Only citizens of certain countries can visit Vietnam without an entry visa (valid for visit within 30 days). Those countries include: some Asean countries, Korea, Japan & Scandinavians (2005). All other citizens are required to get an entry visa before departure or a pre-approved entry visa (visa is issued on arrival at Vietnam’s International Airports) supplied before arrival in Vietnam.

Vietnamese visa is inexpensive in comparision to any other countries' visa fees ranging from US$45 - 85 if application is sent directly to the Embassy or US$25-55 if your visa has been pre-approved. A fairly convenient visa on arrival process has recently been introduced, but this requires a pre-arranged application to Hanoi Immigration Department and is generally helpful to nationals of countries without Vietnamese embassies. Read our who need visa for the visa exemption information.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has given the nod to a new regulation allowing overseas Vietnamese and their families to enter Vietnam without visas as of September 1, and the visa exemption decision meets overseas Vietnamese aspirations. Read more here.

Tips:

Visa regulations are often changing, so check carefully before you are due to travel. Usually, it is possible to extend visas within Vietnam.

Visa extensions are often done with less than 1 week on your ongoing visa, and after 3 extensions, you must get a new visa. The fee is ranging from 18-35USD.

In case, you are exempted from visa to Vietnam, and want to stay longer than your allowed time, the fee is quite expensive (50-70USD), so keep in mind this when you plan your travel itinerary.

Please apply for a visa to Vietnam one or two weeks in advance to avoid unwanted troubles or urgent fee.