How to Apply for a Vietnam Visa

How to apply for a Vietnam visa comes down to three routes: an e-visa submitted online at evisa.gov.vn, a visa on arrival (VOA) approval letter arranged before you fly and stamped at the airport, or an in-person application at a Vietnamese embassy or consulate. Most travelers by air choose the e-visa or VOA because both can be completed without a trip to an embassy.

If you are flying into one of Vietnam's international airports, the visa on arrival route lets you skip uploading a passport scan yourself and instead submit a short form, then collect your approval letter by email in as little as a few hours for urgent requests. If you are entering by land, sea, or want a visa already stamped in your passport before departure, the e-visa or embassy route fits better.

Whichever method you choose, the same three inputs drive the process: your passport details, a passport-sized photo, and your travel dates. Processing time and price shift depending on how fast you need the result, from a standard 5-7 working days down to a same-day or super urgent service.

The steps below walk through both the e-visa and the visa on arrival application in order, starting with what to prepare before you open the form.

How to apply for a Vietnam visa in brief:

What Are the Ways to Apply for a Vietnam Visa?

There are four ways to apply for a Vietnam visa: the government e-visa portal, a visa on arrival approval letter, an embassy or consulate application, and, for a short list of nationalities, a visa-free entry that requires no application at all. Each method suits a different itinerary.

• E-visa: submitted entirely online at evisa.gov.vn, valid for entry by air, land, or sea at approved border gates, single or multiple entry, up to 90 days.
• Visa on arrival (VOA): an approval letter obtained in advance, then stamped into your passport at the airport counter on arrival. Applicable to air travel only.
• Embassy or consulate visa: submitted in person or by mail at a Vietnamese diplomatic mission, useful if you need a visa type the e-visa system does not cover.
• Visa exemption: citizens of certain countries can enter without any visa for a set number of days, usually 14-45 days depending on the agreement.

If your passport is not on the exemption list and you are flying into Vietnam, the e-visa and the VOA cover almost every situation. The table below compares the three application methods side by side, and the sections after it walk through each process in order.

Choosing between the e-visa and the VOA usually comes down to entry point and how much of the process you want handled for you, since both offer the same range of processing speeds.

How to Apply for a Vietnam Visa Online (E-Visa) Step by Step

You apply for a Vietnam e-visa by submitting your details and photo online, paying the government fee, and downloading the approved visa before you fly. The process runs in five steps.

1. Access the e-visa application form and select your entry and exit dates, along with your intended port of entry.
2. Upload a scanned copy of your passport bio page and a digital photo (4x6cm, white background, no glasses).
3. Enter your temporary address in Vietnam, such as a hotel or the address of a host.
4. Pay the government fee online by credit or debit card.
5. Receive your e-visa by email once approved, then print it before departure.

Note: Some processing tiers can shorten step 5 to just a few hours, covered in the processing time section below.

What Documents Do You Need Before You Start?

Before you open the form, have these ready:

• A passport with at least six months of validity remaining from your entry date.
• A clear scan of your passport's data page in .jpg or .png format.
• A passport-sized photo (4x6cm, white background, no glasses), taken within the last six months.
• Your flight itinerary or at least a planned entry date and port.
• A temporary address in Vietnam for the duration of your stay.
• Confirmation of your nationality's eligibility, since some passports qualify for a visa exemption instead of a paid application.

If you apply through our team at vietnamvisa-easy.com, you do not need to scan your own passport. You submit the same core details through our short form, and our staff prepares the government submission on your behalf, which is one reason planners who are worried about filling out a government form incorrectly prefer this route.

What Happens After You Submit the E-Visa Application?

Once submitted, your application moves into a processing queue. The government reviews the passport and photo, checks eligibility for your nationality, and issues the e-visa as a PDF file sent to the email on file. You then print the PDF and carry it with your passport.

If any detail on the form does not match your passport exactly, such as a name spelling or passport number, the application can be delayed or rejected. Double-check every field against your passport bio page before you submit.

How Do You Apply for a Visa on Arrival Step by Step?

You apply for a Vietnam visa on arrival by first obtaining an approval letter online, then presenting that letter, a photo, and the stamping fee at the airport counter when you land. The process runs in three main steps.

1. Submit an online form for the pre-approved visa letter, listing your passport details, arrival date, and port of entry.
2. Receive the approval letter by email, typically within 1-3 working days (urgent requests can be processed in as little as 1.5 working hours).
3. Print the letter, prepare your photo and the stamping fee, and present all three at the visa-on-arrival counter after landing.

Note: Visa on arrival is applicable to air travel only. It cannot be used at land or sea border gates.

How Do You Get the Approval Letter?

The approval letter is issued by Vietnam's immigration authority and sent to you by a guaranteeing agency, which is the role our team plays for VOA applicants. You submit passport details and travel dates through our form, we forward the request to immigration on your behalf, and the letter arrives by email once approved. This route charges a service fee starting from USD 28 per person, with children under 2 processed free of charge.

What Do You Do at the Airport on Arrival?

At the visa-on-arrival counter, present your printed approval letter, your passport, one passport-sized photo (4x6cm, white background, no glasses), and the visa stamping fee in cash. The stamping fee is paid separately from the service fee, directly to the immigration counter, and it is non-refundable once paid.

