If you hold a US passport, you need a Vietnam evisa, and the official portal is the only sensible place to get one. It costs $25 for single entry or $50 for multiple entry, it is valid for 90 days, and the official processing clock is 3 working days.
Those figures come straight from the Vietnam Immigration Department's own portal. Everything else on page one of Google is a reseller adding a markup to the same form.
This guide walks the official process step by step, explains the parts that trip people up (the photo size limits, the registration code, the entry-port list), and gives you an honest read on how long it really takes. It is written for travellers, not lawyers, and every rule below links to the government page it comes from. Once the visa is sorted, pick a base from our destinations page.
Do US citizens need a Vietnam evisa?
Yes. The United States is not on Vietnam's visa-exemption list, so an American tourist needs either an e-visa or a visa issued by a Vietnamese embassy or consulate before travelling. There is no visa-free entry and no reliable "visa on arrival" for US passport holders in 2026; the so-called visa-on-arrival letters sold online are a pre-approval workaround that predates the e-visa and is now unnecessary for tourists.
Vietnam does waive visas for citizens of some countries. The national tourism board's visa requirements page lists 13 countries whose citizens can stay up to 45 days without a visa (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Belarus), and a second wave of 12 European countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic and others) was added on 15 August 2025 under Resolution 229/NQ-CP, valid until 14 August 2028. If you travel on one of those passports, you may not need this guide. If you travel on a US passport, you do.
How does the Vietnam evisa work?
Vietnam opened the e-visa to citizens of every country on 15 August 2023 and, at the same time, extended it from 30 to 90 days with multiple entry allowed. The rules are published by the tourism board at vietnam.travel and the application itself lives on the Immigration Department's portal at evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn. You complete a short form, upload a portrait photo and a passport scan, pay by card, and receive a registration code by email. When the visa is approved you print it and carry it with your passport. That is the whole process for the e-visa itself, but it is not the only form Vietnam asks for before you fly; the separate pre-arrival declaration further down applies too.
How much does the Vietnam evisa cost?
The portal states the fee as $25 for a single-entry evisa and $50 for a multiple-entry evisa. Those fees are non-refundable if your application is refused, which the portal is explicit about.
The confusing part is that a search for "Vietnam e-visa" returns a wall of commercial sites that look official, use the national flag, and charge well above the government fee for what they call "processing". They are agencies filling in the same government form on your behalf. Some are honest about it, some are not, and none of them can make the Immigration Department move faster. The only site that issues a Vietnamese e-visa ends in gov.vn. If the address does not, you are paying a middleman.
| Item | Official portal | Third-party agencies (two examples, checked 18 September 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Single entry, 90 days | $25 | vietnam-visa.com $53 to $160 · vietnamvisaeasy.com $90 to $230, by speed tier |
| Multiple entry, 90 days | $50 | vietnam-visa.com $78 to $185 · vietnamvisaeasy.com $115 to $255, by speed tier |
| Processing | 3 working days, stated by the portal | Same government queue; agencies sell named speed tiers up to "1 hour," but the Immigration Department's own clock does not move faster for anyone |
| Who issues the visa | Vietnam Immigration Department | Vietnam Immigration Department, via the agency's account |
We read those figures directly off two agency pricing pages on 18 September 2026, at vietnam-visa.com/vietnam-visa-fees and vietnamvisaeasy.com/vietnam-visa-cost. We name them so you can check the figures, and deliberately do not link them. Both bundle the $25 or $50 government fee into one quoted price that climbs with speed, from a multi-day standard tier to a same-day rush. Neither agency files these prices with any regulator and both can change them without notice, so treat this as two dated snapshots, not a market average.
What gets a Vietnam evisa application rejected?
The portal's own warning is blunt: "If there is any missing or incorrect/unidentified information, your application will not be accepted." In practice three things cause most refusals.
1. The passport. The US State Department's Vietnam page, updated 2 July 2026, says your passport must be valid at the time of entry, must have 6 months of validity beyond your arrival date, and must have one blank page available per stamp. The Embassy of Vietnam in the US states the same 6-month validity rule independently. The State Department page also notes that Vietnam may not accept the 12-page US emergency passport for e-visa entry. Check your expiry date before you pay the fee.
2. The photo. The portal requires a portrait photo "straight looking without glasses" and a scan of the passport data page. Portrait files must be under 50KB and passport scans under 200KB. Those limits are tiny by modern phone standards; a typical phone photo is 3 to 5 MB. Resize before you start or the upload will fail silently and you will wonder why the form will not submit.
3. Matching details. Name, date of birth, passport number and expiry date must match the passport scan character for character. A transposed digit is an automatic refusal and a lost fee.
