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 or countries eligible for electronic visas. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months.
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Visa exemption
Holders of normal passports issued by the 23 countries do not require visas for Vietnam:
Holders of Certificates of Visa Exemption do not require a visa regardless of nationality.
Citizens of China, Cuba and North Korea holding passports for public affairs or normal passports endorsed "for public affairs" do not require a visa for Vietnam.
Holders of diplomatic or official/service passports of Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Hungary, India, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay Venezuela, and holders of diplomatic passports only of Armenia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and Uzbekistan do not require a visa to visit Vietnam.
Phú Quốc Island
Travelers who are not exempted from visa requirements can visit Phú Quốc without a visa for up to 30 days. They must arrive at Phú Quốc directly from a third country, or from airports in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City where they will clear immigration and proceed to the domestic terminals.
Transit
Passengers of any nationality may transit through Vietnam by air without a visa for less than 24 hours providing that they do not intend to leave the sterile transit area. Staying overnight in the transit lounge is permitted.
E-visa
Vietnam has introduced an electronic visa system on 1 February 2017. The e-visas have a cost of US$25 and are granted for single entry visits for up to 30 days to nationals of the following 40 eligible countries:
1 – does not apply to e-passport holders.
Pre-arranged Visa
Holders of a visa letter issued and stamped in Hanoi or Da Nang or Ho Chi Minh city 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 for a maximum stay of 1 or 3 months at airports in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang or Nha Trang. Visa letter can be obtained with the assistance of Vietnamese travel agencies.
APEC Business Travel Card
Holders of passports issued by the following countries who possess an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) containing "VNM" on the back of the card can enter visa-free for business trips for up to 60 days.
ABTCs are issued to nationals of:
Statistics
Most visitors arriving in Vietnam on short term basis were from the following countries of nationality: