Get a 30-Day Vietnam Online Visa or EVisa by YourSelf Easily

So, the question you should really ask yourself is whether you need a Vietnam eVisa or online visa? Maybe, you do.

But do you want it? And why would you want it with all the other options available?

I have been asked these questions too many times, especially from first timers to Vietnam. The first time I came to Vietnam, I came with a Vietnam eVisa.

During all the time I had been in Vietnam, I have travelled to many places in Vietnam. It’s truly a wonderful country with so much to do and see. Although it is impossible to choose, if you are planning on visiting more than Hanoi and Da Nang, here is a list of best places to see in Vietnam.

Why and When to Get an Vietnam Online Visa or EVisa

The best part about the eVisa is that the eVisa starts with the travel date you mention. That means, you can get an eVisa now with a travel date of 1 year afterwards. The visa’s validity starts from the date of your travel. So you can hang on to your visa, just like that. I seriously doubt anyone would apply for it before 1 year, but it’s good to know that you can apply for it beforehand.

The e-Visa is processed in 3 days, although you might get that earlier.

Now, about the why part, if you are planning to be in Vietnam for 30 days and you don’t have a visa-exempt entry of 30 days, a Vietnam Online Visa is the cheapest and easiest option available. And if you are already in Vietnam but your time is running out, you can apply for an e-Visa, leave the country and re-enter.

Can Everyone Get a Vietnam EVisa?

An e-Visa is not for everyone. Sorry about that.

Right now, there are 80 countries that can apply for a Vietnam Online Visa. So, in order to get one, you first need to check whether your country is on the list.

Apply at Vietnam eVisa Official Website

There is one and only one official website to apply the Vietnam eVisa: https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/web/guest/khai-thi-thuc-dien-tu/cap-thi-thuc-dien-tu

Believe it or not, so many tourists have been scammed by the fake websites. People, please look at the gov.vn extension. Most of those fake websites would have govt.vn or some other extension. All these fake ones charge you a lot and the visa you get from them wouldn’t be real. They are all shady as hell.

The Vietnam Online Visa Application Process

Coming to the application process, it’s really simple. You head over to the website with a Portrait photo (4x6cm) with white background and a picture of your bio page in your passport. It will ask you for some personal information, email and all.

Make sure that your photo and the photo of your passport are in one of these 3 formats: .jpg, .jpeg, .gif.

Intended date of entry:

Normally the e-Visa would be granted from the intended date of your entry. The thing to remember here is that your date of entry has to be after the date the e-Visa is valid from. And if by any chance, you don’t enter the date mentioned here, it doesn’t matter.

Entry checkpoint and exit checkpoint:

Mention the checkpoint you would actually use. Please don’t mess this one up. There have been incidents when travellers have been turned away at the wrong check point. If you are gonna cross from Laos to Vietnam through the Tay Trang border, choose Tay Trang border, not an airport.

Right now there are 33 international checkpoints where you can enter and exit with an e-Visa for Vietnam.

Children under 14 years

If there are children under 14 accompanying you, you would mention their names and passport numbers, and upload their pictures.

After you finish filling up the application form, you would see a registration number. Take a screenshot of this registration code and save it. You would get an email with this registration code as well.

Once you confirm your details, it will send you to the payment page to pay the 25$ visa fees. Now get your credit or debit card (VISA/MASTER/JCB, sorry American Express), pay the fees and you are all set.

Where to Download Your Vietnam Online Visa

Now, give the system three working days to process your evisa. The system is automatic. So if everything is alright, check and download your eVisa for Vietnam. Remember the registration code from before? You would need to provide that, your email and date of birth to get it.

Vietnam Immigration with Vietnam Online Visa

Make sure that you have a printout of the e-Visa when you enter Vietnam. Emails or PDFs on your cellphone don’t do the job. You would need to show your passport and the e-Visa printout at the immigration, and they would stamp your passport for 30 days. Make sure of that.

Sometimes, especially at land borders, they don’t check it properly and stamp your passport for for a visa-exempt entry, which is often lesser than 30 days.

Oh, and do keep a copy of it with your passport. They would ask for it when you leave Vietnam.

It’s been 3 days but my EVisa isn’t here: Vietnam eVisa Help

Ok, this can happen and this does happen. If three working days have passed and your visa is not there yet, please email Vietnam’s e-Visa Support. However, they often don’t reply to your emails nor do they answer the phone. And, just make sure your data is 100% valid, since it is an automatic system. If nothing works, you would need to think about the other visa options.

Email support:  evisa@immigration.gov.vn

Payment gateway support (Payoo): support@payoo.vn   /  https://payoo.vn/v2/en/contact

Clubbing EVisa with Another Visa or Visa-exempt Entry

You can. A lot of expats do it. While you do need to have a gap of 30 days between two visa-exempt entries or two e-Visas, no one is stopping you from applying an e-Visa right after a 3 months multiple entry tourist visa. Or the other way around.

Vietnam EVisa Extension

While it’s possible to extend your Vietnam online eVisa while you are inside Vietnam, it can be a costly affair. So it’s much better to get out and come back using another visa.

Have you tried obtaining a tourist visa on arrival for Thailand?

If you have tried obtaining a eVisa for Vietnam, let us know in the comments. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have. And please share the article, if you think it’s helpful.