• Have the exact stamping fee ready in USD or VND, since counters do not always give change.
• Keep your printed approval letter accessible, not packed away in checked luggage.
• Allow extra time at the counter during peak arrival hours at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports.

How Do You Apply at a Vietnam Embassy or Consulate?

You apply at a Vietnam embassy or consulate by submitting a paper application, your passport, and a photo either in person or by mail, then collecting the visa once it is stamped into your passport. This route suits travelers who need a visa type the e-visa system does not issue, such as certain long-term or work visas, or applicants whose nationality is not eligible for the e-visa.

1. Locate the nearest Vietnamese embassy or consulate and check its specific form and submission hours.
2. Complete the paper visa application form and attach one passport-sized photo (4x6cm, white background, no glasses).
3. Submit your passport along with the form, either in person or by mail with a prepaid return envelope.
4. Pay the visa fee, which varies by visa type and length of stay.
5. Collect your passport with the visa stamp, typically within 5 working days of a complete submission.

Note: Embassy processing does not offer the same-day or super urgent tiers available for the e-visa and visa on arrival, so plan further ahead if this is your only eligible route.

Compared with the e-visa and VOA, the embassy route takes longer and requires either travel to the embassy or mailing your original passport, which some applicants are reluctant to do. For most tourists and business travelers flying directly into Vietnam, the e-visa or VOA remains the faster option.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Vietnam Visa?

Vietnam visa processing time depends on the service tier you choose, ranging from a standard 5-7 working days down to a super urgent 1.5 working hours. Faster tiers cost more but are available for both the e-visa and the VOA approval letter.

If your travel dates change or you booked a flight on short notice, the same-day and super urgent tiers exist for exactly that situation. Both are available across weekends and public holidays, unlike some embassy counters that close.

How Much Does It Cost to Apply for a Vietnam Visa?

The total cost of a Vietnam visa is made up of a government fee and, if you use a service to prepare and submit the application, a separate service fee. Understanding which is which prevents confusion when comparing prices.

For the e-visa, the government charges USD 25 for a single-entry visa or USD 50 for a multiple-entry visa, with children under 14 charged a flat USD 25 regardless of entry type. Our total service pricing, which bundles the government fee with document preparation and support, runs as follows:

• Standard (5-7 working days): USD 47-98
• Express (3 working days): USD 69-109
• Fast (2 working days): USD 92-122
• Same-day (4-8 working hours): USD 118-158
• Super Urgent (up to 1.5 working hours): up to USD 295

For the visa on arrival, the service fee for the approval letter starts from USD 28 per person, with children under 2 free of charge. In addition, you pay the stamping fee directly at the airport counter in cash. This stamping fee is separate from our service fee and is non-refundable once paid.

What Else Should You Know Before You Apply?

A handful of situations come up often enough to cover separately: group applications, last-minute changes, land border entry, and how to tell a private visa agency from a government site.

Can You Apply for a Group or Family Together?

Yes. Our VOA form accepts up to 20 people per submission, and our e-visa form accepts up to 5 people per submission. Each traveler still needs their own passport photo and passport data, but you only fill out contact and payment details once for the whole group.

What If You Need a Visa Urgently?

If your flight is within hours and you still need a visa, the super urgent tier processes both e-visa and VOA approval letters in as little as 1.5 working hours, including weekends and public holidays. This tier costs more than standard processing, but it exists specifically for travelers who booked late or had a sudden itinerary change.

Can You Apply for a Vietnam Visa at a Land Border?

Yes, if you hold an e-visa. Vietnam accepts e-visa entry at more than 30 land border gates, in addition to its international airports and seaports. A visa on arrival approval letter, by contrast, only works for air travel, so land border crossings require either an e-visa or an embassy-issued visa in advance.

What Common Mistakes Should You Avoid When You Apply?

Most delays and rejections trace back to a handful of avoidable errors. Before you submit, check for these:

• A name, date of birth, or passport number typed differently than it appears on your passport bio page.
• A photo that does not meet the 4x6cm, white background, no glasses spec, or one that is older than six months.
• A passport with less than six months of validity remaining past your planned entry date.
• An entry date that does not match your actual flight, which can cause a mismatch at the immigration counter.
• Applying for a single-entry visa when your itinerary actually requires multiple entries, such as a side trip to Cambodia or Laos and back.

If you notice one of these after submitting, contact support as early as possible. Corrections are easier before an application finishes processing than after.

Is vietnamvisa-easy.com the Official Government Site?

No. vietnamvisa-easy.com is a private visa service agency, operating through our parent company Discover Asia Travel since 2003, not a government office or Vietnam's immigration department. We prepare and submit applications on your behalf and charge a service fee for that assistance, in addition to the government fee itself. Our fee structure and process reference Circular No. 28/2026/TT-BTC, the current government regulation on visa-related charges. If you prefer to apply directly with the government at no service fee, you can do so at evisa.gov.vn yourself.

We recommend applicants who want help avoiding form errors, tracking their application status, or getting same-day support to apply through our team. Our staff has issued over 6,639 visas for more than 5,200 satisfied customers, with a 99.9% success rate, and you can reach support by WhatsApp or phone at +84 86 99 77 366, or by email at support@vietnamvisa-easy.com, between 8:00 and 21:00 GMT+7.