Vietnam Visa Guide and Tips

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A valid Vietnam visa is required for almost foreign travelers to Vietnam for any purposes from visiting their beloved to going on a business trip or leisure vacation. Fortunately, it is much easier these days for foreign passport holders to apply for visa to Vietnam as there are two available ways to go about this matter:

Currently, there are two available options foreign travelers could choose from to apply for Vietnam visa.

The traditional way would be directly contact the nearest Vietnam Embassy to apply for one.

Or, those who wish to save some time could consider applying for a visa on arrival.

The second option means you get a visa approval letter in advance, and then get the visa stamped onto your passport at the arrival airport in Vietnam.

For those of you who plan to travel to Vietnam and do not know where to start with the visa application, the simple guides below could be of some help. Please refer to the table below for detailed instructions for each country.

First, please check if your nationality is included in Vietnam visa exemption list.

The Vietnam visa exemption list is a list issued by Vietnamese Government that grants citizens from a number of countries the right to enter Vietnam without visa for a certain number of days.

The countries on this list are: Brunei, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russia and Finland, France and Chile (holding valid diplomatic or official passports).

Almost foreigners to Vietnam need a valid visa. But almost is not all. Nationals of many countries which have signed bilateral or unilateral visa exemption agreement with Vietnam do not need to have a valid visa to stay in Vietnam for a certain period of time.

Following are cases of Vietnam visa exemption:

1. A 60-day visa exemption is granted to: APEC Business Travel Card Holders

2. A 30-day visa exemption is granted to: Citizens of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, those who directly visit Phu Quoc Island.

3. A 21-day visa exemption is granted to: Citizens of Philippines

4. A 15-day visa exemption is granted to: Citizens of Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Russia.

5. A 15-day visa exemption from July 1st, 2015 to June 30th, 2016 is granted to: Citizens of United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy.

6. A 14-day visa exemption is granted to: Citizens of Brunei, Myanmar.

For those who wish to stay in Vietnam longer than the exemption duration, they are advised to apply for a visa by one of two following ways:

Contact the most convenient Vietnam Embassy (traditional way to obtain a visa to Vietnam) or

Apply online for a visa approval letter to get visa stamped at the arrival airport in Vietnam (applicable for air travelers to Vietnam only). For more information about how visa on arrival works, please click here.

But for those who visit enter Vietnam through an international border gate and then travel to Phu Quoc Island and wish to stay there for over 30 days or wish to travel to other localities, they will get the visa issued right on the spot by the Immigration Department.

Second, there is a Vietnam embassy in your country / nearby?

If this is the case, one could apply for a visa either by directly contact the embassy or use visa on arrival service with muine-explorer.com if your nationality is supported.

Please keep in mind that the visa on arrival option is not available for every nationality and only applicable for those traveling to Vietnam by air.

Third, if there is no Vietnam embassy near where you are staying?

In this case, your best option is to apply for a visa on arrival to Vietnam if your nationality is supported. If not, you should find the nearest Vietnam embassy in neighbor countries to apply for Vietnam visa.