Old Quarter ReviewVietnam visa and entry, the official way
Most visitors enter Vietnam on an e-Visa or a visa exemption. Both are simple when you use the government portal, and expensive when you land on a copycat site. This page is information only: Old Quarter Review does not process visas and never charges for visa help. Facts checked 1 November 2026, and the official portal always wins if anything here ever disagrees with it.
Route 1: the e-Visa, for every nationality
Vietnam's e-Visa is open to citizens of all countries, lasts up to 90 days, and costs exactly 25 USD for single entry or 50 USD for multiple entries on the official portal. Processing takes about 3 working days, so apply at least a week before you fly. Apply only here:
evisa.gov.vn, the Vietnam e-Visa portal (the older government address thithucdientu.gov.vn belongs to the same system).
Route 2: the 45 day exemption
Citizens of 24 countries can enter visa free for 45 days under the current exemption programme, which runs to 2028. The list changes over the years, so confirm your passport is on it before you rely on it, on the same government portal above or your foreign ministry's Vietnam page. If you plan to stay longer than 45 days, the e-Visa is your route.
The fake site warning, read this before you pay anyone
The most common visa problem we see is not a refusal, it is a copycat website. Unofficial sites copy the government portal, rank high in search ads, and charge two to five times the official fee, sometimes for a visa that never arrives. Three checks protect you:
- The address ends in gov.vn. Anything else is not the government.
- The fee is exactly 25 or 50 USD. A higher government fee does not exist.
- You never need an agent for a standard tourist e-Visa. The form is in English and takes minutes.
The pre-arrival declaration, what we know so far
Vietnam is rolling out a digital pre-arrival declaration for air passengers, and it has been extended to Noi Bai during 2026, at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn. Whether completing it is currently required or only recommended is not stated the same way by every official source: the US Embassy's October 2026 wording and the Vietnamese immigration wording differ, and we will not pretend otherwise on this page. What is certain: the form is free, it lives only on the official gov.vn domain, and any website charging you to submit it is a copycat. If your airline or the airport screens tell you to complete it, the staff on site can walk you through it. We recheck this status every week, and this box comes down the moment the rule is settled.
Status last checked 1 November 2026.
Your entry checklist
- Passport valid for 6 months beyond your arrival date, with a blank page. Airlines check this at the desk and will refuse boarding if it fails.
- Your e-Visa printed or saved offline. Border officers can ask for the paper copy, and airport Wi-Fi is not the moment to discover a login problem.
- An onward or return ticket. It is not checked every time, but airlines and officers may ask, and a flexible booking settles it.
- Follow the arrival declaration signs. Vietnam is rolling out a digital arrival declaration at major airports in 2026. If your arrival airport uses it, the official screens and staff on site explain it, and it is free.
- Respect the dates. Overstay fines rose under Decree 282/2025, and an overstay means fines and paperwork before you can leave. If your plans change, extend through immigration in Vietnam rather than overstaying quietly.
There is no general visa on arrival
Despite what some sites imply, tourists cannot simply land in Hanoi and buy a visa at the airport. Sort your e-Visa or confirm your exemption before you fly. Next step after the visa: our step by step Noi Bai airport guide and the Hanoi emergency card are worth saving.