Last checked: 5 November 2026 against the official sources listed at the end of this guide. Rules can change at short notice, so confirm on evisa.gov.vn before you apply.
This is our complete guide to entering Vietnam as a visitor: who is visa-exempt, who needs an e-visa, how to apply yourself on the government portal, what it costs, and the small mistakes that cause delays. We are a licensed tour operator in Hanoi, not a government agency, and everything below can be done without us. If you would rather hand the paperwork over, our Vietnam e-visa service does it for you, and it is free when you travel on a Metta Voyage tour.
Do I need a visa for Vietnam?
Vietnam has three routes for tourists. Find yours in the table, or check your exact passport in our Vietnam visa by nationality tool.
| Passport | Entry for a holiday | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Japan, South Korea, Russia | Visa-free up to 45 days, any purpose | Government Resolution 44/NQ-CP, 15 March 2025 to 14 March 2028 |
| Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland | Visa-free up to 45 days, tourism only | Government Resolution 229/NQ-CP, 15 August 2025 to 14 August 2028 |
| Belarus (ordinary passports) | Visa-free up to 30 days per entry, no more than 90 days in a calendar year | Bilateral visa exemption agreement, in force since 30 January 2025 |
| Several ASEAN countries and a few others (for example Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Chile) | Visa-free for the period in each bilateral agreement (often 30 days) | Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa exemption list |
| Everyone else, including the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Israel, mainland China, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Greece, Brazil and the Gulf states | E-visa, up to 90 days, single or multiple entry | Law 23/2023/QH15 on entry of foreigners; e-visa open to all nationalities since 15 August 2023 |
Three points cause most of the confusion we see:
- Belarus is not part of Resolution 44. Belarusian citizens used to be on the 45-day list; since 30 January 2025 they enter under a bilateral agreement that allows 30 days per visit.
- Visa-free periods are counted from your day of entry. If your trip is longer than 45 days (or 30 days for Belarus), apply for an e-visa before you travel rather than hoping to extend in Vietnam.
- Tourism-only exemptions mean tourism. Dutch, Swiss, Belgian and other Resolution 229 passport holders travelling for business should apply for an e-visa.
Separately, foreign visitors who fly directly to Phu Quoc island, or transit through a Vietnamese international airport without leaving it, can stay on Phu Quoc for up to 30 days without a visa. That exemption covers the island only; if your trip also includes Hanoi or Hoi An, you need a visa or exemption for the whole of Vietnam.
The Vietnam e-visa in brief
| Item | What applies |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | Only evisa.gov.vn, run by the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security |
| Government fee | US$25 single entry, US$50 multiple entry; not refunded if refused |
| Validity | Up to 90 days, for the dates you request |
| Processing time | About 3 working days; weekends, public holidays and Tet take longer |
| Passport | Valid at least 6 months beyond your arrival date |
| Entry points | Listed international airports, land borders and seaports; the list has grown since 2023, so check the current one on evisa.gov.vn and enter where your e-visa says |
How to apply for the e-visa yourself, step by step
- Check you need one. Use the table above or our nationality checker. If you are visa-exempt and staying within your limit, you need nothing except a valid passport.
- Prepare two images. A scan of your passport data page with all four corners visible and no glare, and a recent portrait photo on a white background, looking straight at the camera, without glasses.
- Open evisa.gov.vn (type the address yourself rather than clicking an advert) and choose the e-visa application for foreigners.
- Fill in the form exactly as in your passport. Surname and given names in the right fields, date of birth, passport number and expiry date. Give your planned entry date, the airport or border gate where you will arrive, and your first hotel address.
- Choose single or multiple entry. If you will leave Vietnam for Cambodia, Laos or Thailand and come back, choose multiple entry.
- Pay the government fee online and write down the application code shown at the end. You need it, with your email and date of birth, to check the status.
- Download and check the approved e-visa. Compare every letter of your name, your passport number and the validity dates with your passport, then print a copy to carry.
Apply at least one to two weeks before you fly, and earlier if you travel around Tet (late January to February).
Plan your Vietnam trip in 1 minute
Pick your month to see the weather by region, or estimate your budget — then get a private itinerary from our Hanoi team.
Typical seasonal patterns; weather varies year to year. Our team checks your exact dates when we prepare your itinerary.
"From" prices published on our Vietnam tour cost guide: per person per day, 2 travellers sharing, private guide & driver, hotels, listed activities. International flights, e-visa, insurance and tips not included. Final price is confirmed in your written quote.
Mistakes that cause delays or refusals
- A photo with glasses, a shadow, a busy background or a cropped face.
- A passport scan with a corner cut off or a reflection across the machine-readable lines.
- Given names and surname swapped, or a middle name left out.
