Vietnam's visa system has noticeably simplified quite a bit over the past few years, with most travellers now able to sort an e-visa entirely online before departure. This guide walks through the visa types, required documents, fees, and processing times so the paperwork stays out of the way of the actual trip, whichever route into the country and whichever specific visa type you ultimately end up choosing to apply for.

Sorting your visa well ahead of time gives you room to actually enjoy booking flights into the country.

The e-visa is the most straightforward option for most travellers, applied for entirely online and valid for stays of up to 90 days. Applicants can choose either single-entry or multiple-entry, with multiple-entry allowing you to leave and re-enter Vietnam as many times as needed within that 90-day window, useful for travellers planning a side trip to Cambodia or Laos.

Arranged through a Vietnamese embassy or consulate, a standard tourist visa typically covers a similar length of stay to the e-visa and suits travellers who'd rather have a physical visa sorted before departure rather than relying on the online system.

This category requires an invitation letter from a Vietnamese company and covers a wider range of durations, from 30 days up to a full year depending on the applicant's specific needs.

Your passport needs at least 6 months of validity remaining beyond your intended stay, along with at least one blank page available for the visa stamp or entry sticker.

For embassy applications, this form is downloaded from the relevant embassy's website; for e-visa applications, the equivalent form is completed directly online through Vietnam's official e-visa portal.

At least one recent photo meeting standard passport-photo requirements is needed, whether applying online or in person.

A return flight ticket and confirmed hotel booking both help demonstrate genuine travel intent, worth having ready before starting the application.

A hotel booking confirmation is one of the documents worth having on hand before applying, so browsing options early is worth doing regardless of visa type.

A single-entry e-visa costs USD 25, covering one entry into Vietnam within the 90-day validity window.

A multiple-entry e-visa costs USD 50, roughly double the single-entry fee, reflecting the added flexibility of unlimited entries during the same 90-day period.

Standard e-visa processing runs around 3 to 5 business days through the official portal at evisa.gov.vn, so applying a week or more before departure gives a comfortable buffer.

In-person or mailed embassy applications typically take a similar 3 to 5 business days, though applying at least a week ahead avoids any risk of delay affecting your travel dates.

Photos that don't meet the exact size or background requirements are one of the most common reasons an application gets bounced back, so double-checking the specifications before submitting saves a genuine delay.

Even a small discrepancy between your passport and application form, a misspelled name or wrong date of birth, can hold up processing, so reviewing every field carefully before submitting matters more than it might seem.

A printed copy of your e-visa approval letter, alongside your passport, covers what immigration officers typically ask to see on arrival, even though the system is largely electronic.

Immigration officers do check passport validity against the required 6-month buffer at entry, not just at the application stage, so this detail is worth confirming again right before departure. Having both a digital and printed copy of every document covers the rare case where a scanner or printer isn't available right when you need one, a small precaution that costs nothing but saves genuine hassle at the border.

Reviewing your passport validity, photo specifications, and application details before submitting avoids the most common cause of processing delays.

Using evisa.gov.vn directly, rather than a third-party reseller site, keeps both the fee and the process exactly as described above.

Vietnam's visa policies have shifted meaningfully in recent years, so checking the official portal shortly before applying confirms you're working from current requirements rather than outdated information.

A Ho Chi Minh City hop-on hop-off bus tour, bookable through Traveloka's activities listings, is worth arranging once your visa is confirmed and you're ready to start sightseeing.

Starting the visa process several weeks before departure, rather than in the final days before a flight, removes nearly all the stress from what is otherwise a fairly simple system. Vietnam's e-visa in particular has become genuinely accessible compared to older paper-based processes, making early planning the main thing standing between a smooth application and an unnecessary last-minute scramble.

A car rental is worth arranging once you've landed for exploring beyond the main cities, and an airport transfer gets you from the airport to your hotel smoothly the moment your visa clears immigration, no need to negotiate a fare after a long flight.

Sorting the visa is just the first step before flights, hotels, and activities all need booking. Traveloka is Southeast Asia's leading travel platform, trusted by over 100 million users, bringing flights, hotels, activities, car rental, eSIM, and travel insurance together in one app. Check Traveloka promotions before booking, and download the app to start planning your Vietnam trip.