According to the provisions of the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam, from August 15, 2023, Vietnam will have a number of new policies and regulations on tourist visas and entry and exit procedures for foreigners entering Vietnam for tourism purposes. The contents of the new regulations include increasing the validity of tourist visas (DL), tourist E-Visas to 3 months; increasing the visa exemption period for tourism purposes to 45 days for some countries.
Types of tourist visas for foreigners entering Vietnam under new regulations – EV visa EV is the symbol of Vietnam Electronic Visa (Vietnam E-visa) under current regulations with a validity period of 30 days (1 month) to 90 days (3 months) according to – DL visa DL is a type of tourist visa issued to foreigners traveling on tours sponsored by a travel company in Vietnam with a validity period of 30 days (1 month) to 90 days (3 months) – Vietnam tourist visa exemption: Applicable to foreigners who are exempted from Vietnam unilaterally or bilaterally for a period of time depending on each country and territory. Tourists with this visa exemption do not have to pay visa fees or go through visa application procedures as usual. The validity period of a tourist visa under unilateral and bilateral exemption is 30 or 45 days depending on each country.
- List of countries exempted from tourist visas by Vietnam under the visa exemption policy.
| No | Country | Number of visa-free days | Form | Effective time |
| 1 | Brunei | 14 | bilateral | No |
| 2 | Myanmar | 14 | bilateral | No |
| 3 | Philippines | 30 | bilateral | No |
| 4 | Campuchia | 30 | bilateral | No |
| 5 | Thailand | 30 | bilateral | No |
| 6 | Malaysia | 30 | bilateral | No |
| 7 | Singapore | 30 | bilateral | No |
| 8 | Indonesia | 30 | bilateral | No |
| 9 | Laos | 30 | bilateral | No |
| 10 | Russia | 15 | bilateral | 14/03/2025 |
| 11 | Japan | 45 | bilateral | 14/03/2025 |
| 12 | South Korea | 45 | bilateral | 14/03/2025 |
| 13 | Norway | 45 | bilateral | 14/03/2025 |
| 14 | Finland | 45 | bilateral | 14/03/2025 |
| 15 | Denmark | 45 | bilateral | 14/03/2025 |
| 16 | Sweden | 45 | bilateral | 14/03/2025 |
| 17 | United Kingdom | 45 | bilateral | 14/03/2025 |
| 18 | France | 45 | bilateral | 14/03/2025 |
| 19 | Germany | 45 | bilateral | 14/03/2025 |
| 20 | Spain | 45 | bilateral | 14/03/2025 |
| 21 | Italia | 45 | bilateral | 14/03/2025 |
| 22 | Belarus | 45 | bilateral | 14/03/2025 |
2. Procedures for applying for a Vietnam tourist visa for foreigners entering the country
– Conditions for entering Vietnam for tourism purposes
+ Passport with a minimum validity of 06 months
+ Not subject to entry ban or entry restriction in Vietnam
– Temporary residence procedures for foreigners exempted from visas to Vietnam.
Citizens of countries exempted from Vietnam visas do not have to apply for a tourist visa before entering Vietnam. At the border gate (international airport, land border gate, sea border gate), the border police will stamp temporary residence for foreigners when completing entry procedures.
– Procedures for granting electronic visas to foreigners
The simplest way to apply for a Vietnam visa is to apply for an electronic visa (E visa Vietnam). Foreigners access the website of the Vietnam Immigration Department to apply for a visa online by filling in information and paying fees according to regulations. The Immigration Department will return the results online, foreigners can print them out or save them on their phones. At the border gate where foreigners enter, the photo of the foreigner must present the passport along with the visa file for inspection and entry permission.
– Visa issuance procedures of travel companies for foreign visitors to enter Vietnam.
Travel companies with full travel licenses and suitable tours apply for visas for foreigners for tourism purposes by approving the entry letter for foreigners to receive visas at the border gate or at Vietnamese diplomatic missions abroad (Vietnamese embassies and consulates)..
3. Procedures for extending tourist visas for foreigners staying in Vietnam
Conditions for granting tourist visas to foreigners.
– The organization sponsoring the tour must be a travel agency as prescribed by the Law on Tourism; – Foreigners must temporarily reside at tourist accommodation establishments Application for granting/extending tourist visas for foreigners staying in Vietnam – Application form, application for tourist visa NA5 – Original passport of the foreigner applying for a visa – Itinerary, tour program – Travel license of the travel agency – Legal documents of the travel agency (If applying for the first time) – Letter of introduction from the travel agency sending someone to do the procedures.
4. Submit application for Vietnam tourist visa.
Foreigners and travel companies submit application for issuance or extension of tourist visa at the Immigration Department in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City according to regulations, can be submitted directly or online (with link below)