- The wrong entry point: an e-visa for Hanoi used at a land border that is not on the list.
- Paying on a look-alike website. Commercial sites with official-sounding names may charge several times the government fee for the same form. Only addresses ending in .gov.vn belong to the government.
- A single-entry e-visa for a route that leaves Vietnam and comes back.
A mistake usually means a new application and a second government fee, so it is worth ten extra minutes of checking.
Visa on arrival, extensions and other questions
Visa on arrival. Vietnam issues visas at the border only in cases set by law, and only with prior approval from the Immigration Department arranged through a sponsoring organisation in Vietnam. It is not a walk-up visa. For a holiday, the e-visa is simpler and cheaper.
Extending your stay. Extensions are decided by the Immigration Department, need a sponsor and are not guaranteed. We do not offer an extension service. Plan the right visa before you travel: if your trip may run past 45 days, apply for a 90-day e-visa.
Children. Every traveller, including babies, needs their own passport and, unless exempt, their own e-visa.
Dual nationals. Enter and leave Vietnam on the same passport, and apply with the passport you will travel on.
When to ask Metta Voyage for help
The form is not difficult, and many of our guests file it themselves with this guide. Ask us when you are applying for a whole family or group, when your trip combines Vietnam with Cambodia or Laos, when time is short, or when you simply want someone to check every detail.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| E-visa assistance when you book a Metta Voyage tour | Free |
| E-visa assistance, e-visa only | US$25 per traveller + government fee |
| Urgent e-visa | Quoted case by case; timing still set by the authorities |
| Airport fast track (Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, Da Nang and others) | Quoted by airport and service level: standard, Premium, or VIP meet at the aircraft door |
| E-visa + fast track + private car | Quoted on request |
We check your photo and passport scan, file on evisa.gov.vn, track the application and check the approved e-visa letter by letter. No company can promise approval: the decision belongs to Vietnam’s Immigration Department, and the government fee is not refunded after a refusal. Your passport scan is used only for your application and kept in a restricted folder, not in our booking system. Details on our e-visa service page.
Arriving: airport fast track
Hanoi’s Noi Bai and Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat can have long immigration queues when several long-haul flights land together. With fast track, an agent meets you before passport control and guides you to the priority lane when it is open; you still go through immigration. It is most useful for older travellers, families with children and anyone on a tight connection. See Noi Bai fast track, Tan Son Nhat fast track and Da Nang fast track.
Vietnam with Cambodia or Laos
Many of our guests combine Vietnam with Angkor or Luang Prabang. Order the countries first, then choose the visas: a single-entry Vietnam e-visa is enough if you leave Vietnam and do not come back; choose multiple entry if you return. Cambodia and Laos have their own e-visa portals; see our Cambodia visa guide and Laos e-visa guide. For ideas, look at the best of Vietnam and Cambodia in 14 days or the longer Indochina Revealed, 20 days. Families can start with our Vietnam family tour.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa for Vietnam?
Citizens of the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the Nordic countries can stay up to 45 days visa-free; twelve more European countries get 45 days for tourism only. Most other travellers, including Americans, Canadians, Australians and Indians, need an e-visa from evisa.gov.vn.
How much does the Vietnam e-visa cost?
The government fee is US$25 for a single entry and US$50 for multiple entry, paid online on evisa.gov.vn. Agency fees, if you use one, are extra.
How long does the Vietnam e-visa take?
About three working days. Apply one to two weeks before you fly, and earlier around Tet.
What is the official Vietnam e-visa website?
evisa.gov.vn, run by the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security. Sites ending in .com, .org or .net are commercial agents.
Can I get a visa on arrival in Vietnam?
Only in cases set by law and with prior approval arranged through a sponsor in Vietnam. For tourists the e-visa is the simpler route.
Do Belarusian citizens need a visa for Vietnam?
Not for short visits: under a bilateral agreement in force since 30 January 2025, ordinary passport holders can stay up to 30 days per entry and no more than 90 days in a calendar year.
Official sources
- Vietnam e-visa portal, Immigration Department (Ministry of Public Security)
- Immigration Department of Vietnam
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Vietnam’s visa exemption list
- Consular Department: Vietnam–Belarus visa exemption agreement, in force 30 January 2025
- Government news portal: entry and exit fees under Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC
- Government Resolutions 44/NQ-CP (2025) and 229/NQ-CP (2025) on unilateral visa exemption; Law 23/2023/QH15; Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC on entry, exit and residence fees (in force 1 April 2026)
Last checked 5 November 2026 by the Metta Voyage team in Hanoi. Metta Voyage is a licensed private tour operator (licence 01-1167/2023/CDLQGVN-GP LHQT), not a government agency.
