Politics of Vietnam
Ideology Concepts Collective leadership Marxism–Leninism Ho Chi Minh Thought Organizations Commission for Information and Education Central Theoretical Council Nhân Dân
Constitution History 1946 1959 1980 1992 2013
Communist Party National Party Congress(13th) Central Committee(13th) General Secretary Tô Lâm Politburo(13th) Secretariat(13th) Permanent Member Trần Cẩm Tú Military Commission(2020–25) Secretary Tô Lâm Deputy Secretary Phan Văn Giang Inspection Commission(13th) Chairman Trần Sỹ Thanh
Legislative National Assembly (14th) Standing Committee Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn Provincial People's Councils
Presidency President (list) Lương Cường Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân
Executive Prime Minister (list): Phạm Minh Chính Deputy Prime Ministers: Nguyễn Hòa Bình Trần Hồng Hà Lê Thành Long Hồ Đức Phớc Bùi Thanh Sơn Nguyễn Chí Dũng Mai Văn Chính Phạm Thị Thanh Trà Hồ Quốc Dũng Ministries Governor of the State Bank Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs
Fatherland Front Central Committee Chairwoman:Bùi Thị Minh Hoài Gen. Secretary:Nguyễn Thị Thu Hà Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee First Secretary Bùi Quang Huy Vietnam General Confederation of Labour Viet Nam Farmer's Union Vietnam Women’s Union
Military Central Military Commission Secretary:Tô Lâm Deputy Secretary:Phan Văn Giang Commander-in-Chief President:Lương Cường Army Ground Force Navy Air Defense-Air Force Coast Guard Border Guard Public Security Security forces Police forces Civil Defence Force National Defense and Security Council Chairman:PresidentLương Cường Vice-chairman:Prime MinisterPhạm Minh Chính
Judiciary Law National Assembly Justice Committee President Steering Committee of the Central Judicial Reform Director:Lương Cường Supreme People's Court Chief Justice:Nguyễn Văn Quảng Supreme People's Procuracy Procurator-General:Nguyễn Huy Tiến
Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minister:Lê Hoài Trung Diplomatic missions of /in Vietnam Bamboo diplomacy Passport Visa requirements Visa policy Foreign aid Vietnam and the World Bank
See also Elections Administrative divisions Human rights
Vietnam portal Politics portal Other countries
v t e

Visitors toVietnam must obtain either an e-Visa or a visa in advance, unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries.

Holders of ordinary passports of the following countries may enter Vietnam without a visa (including allASEAN member states).

According to theMinistry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, the maximum allowed period of stay depends on nationality:^[1][2][3]

In addition, citizens ofChina,Cuba andNorth Korea who have a passport for public affairs or ordinary passports endorsed "for public affairs" may enter Vietnam without a visa.

Holders of certificates of visa exemption do not require a visa regardless of nationality. A certificate of visa exemption is valid for up to 5 years or up to 6 months before the passport expiration date (whichever is shorter). This is available for Vietnamese residing abroad or spouses or children of Vietnamese citizens or Vietnamese residing abroad.^[21]

The exemption is valid for 180 consecutive days of stay. There is no limit on the number of entries and exits during the stay or the minimum waiting time between each 180-day stay.

Holders of passports issued by the following countries who possess anAPEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) containing "VNM" on the back of the card may enter Vietnam without a visa for business trips for up to 60 days.^[2]

ABTCs are issued to citizens of:^[22]

Holders of diplomatic or official / service passports of the following countries may enter Vietnam without a visa for the following period:

_{D - Diplomatic passports only.}

Vietnam has signed visa exemption agreements with the following countries, but they have not yet entered into force:

Country	Passports	Agreement signed on
Nigeria[23]	Diplomatic, official	October 2019
Botswana	Diplomatic, service	August 2019
Lithuania[24]	Diplomatic	23 January 2019
Ethiopia[25]	Diplomatic, service	August 2018
Cameroon[26]	Diplomatic, service	December 2017

In November 2023, the authorities in Vietnam proposed to abolish visas for citizens ofChina andIndia.^[27] In July 2024 Prime Minister of Vietnam instructed relevant ministries to work on expanding the list of visa exemption eligible countries.^[28]

Phu Quoc Island has a special visa exemption for all foreign visitors arriving directly by air or sea from outside Vietnam. Visitors can stay within Phu Quoc for a duration of 30 days.^[29] Visitor's passport must be valid for 6 months since the arrival date.^[30]

Vietnam introduced a pilot electronic visa system on 1 February 2017.^[31]

Starting from 15 August 2023, an e-Visa is issued to citizens of all countries and territories and is issued for single or multiple entry up to 90 days. The e-Visa costs 25 (single) or 50 (multiple) USD.^[32][33] The list of border crossings that allow foreigners to enter and exit on an e-Visa includes:

