Since the 15th of March, tourists and business travellers are welcome again in Vietnam. However, the rules and conditions under which travellers are welcome to enter the country, remain unclear.
Unclarity regarding quarantine and testing
After a period of more than two years in which Vietnam kept its borders safely closed due to the coronavirus, the country is welcoming tourists and business travellers since March 15th. Until then, only specific groups of people were allowed to travel to Vietnam, and were only welcome on particular locations. For example, in 2021, Vietnam temporarily opened up the Island Phu Quoc for tourists. With these kinds of projects, the government wanted to investigate the attainability of re-opening the borders on the short term. However, due to new outbreaks of the coronavirus, like the Omicron-variant, the re-opening of the borders was put on hold longer than expected. It wasn’t until February 2022 that the government announced to open its borders the 15th of March.
It is, however, still uncertain for international travellers which Covid-19 measures apply to them. One month ago, it was mandatory for travellers to be either fully vaccinated, or have proof of recovery, and stay in self-quarantine for 24 hours upon arrival. A few days before reopening the borders, Prime-minister Vu Duc Dam announced to provide us with the new measures, but they have not yet been brought to light.
Visa-free travel reinstated
On the15th of March, the government declared to reinstate the possibility to travel without a Vietnam visa for some nationalities. This settlement had been on hold during the pandemic. The Vietnamese tourism sector, however, urged the government multiple times to re-establish travelling without a visa. They feared that tourists with these nationalities would refrain from travelling to Vietnam if they had to apply for a visa, which would drastically slow down the recovery of the tourism sector. In 2019, this sector provided around 10% of the GDP (Gross domestic product) of the country.
The government has finally responded to the tourism sector. Travellers from 13 countries, including Germany, France, Italy and the UK, are now allowed to enter Vietnam without a visa. Their stay cannot be longer than 15 days. Those who wish to stay longer, are obligated to apply for a Vietnam visa. The number of tourists is not expected to be at the same level as before the pandemic, until the year 2026.
Visa rules for other nationalities.
Travellers from countries that are not on the list of visa-free travel, will always have to apply for a visa to enter Vietnam. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the visa rules have stayed the same. To apply for a visa, you need to already have planned your stay for the first night, and all travellers need to enter and leave the country on the permitted locations.
The Vietnam visa is valid for 30 days, which is also the maximum number of days you may stay in Vietnam. Contrary to the validity period of some other visas, the validity period of the Vietnam visa starts on the date indicated in the online application form. If you arrive after this date, your stay in Vietnam will also have to be shortened.
Please note: this news article about the visa for Vietnam is more than one year old. It might contain outdated information and advice, and no rights can therefore be derived from this article. Are you going on a trip soon and do you wish to do know what rules currently apply? Read all about the up-to-date information about the visa for Vietnam.