Vietnam Visa requirement: How to obtain a Vietnam Visa?

A valid visa is required for almost citizens of foreign countries to visit Vietnam for any purposes from visiting friends and families to going on a business trip or leisure vacation. Fortunately, it is much easier these days for foreign passport holders to apply for visa to Vietnam as there are two available ways to go about this matter.

• Applying for visa at Vietnam Embassy (traditional way, visa picked up at Vietnam Embassies) or,
• Apply for Visa on arrival with Vietnam-Visa.com (visa picked up at Vietnam International Airports).

You may choose either of the above options to obtain a visa to Vietnam. However, please keep in mind that these two options are quite different in terms of application procedure and applicable applicants. While visa on arrival is more convenient and less time-consuming, it is applicable for those who travel to Vietnam by AIR only.

Therefore, if you plan to travel to Vietnam by land or sea or wish to obtain a fully stamped visa on passport before departure, you should contact the nearest Vietnam embassy for visa application. It may take you 2-5 working days to get a Visa at Vietnam Embassy. And in this case, you are required to send your original passport to the Vietnam Embassy directly or by post.

Please click here for a detailed comparison between Vietnam visa on arrival and Vietnam visa at embassy.

As mentioned above, not all travelers are required to obtain a visa for their travel to Vietnam. Citizens of some countries who have a visa exemption agreement with Vietnam do not need to get a visa to Vietnam for a certain period of time. And also not all travelers who require a visa to Vietnam are supported with visa on arrival. To make sure whether you need a visa to Vietnam or not and are supported with visa on arrival, please click on the link below.