For a holiday arriving in Hanoi or Hai Phong, prepare a valid passport, the correct visa or visa exemption, your first accommodation address and the documents required for your full flight itinerary. Check the nationality and passport you will travel on, how long you plan to stay and whether you will leave Vietnam and return during the trip.
Visa approval, pre-arrival information and health declarations are separate matters. An e-visa application receipt is not an approved visa, and an arrival-information QR code does not replace one. Resolve the immigration documents before your departure rather than relying on an airport counter to fix a missing approval.
Decide whether you need a visa
Some nationalities qualify for visa-free entry for a limited stay. Others need a visa, and travelers who want to stay beyond their exemption period also need the appropriate permission. A residence permit in another country does not automatically give you that country’s passport-based exemption.
For ordinary tourist visits, the 45-day exemptions include these two groups:
- Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom: the current exemption policy runs through March 14, 2028, subject to Vietnam’s entry conditions.
- Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland: the tourism exemption program runs through August 14, 2028, subject to its entry conditions.
Other nationalities can have different bilateral arrangements, so absence from these two groups does not automatically mean a visa is required. Belarus, for example, has a separate ordinary-passport agreement allowing 30 days per entry, with a total limit of 90 days within a year. Check the Vietnamese embassy or consulate’s current guidance for your nationality and passport type.
If your intended stay exceeds the exemption that applies to you, arrange the appropriate visa before traveling. Count the whole stay, including arrival and departure dates, and leave some room for a changed flight. Do not plan around an assumed automatic extension after arrival.
Use the official e-visa system when a visa is needed
Vietnam’s e-visa can be issued for up to 90 days, with single-entry and multiple-entry options. The official portal is evisa.gov.vn. The government application fee is US$25 for single entry or US$50 for multiple entry; the fee is not refundable if a visa is refused.
A single-entry visa suits a trip where you enter Vietnam once and then leave. If you plan to visit another country and return to Vietnam, check whether you need a multiple-entry visa or another valid basis for re-entry. A multiple-entry visa does not restart its validity period every time you cross the border.
Match the application to your passport and actual trip
- Name and passport details: Follow the portal’s instructions and include your full name, including middle names, as shown in the passport’s machine-readable identity line.
- Validity dates: Request dates that cover your intended arrival and final departure. The approved dates, not a general “90-day visa” description, determine the document’s validity.
- Accommodation: Enter the first address where you will stay. If you will continue from Hanoi to Ninh Binh or Cat Ba, use your actual first overnight address.
- Passport changes: If you replace the passport after applying, resolve the visa implications with Immigration before travel; do not assume an approval linked to the old passport transfers automatically.
Apply well before your flight and allow time for requested corrections, weekends and public holidays. Keep the registration details so you can check the application through the official portal. Travel with the approved e-visa available offline and a printed copy; a payment confirmation or pending application is not enough.
Check the border gate for a northern arrival
Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi and Cat Bi Airport in Hai Phong are on the approved e-visa border-gate list. Van Don Airport in Quang Ninh is also listed. Choose the actual airport in your travel plan; a listed entry point does not mean a suitable international flight operates there on your date.
You do not have to leave through the same border gate where you entered, but your exit must also use an approved gate. If a flight change moves your arrival to another airport, check the current e-visa instructions and resolve any document mismatch before departure.
Check passport validity before paying for travel
For straightforward holiday planning, use an undamaged passport with at least six months remaining from your arrival date and at least two blank pages. Check the exact entry conditions with the Vietnamese embassy and your airline if your passport falls short, is an emergency document or has a different status from an ordinary passport.
The e-visa’s validity must also end at least 30 days before the passport expires. That document-validity rule should not be treated as a shortcut around the entry conditions that apply to your passport or visa exemption. Use the same passport details consistently on the visa application and flight booking.
Complete pre-arrival information through the correct portal
The Immigration Department recommends completing its Pre-arrival Information form before entering Vietnam. Use the official prearrival.immigration.gov.vn service and follow the instructions for your arrival airport and date. Have your passport, visa details where applicable, flight number and accommodation address ready, and retain the resulting QR code.
This form supplies arrival information; it does not issue a visa or guarantee entry. Follow any additional instructions sent by your operating airline, particularly if your itinerary changes. Do not assume that completing one airline’s online check-in also completes Vietnam’s pre-arrival form.
Check health instructions without using obsolete COVID procedures
The general COVID-19 test requirement for entry was lifted, so the old routine PCR-within-72-hours instruction is not the standard preparation for a holiday. Check current health notices for your route and travel date before booking a test or collecting a certificate.
Health declarations can be introduced for particular infectious diseases and circumstances; they are not a permanent blanket requirement for every traveler at every border crossing. If a declaration applies to your journey, follow the Ministry of Health’s announced instructions. The immigration pre-arrival QR code is a different document.
Arrange travel insurance for the activities you intend to do, including any trekking or motorbike riding, and understand its medical and evacuation cover. Treat insurance selection as part of preparing for the trip rather than relying on an old COVID-specific dollar amount.
At check-in and on arrival in northern Vietnam
Keep your passport, approved visa if needed, first hotel address and return or onward booking accessible in your cabin bag. Check the rules for every transit country, especially with separate tickets, a change of airport or a connection that requires collecting baggage. Your airline may need to inspect documents even after you check in online.
At immigration, present the e-visa if you intend to enter under it, even if your passport also qualifies for a shorter visa-free stay. Check the permitted stay recorded in your passport before leaving the counter and ask an officer immediately if it does not match the basis of your entry.
Allow time for immigration, baggage and customs before any pickup or onward departure. For a long-haul arrival, keeping the first day flexible is more practical than committing to a tightly timed cruise connection. Give your hotel the identification it needs for temporary residence registration, and repeat this process when you change accommodation.