Vietnam Tourist Visa

Traveling to Vietnam is becoming easier thanks to simplified procedures. As of April 2023, Vietnam is supporting passport holders from 25 countries in the world to enter and stay in Vietnam without a tourist visa for a certain period of time. However, many travelers still need to apply for this visa when coming to Vietnam.

What is tourist visa?

Tourist visa is a type of visa granted to foreigners entering Vietnam for the purpose of tourism or vacation. According to the Law on foreigners’ entry, exit, transit and residence in Vietnam 2014, tourist visa is symbolized as DL visa and has a maximum validity of 3 months. Foreigners are allowed to stay in Vietnam no exceeding 30 days for each entry and can extend the stay once arriving in Vietnam.

Visas for tourists can be classified by the duration of stay and number of entries including 1-month / single-entry, 1-month / multiple-entries, 3-months / single-entries, and 3-months / multiple-entries. Apart from that, only US passport holders are allowed to register a Vietnam visa with 1-year validity and multiple entries.

Vietnam tourist visa in brief

Who is eligible?

There are 25 countries exempt from tourist visas in Vietnam (*). So, if you have one of these nationalities, you can enter and exit Vietnam for tourism purposes within a given period of time. If you have a different nationality or wish to stay longer than the permitted visa-free duration (maximum 90 days), you are eligible to apply for a tourist visa.

Tourist visas are not applied for business purposes, and foreigners are not allowed to work or do business activities during their time in Vietnam.

(*) List of 25 Vietnam visa exemption countries:

Tourist visa conditions

In order to obtain a tourist visa, foreigners must comply with some conditions as follow:

• Foreigners currently stay outside of the Vietnam.
• Foreigners have a passport with 6 month validity (at least) upon the arrival date.
• Foreigners have a round-trip air ticket to Vietnam.
• Foreigners have a hotel room booking or tour organized by a Vietnam travel agency.
• Those who are not prohibited from entering Vietnam

How to apply for a tourist visa

Preparation

To recover tourism after the epidemic and promote international tourists, Vietnam has eased the policy for travel visa applications. Here are the things you need to prepare:

• A passport with at least 6 months of validity and 2 blank pages
• 02 photos in passport size (4x6cm, recently taken, white background, showing the entire face, not wearing glasses or scarf covering hair, looking straight)
• Date of entry and exit from Vietnam
• Entry port
• A visa application form (NA2)
• Visa fee

Application

There are 3 ways to get a Vietnam travel visa.

Tourist visa at Embassy/Consulate

The most common way is getting a visa at the Embassy/Consulate. If you prefer to get everything done in person and a visa already stamped on your passport in advance of your trip, this is the one.

• Step 1: Get to the Vietnam Embassy/Consulate in your country and submit all documents as required. You should check the requirements carefully since the procedure may vary among different embassies in different countries.
• Step 2: Pay the visa fee (varied by embassy).
• Step 3: Return to the embassy. If your application is approved, get your original passport back with the visa affixed to it.

Tourist visa on arrival

Only air travelers can apply for a visa on arrival. No need to travel back and forth to the Embassy in person and flexibility in the long duration of stay and entry times, visa-on-arrival is one of the most convenient ways for tourists coming to Vietnam.

• Step 1: Contact a Vietnam visa agency to apply for a pre-approved visa letter online. This letter is compulsory for boarding the plane and getting a visa stamp at Vietnam airports. The service fee is varied by agency.
• Step 2: Print the visa approval letter and visa application form provided by the agency. Fill up the visa application form and prepare all documents before the flight.
• Step 3: Present the visa approval letter and all documents needed (02 passport-sized photos, original passport, and stamping fee in cash) to get a visa stamp at one of 8 international airports in Vietnam.

Tourist E-visa

E-visa is applied for citizens of 80 countries all over the world and those entering Vietnam via one of 33 designated ports including airports, seaports, and landports. Travelers do not need to submit an original passport and prepare too many documents, and all procedures are conducted online which is much time-saving for travelers.

• Step 1: Access e-visa’s official website at https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/web/guest/trang-chu-ttdt and provide full information (portrait photo, photo of passport data page, personal information and your trip schedule). Save the Registration Code provided.
• Step 2: Pay the fee (USD25).
• Step 3: Check the result by Registration Code via Search Menu bar on the website. Download the visa and print a hard copy for use at the airport.

Tourist visa extension

Tourists who overstay in Vietnam with an expired visa will have to pay administrative fines. Since the maximum time for foreign tourists to stay in Vietnam per entry is 30 days, a visa extension is compulsory. Plus, foreigners are required to exit and re-enter Vietnam if wishing to continue their stay.

Conditions to extend

• Foreigners must have a guaranteeing travel agency in accordance with the provisions of the tourism law
• Foreigners still temporarily reside in Vietnam
• Foreigners are not deported or forced to leave Vietnam

Things to prepare

• Application form for visa issuance, stay extension (NA5)
• Original passport with a validity of at least 6 months
• Travel license of the guaranteeing travel agency
• Legal documents of guaranteeing travel agency (for first-time application)
• Schedule of travel program
• Introduction letter of the guaranteeing travel agency sending a representative to do the visa extension for foreigners
• Visa extension fee

How to extend

The extension of a visa for tourists must be conducted at one of Vietnam's Immigration Offices in Hanoi, Danang, or Ho Chi Minh City. Here are 3 steps you need to follow:

• Step 1: Contact a Vietnam travel agency for instructions on all needed documents and procedures for visa extension.
• Step 2: Send your valid passport with all the needed documents and pay the service fee.
• Step 3: Receive the passport and visa extension after around 06 - 08 working days.

Processing time & fee

Processing time

• The processing time of a tourist visa takes different times based on the way you choose to apply. Here is the approximate time you can refer to:
• Visa at an Embassy/Consulate:  5-7 days
• Visa on arrival: 3-5 days for regular service and 2-4 hours for urgent service 
• Visa online (e-visa): 3 days

Fee

• Visa at an Embassy/Consulate: Depending on each Embassy/Consulate
• Visa on arrival: USD20-60 for approval letter service and USD25-50 for stamping fee at the airport (USD25 for single entry and USD50 for multiple entries for 1 or 3-month visa)
• Visa online (e-visa): USD25