Visa policy of Vietnam

Visitors to Vietnam must obtain a visa from one of the Vietnamese diplomatic missions or via agency on arrival unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months.

 

Visa exemption countries (Images: Gorden Cheng)

Citizens of China, Cuba and North Korea holding normal passports endorsed "for public affairs" do not require a visa for Vietnam.

Reform

• In June 2014 it was proposed to extend the visa exemption for tourists from the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
• In August 2014 Ministry of Tourism proposed to Government to extend the visa exemption for tourists from France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and India.
• In September 2014 the proposed list was further shortened to Australia, France, Germany, India and the UK.
• In April 2015 the travel association submitted a proposal to the Government to add Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Brazil, India, Ukraine, Latvia and Estonia to the list of visa exempt nationalities, however the process is expected to take a long time.
• In May 2015 it was proposed to extend the visa exemption period to 30 days for all countries if they are guaranteed by a travel agency and to add France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, India and Canada to the visa exemption list.

Visa on arrival

Holders of a pre-approval letter that was issued and stamped in Hanoi only 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 on arrival for a maximum stay of 1 or 3 months at airports in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or Da Nang.

Phú Quốc

All travellers can visit Phú Quốc without a visa for up to 30 days.

Visa exemption

Vietnam allows nationals of 17 countries to enter Vietnam without a visa for varying time periods, most of the countries being members of the ASEAN.

Citizens of following countries do not require a visa to visit Vietnam for 30 days:

• Cambodia
• Laos
• Indonesia
• Malaysia
• Singapore
• Thailand

Citizens of Philippines do not require a visa to visit Vietnam for 21 days.

Citizens of following countries do not require a visa to visit Vietnam for 15 days.

• Denmark
• Finland
• Japan
• Norway
• Russia
• South Korea
• Sweden

Citizens of Brunei do not require a visa to visit Vietnam for 14 days.

Most ASEAN countries have a bilateral agreement on visa waiving with Vietnam (those with a * mark behind).

Other countries requires to obtain Visa prior departure.

Source: Wikipedia