Vietnam Visa on Arrival: 9 Things You Need to Know Before You Fly

A Vietnam visa on arrival is a two-part entry process: you get an approval letter online before you fly, then get your passport stamped at the airport counter on arrival. It only works for air travel, it requires payment in two separate parts, and it is issued through a licensed private service rather than a government counter at the airport.

If you are comparing it to the e-visa, the biggest practical difference is timing: visa on arrival can be arranged faster in an emergency, while the e-visa lets you skip the airport counter entirely and enter through more border types, including land and sea.

Either way, you need to sort your paperwork before you board, not after you land. Below are the nine facts that matter most, followed by how visa on arrival stacks up against the e-visa and applying directly through the government portal.

Start with the "In brief" table for the numbers, then read each of the nine points in full.

Vietnam visa on arrival in brief:

1. What Exactly Is Visa on Arrival?

It is not a visa itself until you land. What you receive before departure is an approval letter, a pre-approved document issued by the Vietnam Immigration Department through a licensed guaranteeing agency. You print this letter, bring it to the airport, and an immigration officer stamps the actual visa into your passport at the visa on arrival counter.

2. It Only Works if You Are Flying Into Vietnam

Visa on arrival is applicable to air travel only. If you plan to enter Vietnam by land border gate or by sea, this option will not work, and you need an e-visa or an embassy visa instead. Vietnam has 30+ land border checkpoints that accept the e-visa, so travelers arriving overland should apply for that instead.

3. You Must Get Your Approval Letter Before You Fly

The approval letter cannot be arranged after you land. You submit your application online, receive the letter by email, and print it before departure. Airlines can and do check for this letter at check-in, since boarding a Vietnam-bound flight without one can mean being denied boarding.

4. Two Separate Fees Apply, and Only One Is Paid in Advance

Visa on arrival pricing has two parts:

• Service fee: paid online in advance, from USD 28 per person, free for children under 2 years old.
• Stamping fee: paid in cash (USD or VND) directly at the airport counter on arrival, separate from the service fee.

Note: the stamping fee is non-refundable and must be paid in cash. Airport counters do not reliably accept cards for this fee.

5. Processing Time Ranges From a Few Working Days to 1.5 Working Hours

Standard visa on arrival applications take a few working days to process before departure. If your travel dates are close, urgent and emergency tiers exist, up to a super urgent option that can process an approval letter in as little as 1.5 working hours, including weekends and public holidays. The faster the tier, the higher the service fee.

6. The Paperwork Is Minimal, No Passport Mailing Required

Unlike an embassy visa, visa on arrival does not require sending your physical passport anywhere. You typically need:

• A passport valid for at least 6 months beyond your arrival date.
• A clear scan of your passport bio page.
• A passport-sized photo (4x6cm, white background, no glasses).
• Your printed approval letter to present at the airport.

Note: bring a second printed copy of the approval letter as a backup in case of printer issues at check-in.

7. A Visa on Arrival Is Not the Same as a Visa Exemption or an E-Visa

These are three different entry routes, and confusing them can cause a denied boarding:

• Visa exemption: certain passports do not require a visa at all, for a limited stay.
• Visa on arrival: approval letter obtained in advance, visa stamped at the airport, air travel only.
• E-visa: full visa issued entirely online before departure, accepted at air, land and sea border gates.

8. It Is Issued Through a Licensed Private Service, Not a Government Counter

vietnamvisa-easy.com, in operation since 2003 through parent company Discover Asia Travel, is a private guaranteeing agency, not a government office or the immigration department itself. The approval letter it arranges is real and issued by Vietnam Immigration, but the booking, payment and support all run through a private service. Look for a clear disclaimer of this kind on any site offering visa on arrival, since ".gov"-style branding without it is a red flag.

9. Group and Last-Minute Applications Are Both Supported

A single visa on arrival booking can cover up to 20 people, useful for families or tour groups traveling together. Combined with the super urgent 1.5-working-hour tier, this makes visa on arrival a workable option even for a group booking a flight in the next day or two, something an embassy visa usually cannot match.

Vietnam Visa on Arrival vs E-Visa vs Applying Directly on evisa.gov.vn

Three routes exist to get a Vietnam entry visa, and each fits a different situation.

Fee and Validity Comparison

Processing Time Comparison

E-visa processing through vietnamvisa-easy.com ranges from Standard (5-7 working days) up to Super Urgent/Emergency (up to 1.5 working hours, including weekends and holidays). Visa on arrival follows a similar range, from standard multi-day processing down to the same 1.5-working-hour emergency tier. Applying directly on evisa.gov.vn uses the government's own standard timeline, with no paid option to speed it up.

Which Option Should You Choose?

If you are flying in and planning ahead, either visa on arrival or e-visa works. If you might also cross a land border or arrive by sea during your trip, the e-visa is the safer choice since it is not limited to air entry. If your flight is in the next day or two and you have no visa arranged yet, visa on arrival's super urgent tier or the e-visa Emergency tier are both built for that situation. If you are comfortable handling the application yourself and are not on a tight deadline, applying directly on evisa.gov.vn avoids the service fee, at the cost of no application support if something goes wrong.

Ready to apply? Start your e-visa or airport approval letter application at https://www.vietnamvisa-easy.com, or contact support by WhatsApp or phone at +84 86 99 77 366, available 8:00-21:00 GMT+7.