Transit and Airport Visa: Layovers Through Vietnam

Most international transit through Vietnam happens at Nội Bài (HAN, Hanoi) or Tân Sơn Nhất (SGN, HCMC). The question of whether you need a visa for a layover depends entirely on whether you exit Immigration or stay airside.

Rules current as of 2026-05-17. Confirm with your airline at check-in.

The short answer

Scenario	Visa needed?
Airside transit only, same airport, connecting within 24 hours, with onward boarding pass	No
Exit Immigration (to collect baggage, change terminal not connected airside, leave for the city)	Yes — e-visa, visa-free entry, or transit visa
Overnight layover in a city hotel	Yes — same as above
Connecting between SGN and HAN as a single international ticket	Usually airside; depends on terminal routing
Booked separately with luggage to collect → check in → continue	Yes — you exit Immigration in between

Airside transit (no visa needed)

If you're staying inside the international transit area and have:

• A confirmed onward boarding pass (issued at origin, or accessible via transfer desk)
• An onward flight within 24 hours
• Continued baggage to the final destination

…you don't need a Vietnamese visa. You can wait in the lounges, use airport hotels (transit hotel inside HAN T2), buy food, sleep on benches. You won't get a Vietnam entry stamp.

This applies at both HAN T2 and SGN International Terminal for ticketed international transfers.

When you must exit Immigration

You exit if any of the following:

• You change airports (e.g., HAN to SGN with separate tickets) — there's no airside connector
• You change terminals that aren't connected airside (some terminal changes at HAN require landside)
• Your baggage is not checked through — you collect, re-check in
• You need to spend the night in a city hotel
• You're booked on separate tickets with different airlines that don't have through-baggage agreements

If you exit, you need a valid entry document — either:

• E-visa (90 days, $25/$50, multi-entry)
• Visa-free entry if your nationality qualifies
• A long-stay visa class if you have one

There is no separate "transit visa" issued at the airport in current practice. Tourists either use the e-visa (applied in advance) or visa-free entry where eligible.

Specific layover scenarios

Single-ticket international-to-international, same airport, airside

Example: London → Hanoi → Bangkok on Vietnam Airlines with through-checked baggage and same-day connection. No visa needed.

Single-ticket, requires terminal change

Example: London → HAN T2 international, then HAN T1 domestic for a connecting flight to Đà Nẵng or HCMC. T1 and T2 at Hanoi are connected by a free shuttle, but the domestic connection requires exiting Immigration. You need an e-visa or visa-free entry.

The same applies at SGN: international (Terminal 2) connecting to domestic (Terminal 1) requires exiting Immigration.

Separate-ticket transfers

Example: International flight on Cathay Pacific to HAN, then a separate domestic flight on Vietnam Airlines or VietJet to a Vietnamese city. Two separate tickets → you collect baggage, exit Immigration, re-check in. You need an entry document.

Overnight transit in a city hotel

You're exiting Immigration. You need an entry document. Plan ahead with an e-visa or rely on visa-free entry if eligible.

The 24-hour airside limit

Airside transit areas are not technically time-bound — but most airlines and airport authorities expect you to depart within 24 hours of arrival. If you have a longer layover (24–72 hours), the practical answer is to enter the country properly with a visa or visa-free entry.

Connecting to Phú Quốc

If your itinerary is London → HAN → PQC (Phú Quốc), the connection at HAN requires entering Vietnam (T2 to T1, domestic flight). However, when you arrive at Phú Quốc, the 30-day visa-free entry applies for the island stay. The catch: you've already entered Vietnam at HAN — so the Phú Quốc-specific scheme doesn't apply on that itinerary. Most travellers heading to Phú Quốc use the e-visa when transiting via HAN or SGN.

For pure Phú Quốc trips: fly direct from your origin (Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul, several Chinese cities now) and the 30-day visa-free scheme applies cleanly.

Practical tips for transits

• Get your boarding pass at origin for the onward flight where possible. Vietnamese airlines and partners routinely issue both passes at the originating airport.
• Carry a printout of your onward booking for Immigration if you do exit.
• Bring USD cash for unexpected fees (visa-on-arrival, lost-luggage taxis, hotel deposits if your bags are delayed).
• Check the airport map before you fly — HAN and SGN are both navigable but not obvious for first-time transit.
• Allow time — international-to-domestic at SGN can take 2 hours including immigration, baggage, re-check-in, and security.

When the airline boards you onto a Vietnam-routed flight

Airline staff are responsible for verifying that you have onward transit documentation. They will:

• Check your onward boarding pass
• Check that your onward flight is within 24 hours (for airside transit)
• Check your visa documentation (if exiting)
• Refuse boarding if any of these fail

If you're routing through Vietnam and aren't sure of the visa situation, contact your airline before flying — they're the gatekeepers and they can tell you definitively whether your specific itinerary needs a visa.