List of international airports

• Noi Bai International Airport,Hanoi
• Tan Son Nhat International Airport,Ho Chi Minh City
• Cam Ranh International Airport
• Da Nang International Airport
• Cat Bi International Airport,Hai Phong
• Can Tho International Airport
• Phu Quoc International Airport
• Phu Bai International Airport,Huế
• Van Don International Airport
• Tho Xuan Airport
• Dong Hoi Airport
• Phu Cat Airport
• Lien Khuong Airport

List of road border crossings

• Mong Cai,Quang Ninh Province^CN
• Huu Nghi,Lang Son Province^CN
• Lao Cai,Lao Cai Province^CN
• Tay Trang,Dien Bien Province^LA
• Na Meo,Thanh Hoa Province^LA
• Nam Can,Nghe An Province^LA
• Cau Treo,Ha Tinh Province^LA
• Cha Lo,Quang Binh Province^LA
• La Lay,Quang Tri Province^LA
• Lao Bao,Quang Tri Province^LA
• Bo Y,Kon Tum Province^LA
• Moc Bai,Tay Ninh Province^KH
• Xa Mat,Tay Ninh Province^KH
• Tinh Bien,An Giang Province^KH
• Vinh Xuong,An Giang Province^KH
• Ha Tien,Kien Giang Province^KH

List of sea border crossings

• Hon Gai Port, Quang Ninh Province
• Cam Pha Port, Quang Ninh Province
• Hai Phong Port, Hai Phong city
• Nghi Son Port, Thanh Hoa Province
• Vung Ang Port, Ha Tinh Province
• Chan May Port, Thua Thien Hue Province
• Da Nang Port, Da Nang City
• Nha Trang Port, Khanh Hoa Province
• Quy Nhon Port, Binh Dinh Province
• Dung Quat Port, Quang Ngai Province
• Vung Tau Port, Ba Ria Province - Vung Tau
• Ho Chi Minh City Port, Ho Chi Minh City
• Duong Dong Port, Kien Giang Province

e-Visa holders who present aChinese biometric ordinary passport upon arrival must exchange their e-Visa for a free paper visa at the port of entry. This is because the passport contains adisputed map of the South China Sea, and the Vietnamese government refuses to stamp on it.^[34]

Travellers who are not exempted from visa requirements may enterPhú Quốc without a visa for up to 30 days.^[36][37][38] They must arrive at Phú Quốc directly from a third country, or from airports in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City where they will clear immigration and proceed to the domestic terminals.^[2]

Holders of a visa letter issued and stamped inHanoi orDa Nang orHo Chi Minh City by the Vietnamese Immigration Department within theMinistry of Public Security or the Consular Department of theMinistry of Foreign Affairs may obtain a visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 1 or 3 months at airports inHanoi,Ho Chi Minh City,Da Nang,Phu Quoc,Hai Phong,Da Lat orNha Trang.^[2]

Passengers of any nationality may transit through Vietnam by air without a visa for less than 24 hours providing that they do not intend to leave the sterile transit area. Staying overnight in the transit lounge is permitted.^[2]

Most visitors arriving in Vietnam on short-term basis were from the following countries of nationality:

Data Source: Ministry of Culture, Sport & Tourism^[39]

Country	10/2025	2024	2023	2022	3/2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014
China	4,327,355	3,738,126	1,743,204	71,862	871,819	6,806,425	4,966,468	4,008,253	2,696,848	1,771,654	1,949,433
South Korea	3,598,681	4,568,941	3,595,062	769,167	819,089	4,290,802	3,485,406	2,415,245	1,543,883	1,152,349	849,384
Taiwan	1,033,265	1,288,861	851,024	89,463	192,216	926,744	714,112	616,232	507,301	425,060	391,040
United States	684,659	779,795	717,073	215,274	172,706	746,171	687,226	614,117	552,644	492,847	445,945
Japan	678,633	711,464	589,522	128,764	200,346	951,962	826,674	798,119	740,592	677,477	648,612
Cambodia*	549,654	474,580	402,062	140,461	120,430	227,910	202,954	222,614	211,949	220,449	397,399
Australia	447,470	490,880	390,087	99,156	92,227	383,511	386,934	370,438	320,678	323,792	322,424
India	574,968	501,427	145,340	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Malaysia*	454,523	495,383	470,105	135,007	116,221	606,206	540,119	480,456	407,574	341,125	333,859
Thailand*	374,211	418,054	489,174	162,567	125,725	509,802	349,310	301,587	266,984	218,025	253,503
Russia	501,695	232,300	125,610	28,056	244,966	646,524	606,637	574,164	433,987	339,270	365,163
United Kingdom	301,002	306,194	253,522	67,337	81,433	315,084	298,114	283,537	254,841	214,866	203,719
France	270,199	278,943	215,508	58,107	74,480	287,655	279,659	255,369	240,808	211,780	214,569
Philippines*	380,143	265,947	153,168	36,281	36,969	179,190	151,641	133,543	110,967	101,451	104,988
Germany	229,008	249,517	200,425	59,975	61,465	226,792	213,986	199,872	176,015	134,784	142,843
Singapore*	300,693	347,495	328,195	128,399	51,726	308,969	286,246	277,658	257,041	237,496	202,870
Canada	134,898	152,527	133,493	37,894	41,807	159,121	149,535	138,242	122,929	105,189	105,279
Indonesia*	170,351	184,093	105,380	26,338	21,446	106,688	87,941	81,065	69,653	65,660	68,974
Laos*	158,181	148,655	120,522	47,002	36,810	98,492	120,009	141,588	137,004	116,349	136,658
Italy	85,259	88,912	57,054	15,051	17,774	70,798	65,562	58,041	51,265	43,202	36,509
Poland	49,545	51,157	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Netherlands	74,682	78,043	68,057	19,756	18,265	81,092	77,300	72,277	64,712	48,862	49,837
Spain	77,384	91,370	76,087	22,511	11,783	83,597	77,071	69,528	57,957	45,483	40,824
Denmark	34,047	36,920	30,231	8,250	14,444	42,043	39,926	34,720	30,996	27,285	27,115
New Zealand	47,301	47,963	33,730	8,681	9,470	47,088	49,854	49,115	42,588	34,731	33,385
Sweden	29,184	34,267	25,755	6,487	21,857	50,704	49,723	44,045	37,679	34,131	30,223
Switzerland	30,482	33,584	27,929	8,025	10,845	36,577	34,541	33,123	31,475	25,765	32,315
Belgium	29,713	31,730	26,353	8,104	7,452	34,187	31,382	29,144	26,231	23,689	23,275
Norway	26,454	27,936	22,717	5,235	8,958	28,037	26,134	24,293	23,110	21,130	23,165
Total	17,168,498	17,583,901	12,602,434	3,661,222	3,686,779	18,008,591	15,497,791	12,922,151	10,012,735	7,898,852	7,887,013

