 countries do not require visas to visit Vietnam for up to the duration listed below:
* - A gap of at least 30 days between two visa-free visits is required. Must have a printout of onward ticket.
1 - for British citizens only.
Date of visa changes

  • Kyrgyzstan
  • 1 April 2000: Philippines
  • 9 July 2000: Thailand
  • 21 November 2001: Malaysia
  • 1 December 2003: Singapore
  • 4 December 2003: Indonesia
  • 1 January 2004: Japan
  • 5 March 2004: Laos
  • 1 July 2004: South Korea
  • 1 May 2005: Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden
  • 8 August 2007: Brunei
  • 4 December 2008: Cambodia
  • 1 January 2009: Russia
  • 26 October 2013: Myanmar
  • 1 July 2015: Belarus, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and United Kingdom
  • 11 August 2017: Chile
  • 1 January 2020: Myanmar
Cancelled:
  • Russia: 20 February 1994
Holders of Certificates of Visa Exemption do not require a visa regardless of nationality. A Certificate of Visa Exemption is valid for up to 5 years or up to 6 months before the passport expiration date. This is available for Vietnamese residing abroad or spouses or children of Vietnamese citizens or Vietnamese residing abroad. The exemption is valid for up to 180 consecutive days of stay. There is no limit placed on the number of entries or exits during the stay or minimum waiting time needed in between each 180 days of stay.
Vietnam extended the visa free validity period for citizens of Belarus, Denmark, Finland, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Korea and Sweden through to 31 December 2022.
Citizens of China, Cuba and North Korea holding passports for public affairs or normal passports endorsed "for public affairs" do not require a visa for Vietnam.

Non-ordinary passports

Holders of diplomatic or service category passports of Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Venezuela, and holders of diplomatic passports only of Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Israel, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland and Uzbekistan do not require a visa to visit Vietnam.
Visa waiver agreements for diplomatic and service passports were signed with the following countries but are not yet in effect:
Travellers who are not exempted from visa requirements can visit Phú Quốc without a visa for up to 30 days. They must arrive at Phú Quốc directly from a third country, or from airports in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City where they will clear immigration and proceed to the domestic terminals.

Transit

Passengers of any nationality may transit through Vietnam by air without a visa for less than 24 hours providing that they do not intend to leave the sterile transit area. Staying overnight in the transit lounge is permitted.

E-visa

No E-Visa will be issued to any passport from the Schengen area and the UK and Ireland until further notice. The Embassies in these respective countries will suspend visa issuance.
Vietnam has introduced a pilot electronic visa system on 1 February 2017 The e-visas have a cost of US$25 and are granted for single entry visits for up to 30 days to nationals of the following 81 eligible countries and territories:
1 – does not apply to e-passport holders.

Pre-arranged visa

Holders of a visa letter issued and stamped in Hanoi or Da Nang or Ho Chi Minh city by the Vietnamese Immigration Department within the Ministry of Public Security or the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can obtain a visa for a maximum stay of 1 or 3 months at airports in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang or Nha Trang.

APEC Business Travel Card

Holders of passports issued by the following countries who possess an APEC Business Travel Card containing "VNM" on the back of the card can enter visa-free for business trips for up to 60 days.
ABTCs are issued to nationals of:

Statistics

Most visitors arriving in Vietnam on short term basis were from the following countries of nationality: