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Visitors to Vietnam must obtain either an e-Visa or a visa in advance, unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries.
Holders of ordinary passports of the following countries may enter Vietnam without a visa (including all ASEAN member states).
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, the maximum allowed period of stay depends on nationality: [1] [2]
90 days 45 days 30 days 21 days 14 days |
| Date of visa changes |
|---|
Cancelled:
|
In addition, citizens of China, Cuba and North Korea who have a passport for public affairs or ordinary passports endorsed "for public affairs" may enter Vietnam without a visa.
Holders of certificates of visa exemption do not require a visa regardless of nationality. A certificate of visa exemption is valid for up to 5 years or up to 6 months before the passport expiration date (whichever is shorter). This is available for Vietnamese residing abroad or spouses or children of Vietnamese citizens or Vietnamese residing abroad. [19]
The exemption is valid for 180 consecutive days of stay. There is no limit on the number of entries and exits during the stay or the minimum waiting time between each 180-day stay.
Holders of passports issued by the following countries who possess an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) containing "VNM" on the back of the card may enter Vietnam without a visa for business trips for up to 60 days. [2]
ABTCs are issued to citizens of: [20]
Holders of diplomatic or official / service passports of the following countries may enter Vietnam without a visa for the following period:
90 days 30 days
14 days |
D - Diplomatic passports only.
Vietnam has signed visa exemption agreements with the following countries, but they have not yet entered into force:
| Country | Passports | Agreement signed on |
|---|---|---|
 Belarus [21] | All | 8 December 2023 |
 Nigeria [22] | Diplomatic, official | October 2019 |
 Botswana | Diplomatic, service | August 2019 |
 Lithuania [23] | Diplomatic | 23 January 2019 |
 Ethiopia [24] | Diplomatic, service | August 2018 |
 Cameroon [25] | Diplomatic, service | December 2017 |
In November 2023, the authorities in Vietnam proposed to abolish visas for citizens of China and India. [26]
Vietnam introduced a pilot electronic visa system on 1 February 2017. [27]
Starting from August 15, 2023, an e-Visa is issued to citizens of all countries and territories and is issued for multiple-entry up to 90 days. The e-Visa costs 25 USD. [28] The list of border crossings that allow foreigners to enter and exit on an e-Visa includes:
List of international airports
List of road border crossings
List of sea border crossings
e-Visa holders who present a Chinese biometric ordinary passport upon arrival must exchange their e-Visa for a free paper visa at the port of entry. This is because the passport contains a disputed map of the South China Sea, and the Vietnamese government refuses to stamp on it. [29]
Travellers who are not exempted from visa requirements may enter Phú Quốc without a visa for up to 30 days. [30] [31] [32] 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. [2]
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 may obtain a visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 1 or 3 months at airports in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Phu Quoc, Hai Phong, Da Lat or Nha Trang. [2]
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. [2]
Most visitors arriving in Vietnam on short-term basis were from the following countries of nationality:
Data Source: Ministry of Culture, Sport & Tourism [33]
| Country | 4/2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 3/2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 South Korea | 1,600,816 | 3,595,062 | 769,167 | 819,089 | 4,290,802 | 3,485,406 | 2,415,245 | 1,543,883 | 1,112,978 | 847,958 |
 China | 1,247,741 | 1,743,204 | 71,862 | 871,819 | 6,806,425 | 4,966,468 | 4,008,253 | 2,696,848 | 1,780,918 | 1,947,236 |
 Taiwan | 418,642 | 851,024 | 89,463 | 192,216 | 926,744 | 714,112 | 616,232 | 507,301 | 438,704 | 388,998 |
 United States | 301,608 | 717,073 | 215,274 | 172,706 | 746,171 | 687,226 | 614,117 | 552,644 | 491,249 | 443,776 |
 Japan | 235,869 | 589,522 | 128,764 | 200,346 | 951,962 | 826,674 | 798,119 | 740,592 | 671,379 | 647,956 |
 Malaysia * | 181,825 | 470,105 | 135,007 | 116,221 | 606,206 | 540,119 | 480,456 | 407,574 | 346,584 | 332,994 |
 Australia | 180,127 | 390,087 | 99,156 | 92,227 | 383,511 | 386,934 | 370,438 | 320,678 | 303,721 | 321,089 |
 Thailand * | 163,790 | 489,174 | 162,567 | 125,725 | 509,802 | 349,310 | 301,587 | 266,984 | 214,645 | 246,874 |
 India | 158,033 | 145,340 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
 Cambodia * | 155,652 | 402,062 | 140,461 | 120,430 | 227,910 | 202,954 | 222,614 | 211,949 | 227,074 | 404,159 |
 United Kingdom | 128,735 | 253,522 | 67,337 | 81,433 | 315,084 | 298,114 | 283,537 | 254,841 | 212,798 | 202,256 |
 Singapore * | 111,135 | 328,195 | 128,399 | 51,726 | 308,969 | 286,246 | 277,658 | 257,041 | 236,547 | 202,436 |
 France | 110,393 | 215,508 | 58,107 | 74,480 | 287,655 | 279,659 | 255,369 | 240,808 | 211,636 | 213,745 |
 Germany | 105,091 | 200,425 | 59,975 | 61,465 | 226,792 | 213,986 | 199,872 | 176,015 | 149,079 | 142,345 |
 Russia | 78,926 | 125,610 | 28,056 | 244,966 | 646,524 | 606,637 | 574,164 | 433,987 | 338,843 | 364,87 |
 Philippines * | 68,547 | 153,168 | 36,281 | 36,969 | 179,190 | 151,641 | 133,543 | 110,967 | 99,757 | 103,403 |
 Canada | 65,387 | 133,493 | 37,894 | 41,807 | 159,121 | 149,535 | 138,242 | 122,929 | 105,670 | 104,291 |
 Indonesia * | 64,817 | 105,380 | 26,338 | 21,446 | 106,688 | 87,941 | 81,065 | 69,653 | 62,240 | 68,628 |
 Laos * | 43,355 | 120,522 | 47,002 | 36,810 | 98,492 | 120,009 | 141,588 | 137,004 | 113,992 | 136,636 |
 Italy | 32,045 | 57,054 | 15,051 | 17,774 | 70,798 | 65,562 | 58,041 | 51,265 | 40,291 | 36,427 |
 Netherlands | 28,574 | 68,057 | 19,756 | 18,265 | 81,092 | 77,300 | 72,277 | 64,712 | 52,967 | 49,120 |
 Poland | 23,296 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
 Spain | 22,422 | 76,087 | 22,511 | 11,783 | 83,597 | 77,071 | 69,528 | 57,957 | 44,932 | 40,716 |
 Denmark | 17,907 | 30,231 | 8,250 | 14,444 | 42,043 | 39,926 | 34,720 | 30,996 | 27,414 | 27,029 |
 New Zealand | 15,963 | 33,730 | 8,681 | 9,470 | 47,088 | 49,854 | 49,115 | 42,588 | 31,960 | 33,120 |
 Sweden | 15,195 | 25,755 | 6,487 | 21,857 | 50,704 | 49,723 | 44,045 | 37,679 | 32,025 | 32,466 |
 Switzerland | 14,067 | 27,929 | 8,025 | 10,845 | 36,577 | 34,541 | 33,123 | 31,475 | 28,750 | 29,738 |
 Norway | 11,376 | 22,717 | 5,235 | 8,958 | 28,037 | 26,134 | 24,293 | 23,110 | 21,425 | 22,708 |
 Belgium | 11,580 | 26,353 | 8,104 | 7,452 | 34,187 | 31,382 | 29,144 | 26,231 | 23,939 | 23,227 |
 Finland | N/A | 8,618 | 2,476 | 9,994 | 21,480 | 22,785 | 18,236 | 15,953 | 15,043 | 13,831 |
 Hong Kong | N/A | 112** | 43** | 3,780 | 51,618 | 62,208 | 47,721 | 34,613 | TBA | 14,601 |
| Total | 6,199,331 | 12,602,434 | 3,440,019 | 3,686,779 | 18,008,591 | 15,497,791 | 12,922,151 | 10,012,735 | 7,943,651 | 7,874,312 |
* Country in ASEAN ** Incomplete data
Decree No. 390/TTg dated October 27, 1959, on the regulation of passport control, signed by Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, was the first legal document that regulated passport control in Vietnam. [34] Article 1 of the decree states:
Vietnamese citizens and foreigners entering or leaving the Democratic Republic of Vietnam must carry a passport with a visa issued by the competent authority of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and must present the passport with the visa to the police station at the final place when leaving or the first place when entering.
This means that both Vietnamese citizens and foreigners, when leaving or entering Vietnam, must have a passport and a visa. A person who wants to leave the territory of Vietnam must have an exit visa. Exit visas are administrative procedures imposed to restrict the freedom of citizens of a country to travel abroad. This measure was previously used by many countries, especially socialist countries, to control their citizens and migration issues. Currently, only a very few countries in the world still use exit visas (for example: Saudi Arabia). Therefore, before the Renovation period, the travel of Vietnamese citizens abroad was highly restricted and tightly controlled. Vietnamese individuals were issued passports and exit/entry visas mainly for official work purposes, with decisions made by relevant authorities.
In 1988, Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet issued the Decision of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers No. 48/CT dated February 26, 1988, on allowing Vietnamese citizens to temporarily leave the country to settle personal matters. [35] This decision relaxed the regulations on exit permits "to meet the legitimate aspirations of our people to apply for temporary exit permits to settle personal matters".
In 1993, the Government issued Decree No. 48-CP on passports and visas, [36] which unified the regulations on passport types and visas for the first time. The decree officially abolished entry visas for holders of Vietnamese passports, as stated in Article 10, Clause 3:
Vietnamese citizens (except Vietnamese citizens residing abroad) holding diplomatic passports, official passports, or ordinary passports are exempt from entry visas to Vietnam.