Step by step on the official portal
| Step | What you do | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Open the official application page and choose "For foreigners". | Confirm the address ends in gov.vn. |
| 2 | Upload the portrait (under 50KB) and passport scan (under 200KB). | Plain background, no glasses, no hat. |
| 3 | Enter personal details, passport details, and your intended entry date. | The visa validity starts from the entry date you choose, not the approval date. |
| 4 | Choose single or multiple entry, and your entry and exit ports. | Pick from the approved port list below. |
| 5 | Give an address in Vietnam. | Your first hotel is fine. |
| 6 | Pay $25 or $50 by card. | Non-refundable if refused. |
| 7 | Save the registration code emailed to you. | You need it to check status and to download the visa. |
| 8 | After 3 working days, check status on the e-visa search page. | Download and print. Bring a paper copy. |
The portal describes the flow as: complete the information entry, receive a registration code by email, pay the fee, then check approval using that code. There is no confirmation phone call and no interview.
How long does the Vietnam evisa really take?
The official processing time is 3 working days. Two things stretch it in practice.
Working days means Vietnamese working days. Applications lodged on a Friday evening in the US land on a Saturday in Hanoi and start their clock on Monday. Around Tet, the Lunar New Year holiday that falls in late January or February, and around the 30 April and 1 May public holidays and 2 September National Day, the queue pauses for several days.
Second, some applications are flagged for a manual check. The portal does not publish a statistic for this and neither will we; our practical advice is to apply two to three weeks before you fly, and never later than one week out. That leaves room for a refused application (a bad photo, a mismatched digit) to be resubmitted with a fresh fee without missing a flight.
If your e-visa is still "processing" the day before departure, there is no expedite button on the official portal. Agencies that promise same-day results are relying on the same queue.
Which airports and land borders accept the Vietnam evisa?
The e-visa is only valid at the ports listed by the government. The tourism board's visa page lists 13 international airports, including Noi Bai (Hanoi), Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City), Da Nang, Cam Ranh (for Nha Trang), Phu Quoc, Phu Bai (Hue), Cat Bi (Hai Phong), Can Tho, Van Don, Tho Xuan, Dong Hoi, Phu Cat and Lien Khuong (Da Lat). It also lists 16 land border gates, among them Moc Bai and Xa Mat from Cambodia, Lao Bao and Cau Treo from Laos, and Huu Nghi and Lao Cai from China, plus 13 seaports.
You name your entry port on the form. If you plan to fly into Da Nang and leave overland to Laos, say so; entering through a port you did not declare can mean a refused entry. If your plans are not fixed, multiple entry for $50 gives you more room, but the port list still applies.
Single or multiple entry?
Single entry at $25 covers the classic trip: fly in, travel the country, fly out. Multiple entry at $50 is worth it in three cases. You are combining Vietnam with Cambodia or Laos and coming back (the Hanoi to Luang Prabang to Hue loop is common). You are a remote worker planning a visa run to reset the 90 days. Or you simply want the freedom to change your mind for $25 more. The 90-day validity is the same for both.
At the border
Carry a printed e-visa and your passport. Immigration officers at Da Nang and Tan Son Nhat are used to phones, but a printout removes any argument about screen brightness or a dead battery after a long flight. The officer checks that the passport number matches, stamps you in, and you are through. There is no fee at the border for e-visa holders.
One more point worth knowing: the State Department notes there is no vaccination requirement for entry, and no limit on how much currency you bring in. Vietnam's own customs rules are the ones that matter for declaring it: you must declare any Vietnamese dong over 15,000,000 VND or any foreign currency over $5,000 on entry or exit, under Circular 15/2011/TT-NHNN. Those thresholds can change; check Vietnam Customs before you carry a large amount of cash.
There is also a second, separate government form air travellers miss. The same State Department page notes that every traveller on a non-Vietnamese passport entering Vietnam by air must file a pre-arrival declaration with the Immigration Department, a different system from the e-visa portal, no earlier than 3 days before landing. There is no fee, and it has nothing to do with your e-visa status, but it is a real requirement, not an optional convenience form, so it belongs on the same checklist.
The copycat problem, plainly
Type "Vietnam e-visa" into a search engine and count how many results end in .com, .org or .net. Every one of them is a private company. Some charge a fair service fee and file correctly. Others have been reported by travellers for filing late, filing wrong details, or not filing at all. The government does not license or endorse any of them, and the tourism board's own page sends you straight to the gov.vn portal.
The safest test is the address bar. The official application runs on the Immigration Department's own domains, evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn and its newer front end evisa.gov.vn, and nowhere else. If a site asks for more than $25 or $50, or asks for documents beyond a photo and a passport scan, you are not on the official site.