* Country inASEAN** Incomplete data

Decree No. 390/TTg dated October 27, 1959, on the regulation of passport control, signed by Prime MinisterPham Van Dong, was the first legal document that regulated passport control in Vietnam.^[40] Article 1 of the decree states:

Vietnamese citizens and foreigners entering or leaving the Democratic Republic of Vietnam must carry a passport with a visa issued by the competent authority of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and must present the passport with the visa to the police station at the final place when leaving or the first place when entering.

This means that both Vietnamese citizens and foreigners, when leaving or entering Vietnam, must have a passport and a visa. A person who wants to leave the territory of Vietnam must have an exit visa. Exit visas are administrative procedures imposed to restrict the freedom of citizens of a country to travel abroad. This measure was previously used by many countries, especially socialist countries, to control their citizens and migration issues. Currently, only a very few countries in the world still use exit visas (for example:Saudi Arabia). Therefore, before theRenovation period, the travel of Vietnamese citizens abroad was highly restricted and tightly controlled. Vietnamese individuals were issued passports and exit/entry visas mainly for official work purposes, with decisions made by relevant authorities.

In 1988, Prime MinisterVo Van Kiet issued theDecision of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers No. 48/CT dated February 26, 1988, on allowing Vietnamese citizens to temporarily leave the country to settle personal matters.^[41] This decision relaxed the regulations on exit permits "to meet the legitimate aspirations of our people to apply for temporary exit permits to settle personal matters".

In 1993, the Government issuedDecree No. 48-CP on passports and visas,^[42] which unified the regulations on passport types and visas for the first time. The decree officially abolished entry visas for holders of Vietnamese passports, as stated in Article 10, Clause 3:

Vietnamese citizens (except Vietnamese citizens residing abroad) holding diplomatic passports, official passports, or ordinary passports are exempt from entry visas to Vietnam.

It was not until 1997 that Prime MinisterPhan Van Khai officially abolished the regulation on exit visas for Vietnamese citizens by issuing theDecision No. 957/1997/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister on improving some procedures for exit and addressing the issue of Vietnamese citizens who have left the country but have not returned on time,^[43][44] stated in Clause 2, Article 1:

Vietnamese citizens with valid passports are exempt from exit visas and can pass through Vietnam's international border gates.

As for foreigners, in 2000, the National Assembly abolished exit visas by referring to all types of visas (exit, entry, exit-entry, entry-exit) as visas (valid for entry and exit) in theOrdinance No. 24/2000/PL-UBTVQH10 on Entry, Exit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam^[45] by theStanding Committee of the National Assembly.

In 2014, theNational Assembly of Vietnam issued theLaw on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam (No. 47/2014/QH13), which is the highest legal document that regulates all activities related to the entry, exit, transit, and residence of foreigners in Vietnam.^[46]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide forVietnam.

• Visa requirements for Vietnamese citizens

• Vietnam e-visa application
• List of Vietnamese diplomatic missions

• Visa policy by country

• Webarchive template wayback links
• CS1 Vietnamese-language sources (vi)
• CS1: unfit URL
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from August 2023