It was not until 1997 that Prime Minister Phan Van Khai officially abolished the regulation on exit visas for Vietnamese citizens by issuing the Decision No. 957/1997/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister on improving some procedures for exit and addressing the issue of Vietnamese citizens who have left the country but have not returned on time, [37] [38] stated in Clause 2, Article 1:
Vietnamese citizens with valid passports are exempt from exit visas and can pass through Vietnam's international border gates.
As for foreigners, in 2000, the National Assembly abolished exit visas by referring to all types of visas (exit, entry, exit-entry, entry-exit) as visas (valid for entry and exit) in the Ordinance No. 24/2000/PL-UBTVQH10 on Entry, Exit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam [39] by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly.
In 2014, the National Assembly of Vietnam issued the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam (No. 47/2014/QH13), which is the highest legal document that regulates all activities related to the entry, exit, transit, and residence of foreigners in Vietnam. [40]
Phú Quốc is the largest island in Vietnam. Phú Quốc and nearby islands, along with the distant Thổ Chu Islands, are part of Kiên Giang Province as Phú Quốc City. The island has a total area of 589.27 km2 (227.52 sq mi) and a permanent population of approximately 179,480 people in 2020. Located in the Gulf of Thailand, the island city of Phú Quốc includes the island proper and 21 smaller islets. Dương Đông ward, located on the island's west coast, is the island's administrative centre and largest town. The other ward is An Thới on the southern tip of the island.
Van Don International Airport or Ha Long Airport is an airport in Vân Đồn District, Quảng Ninh province, Vietnam. It is located about 50 km (31 mi) away from Hạ Long and 20 km (12 mi) from Cẩm Phả. It is the first private airport in Vietnam, built and operated by Sun Group.
Vietnamese passports are issued to citizens of Vietnam to facilitate international travel. They enable the bearer to exit and re-enter Vietnam freely; to travel to and from other countries in accordance with visa requirements, and secure assistance from Vietnamese consular officials when abroad, if necessary.
Tourism in Vietnam is a component of the modern Vietnamese economy. In 2019, Vietnam received 18 million international arrivals, up from 2.1 million in the year 2000. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is following a long-term plan to diversify the tourism industry, which brings foreign exchange into the country.
Visitors to the mainland of the People's Republic of China must obtain a visa from one of the Chinese diplomatic missions unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries. The residents of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan with Chinese nationality may stay in Mainland indefinitely as long as their travel documents are valid.
Visa requirements for Chinese citizens are administrative entry restrictions imposed on citizens of China by the authorities of other states.
Visa requirements for Bangladeshi citizens are administrative entry restrictions imposed on citizens of Bangladesh by the authorities of other countries.
Visa requirements for Argentine citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Argentina.
Visa requirements for Bahamian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of The Bahamas. As of February 22nd 2024, Bahamian citizens have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 156 countries and territories, ranking the Bahamian passport 27th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.
Visa requirements for Bolivian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Bolivia.
Visa requirements for Chilean citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Chile entering with a Chilean passport.
Visa requirements for South African citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of the Republic of South Africa.
Visa requirements for Paraguayan citizens are administrative entry restrictions imposed by the authorities of foreign states on citizens of Paraguay.
The visa policy of Malaysia consists of the requirements for foreign nationals to travel to, enter, and remain in Malaysia. Most visitors to Malaysia are granted visa-free entry for a period of 90, 30, or 14 days respectively.
Most visitors to Iran must obtain an electronic visa (e-Visa) prior to their arrival in Iran, unless they are a citizen of one of the visa-exempt countries or countries that are ineligible for an e-Visa, in which case they must obtain a visa in advance from one of the Iranian diplomatic missions around the world.
Visa requirements for European Union citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other countries placed on citizens of the European Union. They differ among countries. The European Union has achieved full reciprocity with certain countries.
Any foreign national who wishes to enter Myanmar must obtain a visa unless they are a citizen of one of the designated visa-exempt countries.
Immigration to Vietnam is the process by which people migrate to become Vietnamese residents. After the declaration of independence in 1945, immigration laws were modified to give the central government some control over immigrant workers arriving from nearby South Asian countries such as China, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, and Thailand. The Vietnam Immigration Department recently relaxed the strict controls on immigrant workers under Decree 21/2001/ND-CP, 34/2008/NĐ-CP and 46/2011/NĐ-CP.
The 12th Politburo, formally the Political Bureau of the 12th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, was elected at the 1st Plenary Session of the 12th Central Committee (CC) on 27 January 2016 during the 12th National Congress to serve for a five-year electoral term. Based on the principle that "the Party leads and the State manages", the Politburo is the highest decision-making institution in the CPV and Vietnam when the Party's National Congress and the Central Committee are adjourned. According to Party rules, the Politburo directs the general orientation of the government; it convenes meetings several times a month to discuss and decide policy, which is then implemented by the relevant state or party bodies, such as the National Assembly of Vietnam if the policy concerns law-making, or the Party's Central Organisation Commission if it concerns cadre policy. The total number of meetings the 12th Politburo convened has not been publicly disclosed to the media. Some have been publicly reported, however, and are listed below.
Visa requirements for EFTA nationals are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member states.
