There are many ways for a foreigner to enter Vietnam, depending on your nationality and the purpose of your visit.
Here are the 5 ways to compile Phil Hoolihanan expat in Vietnam
1. Visa Waiver
To date, Vietnam grants visa exemption for 25 countries as below:
- Chile, Panama: 90 days
- Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thai, Kyrgyzstan: 30 days
- Philippines: 21 days
- Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Russia, Japan, Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belarus: 15 days
- Brunei, Myanmar: 14 days
If you plan to visit Vietnam for a short period of time and you have one of the nationalities mentioned above, you do NOT need to apply for a visa.
2. E-visa
Foreigners of 80 nationalities can apply for an electronic visa, follow this link For more information: https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/en_US/web/guest/khai-thi-thuc-dien-tu/cap-thi-thuc-dien-tu
E-visa is a 30 day (Maximum) tourist visa, single entry
25 USD is the payment upon online application that covers the visa stamp fee.
The disadvantage of an e-visa is that you cannot extend it.
3. Tourist Visa
If you are not in the above 80 countries, you can obtain a tourist visa sponsored by a travel company.
The tourist office can request a visa approval letter. The visa is issued on arrival.
By presenting this letter when entering Vietnam, you will get the visa stamp with the stamp fee of USD 25 payable at the airport/land border gate.
Tourist visa for a maximum of 30 days, single entry, with no possibility of extension.
4. Business/Investor Visa
Business/Investor Visa applies if you have a sponsoring company.
That company can apply for a visa approval letter.
A business/investor visa can be valid for up to three months, and single or multiple entries are your choice.
This visa is not a visa on arrival (unless your country does not have a Vietnamese embassy). Only Vietnamese embassy issues this visa, you need to go to Vietnamese embassy in prescribed country to get the visa stamp and pay the stamp fee from 50 USD to 80 USD to them.
Business/Investor Visa MAY extend:
- The first renewal is up to another 3 months, then you can get renewal (5-7 times), from one month to 15 days each.
- If you have a work permit or if you are the investor, you can apply for a long-term visa/Resident Card after the visa expires.
Be very aware of scams offering business visas to people simply traveling as tourists. Punishment is usually fine, extradition and blacklist of return.
5. Family Visa
Expat celebrates Tet holiday with Vietnamese
Family visa applies when you have direct family connection with a person who is a Vietnamese citizen.
A family visa can be valid for the same term as your family member’s visa. Single or multiple entries are also up to your choice. Similar to a business visa, this is also not a visa on arrival (unless your country does not have a Vietnamese embassy). It means that you have to go to a Vietnamese embassy to get a visa stamp after getting the visa invitation letter.
In this option, a crucial document is one that proves the family relationship (e.g. birth certificate, marriage certificate). If this document was issued abroad, that document must be notarized, legalized and translated into Vietnamese.