Vietnam Visa-Free Countries (15 to 45 Days)

Several dozen countries have bilateral visa-free agreements with Vietnam. Citizens of these countries can enter for 15, 30, or 45 days without applying for a visa beforehand — just show up at the border with a valid passport and a return ticket.

The list is bigger than most people realise and has grown in recent years as Vietnam liberalises tourism rules.

Rules current as of 2026-05-17. Confirm via the Vietnamese embassy in your country before travel.

The full list

45 days

• Belarus
• Russia

30 days

• Cambodia (ASEAN)
• Indonesia (ASEAN)
• Kyrgyzstan
• Laos (ASEAN)
• Myanmar (ASEAN)
• Singapore (ASEAN)
• Thailand (ASEAN)

21 days

• Philippines (ASEAN — special arrangement)

15 days

• Brunei (ASEAN)
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Japan
• Norway
• Russia (also has the 45-day option above for tourism)
• South Korea
• Spain
• Sweden
• United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)
• Chile (only for diplomatic/official passports)

Phú QuốcPhú Quốc (Phu Quoc)foo kwokLarge island province in the Gulf of Thailand off the southern tip of Vietnam, known for white-sand beaches and fish sauce production.-only (30 days, any nationality)

If you fly directly to Phú Quốc and remain on the island, any nationality gets 30 days visa-free under the island's special scheme. See Phú Quốc visa-free.

What the visa-free entry covers

• Tourism
• Business meetings, conferences, short courses
• Visiting family or friends
• Transit through Vietnam to a third country

It does NOT cover:

• Paid employment in Vietnam
• Studying in a formal Vietnamese programme
• Journalism in a reporting capacity (requires PV press visa)

Key conditions

Re-entry rules

You can re-enter Vietnam on visa-free entry again typically without a minimum gap between exits and re-entries — there's no longer a 30-day cooling-off rule that existed in earlier policy cycles.

However: repeated back-to-back visa-free entries used as a long-stay workaround (the "permanent tourist" pattern) are increasingly flagged. See visa runs. For genuine long stays, switch to a proper visa class.

When to use visa-free vs e-visa

A common pattern for tourists from the UK / France / Germany / Japan / Korea: enter visa-free for the first 15 days, then if you want more time apply for the e-visa from inside Vietnam to extend — though "extension" of visa-free entry is not technically how this works (you must exit and re-enter on the e-visa instead). See visa extensions.

Practical mechanics

At the airport / land border:

1. Present passport at Immigration.
2. Officer checks the passport, the date, and the stamp/sticker policy.
3. You receive an entry stamp showing the allowed duration.
4. No paperwork, no fees, no advance form.

Some airlines (Vietnam Airlines, Bambo Airways) may ask for a return ticket at check-in. Have an onward booking ready.

When the visa-free entry can be refused

Rare but possible:

• Passport damage, less than 6 months validity
• Suspected purpose-of-visit mismatch (e.g., bringing equipment that suggests paid work)
• Previous Vietnamese overstay or deportation history
• Suspected "permanent tourist" pattern on repeated entries
• Country-specific events (occasional emergency border closures)

In all these cases the officer has discretion to refuse entry; you may be put on the next flight out at your own cost.

Children on visa-free entries

Children with their own passport are treated independently — they enter under their own nationality rules. If your child's passport is from a country not on the visa-free list (e.g., child of dual nationals where one passport is not eligible), they need a separate e-visa.

What this does NOT let you do

• Take paid employment with a Vietnamese employer — working for pay requires a work permit and a LD (labour) visa; bilateral visa-free status confers no employment right whatsoever.
• Enrol in a formal Vietnamese degree or language programme — long-term study requires an SV student visa; attending a single short cultural class as a tourist is a different matter, but verify with the institution.
• Stay beyond your permitted duration — the entry stamp fixes the deadline; overstaying even one day creates an overstay record that may affect future entries and results in a fine on departure.
• Use repeated back-to-back entries as a long-term residency substitute — immigration officers have discretion to refuse re-entry where a "permanent tourist" pattern is apparent; this concern is documented on the visa runs page.
• Conduct journalism, documentary filming, or commercial photography — reporting work typically requires a PV press visa arranged through a recognised Vietnamese media body; travellers who may need to verify whether their activity crosses this line should check with the Vietnamese embassy in their country before travel.
• Extend your stay from inside Vietnam without exiting — visa-free entry cannot be extended in-country; you must exit and re-enter (or switch to an e-visa obtained before a new entry).

Refer to the digital nomad reality check or the retirement reality check where remote work or retirement comes up — Vietnam has no confirmed general route for either.

Verify before acting. Visa rules change. Confirm with the Vietnamese embassy in your country or evisa.gov.vn before relying on any specific limitation here.