What to do once the Vietnam evisa is approved
- Print two copies and keep one in your passport.
- File the pre-arrival declaration no earlier than 3 days before you fly; it is a separate government form from the e-visa and required for any non-Vietnamese passport arriving by air.
- Book your first nights before you file, because the form asks for your address in Vietnam. Budget roughly one night at the median: Guide Machine hotel data, refreshed 5 September 2026, our own scrape of 303 Agoda listings, puts the middle of the Da Nang market at $41.73, about 1,076,000 VND.
- Screenshot the approval email in case the airline counter asks.
- Carry small notes for the first taxi and the first meal, so you are not breaking a 500,000 at the airport. Our guide to Vietnam dong to USD covers the notes that get confused.
What the queue is actually like when you land
An approved e-visa gets you to an immigration desk, not through it. Vietnamese travellers are blunt about what happens next, and it is worth knowing before you book a tight connection.
At Noi Bai Terminal 2 in Hanoi, a one-star Google Maps review, Vietnamese, translated, September 2026, posted 3 September, is specific: "Of the 5 autogates, 2 are broken. At peak hours, immigration takes a very long time." The original reads 5 cổng autogate thì hỏng 2 cổng. Giờ cao điểm nhập cảnh rất mất thời gian.
Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City draws harder criticism. It holds 3.6 stars from about 29,767 Google ratings, low for a major international airport. A one-star Google Maps review, Vietnamese, translated, September 2026, posted 24 September, reads: "The worst airport in the world for arrivals or departures. Locals and tourists alike complain and it has not improved in years." English-language reviewers the same week describe one to two hours in the immigration line.
Neither queue is an e-visa problem and neither is avoidable by paying an agency. Land with time in hand, and do not book a domestic connection under three hours from an international arrival.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Vietnam e-visa for Americans?
$25 for single entry and $50 for multiple entry, paid on the official portal. Both are valid for up to 90 days. Any higher price is an agency fee on top. For what those dollars are worth on the ground, see our Vietnam guides.
How long does the Vietnam e-visa take?
The Immigration Department states 3 working days. Allow longer around Vietnamese public holidays, and apply at least two weeks before you fly so a refusal can be resubmitted.
Can I get a visa on arrival in Vietnam with a US passport?
Not as a walk-up tourist. The pre-approval letters sold online are a legacy workaround. For a holiday, the e-visa is the intended route and the cheaper one.
Do I need to print the e-visa?
The portal instructs you to print it to enter and exit Vietnam. A paper copy in your passport avoids any dispute at the counter.
Can I extend a Vietnam e-visa?
The e-visa is not designed to be extended inside the country. Travellers who want longer usually leave and re-enter on a multiple-entry visa or apply for a new one. Rules on extensions change; confirm on the Immigration Department portal before relying on it.
What if my application is refused?
The fee is not refunded. Fix the reason (usually the photo, the passport scan, or a mismatched detail) and apply again. This is why applying early matters.
Do I need to fill out anything besides the e-visa before I fly?
Yes. Every non-Vietnamese passport holder flying into Vietnam must also file a pre-arrival declaration with the Immigration Department, a separate form from the e-visa. It cannot be filed more than 3 days before you land, and there is no fee.
Primary Sources
- Vietnam Immigration Department, official e-visa application portal: evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn (fees, processing time, photo requirements, printing instruction)
- Vietnam Immigration Department, e-visa status search: evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/tra-cuu-thi-thuc
- Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, visa requirements and approved ports: vietnam.travel/plan-your-trip/visa-requirements
- Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, visa exemptions effective 15 August 2025 (Resolution 229/NQ-CP): vietnam.travel
- US Department of State, Vietnam country information, updated 2 July 2026: travel.state.gov (passport validity and blank-page guidance, vaccination requirement)
- Vietnam Customs, cash declaration thresholds under Circular 15/2011/TT-NHNN: customs.gov.vn
- Embassy of Vietnam, Washington, D.C., visa application requirements (passport validity): vietnamembassy-usa.org
- Vietnam Immigration Department, pre-arrival declaration portal for non-Vietnamese passport holders arriving by air: prearrival.immigration.gov.vn
- Background only, not authoritative, and intentionally unlinked: two third-party visa agencies' own pricing pages, checked 18 September 2026, at vietnam-visa.com/vietnam-visa-fees and vietnamvisaeasy.com/vietnam-visa-cost
Last reviewed 25 September 2026 by the Known by Locals Editorial Team against the sources above. Visa rules change; the official portal always wins over this page.
