“Vietnam visa” covers more than a dozen different routes, and most of the confusion comes from picking the wrong one before checking whether it actually applies. This guide is a router, not a fee page: it gets you to the right visa type for your situation, then links to the dedicated page for that visa's current requirements, fees, and steps.
Quick answer: match your situation to a route
Each line below links to the full page for that visa — current fees and requirements live there, not duplicated here, so they stay accurate as rules change.
- Short tourist trip, most nationalities — Vietnam Tourist Visa or E-Visa
- US passport specifically — Vietnam Visa for US Citizens
- Coming for work, meetings, or a business trip — Business Visa (DN1/DN2)
- Remote work, not locally employed — Digital Nomad Visa
- Traveling in and out of Vietnam repeatedly — multiple-entry is an e-visa option, not a separate visa type
- Already in Vietnam, current stay ending soon — Visa Extension
- Extension isn't available for your case — Visa Run
- Retiring or planning a long-term stay — Retirement Visa
- Việt Kiều or immediate family of a Vietnamese citizen — 5-Year Visa Exemption Certificate
- Arriving without a visa already arranged — Visa on Arrival
- Flight is within days and something's wrong or pending — Emergency Visa Review
A short decision flow
If the table above doesn't immediately match your case, work through these questions in order:
- Are you already in Vietnam? If yes, this isn't a new-visa question — check extension first, and visa run if extension doesn't apply to your current visa type.
- Is your trip within the next few days and something is already wrong? A pending e-visa, a document error, or a tight flight deadline is an emergency review question, not a which-visa-type question.
- What's the purpose of the trip? Tourism and short visits point to the e-visa; work or business meetings point to the business visa; remote work with no local employer points to the digital nomad visa.
- Do you have a personal connection to Vietnam? Việt Kiều status or a Vietnamese immediate family member changes the answer entirely — check the 5-year exemption certificate before anything else on this list.
- Will you cross the border more than once? If so, confirm single vs. multiple entry on the e-visa page before applying — this is a common late-stage mistake.
Why this isn't one universal visa
Vietnam's visa system is split by purpose and duration rather than a single generic "tourist visa" most countries use. The e-visa system (valid up to 90 days, single or multiple entry) covers most short stays, but longer stays, work, retirement, and family ties each route through a different process with different sponsor, document, and renewal rules. Picking the wrong type up front is the most common reason applications get delayed or rejected — not the paperwork itself.
Common mistakes this guide is meant to prevent
- Applying for a single-entry e-visa when the trip involves a border crossing partway through — check the multiple-entry option on the e-visa page first.
- Assuming an e-visa can be extended the same way it was issued — most cannot, and the real options are covered on the extension page.
- Treating a business trip as tourism, which can create problems at entry — see the business visa (DN1/DN2) requirements.
- Not checking Việt Kiều / family-based eligibility before applying for a standard visa, when the exemption certificate may remove the need to apply at all.
Still not sure?
If your situation spans more than one row in the table above — for example, a business trip that might turn into a longer stay, or a current visa that's expiring while you're also planning to leave and re-enter — send the specifics through our visa support and we'll point you to the right route rather than the closest-sounding one.