How long can I stay in Vietnam on a tourist visa?

With Vietnam tourist visa (Vietnam C1 Visa), you can stay here up to 30 days (inclusive of dates of entry and exit), single entry. Of course, you can extend for 1 month visa or 3 months more if you want to stay longer. Vietnam visa extension (C1 visa extension) can be done easily when you are in Vietnam. And please note that the extension fee of Vietnam Visa is subjected to be higher than a new visa getting when you are outside the country.

If you do need to stay in Vietnam more than 3 months up to 1 year, you are recommended to apply for Vietnam Business Visa (B3 Vietnam Visa) in advance. You can obtain this kind of visa with Vietnam Tour or through the nearest Vietnamese Embassy in your country. 

If you are planning to visit Vietnam soon, you might want to know about some new changes in the visa policy that will take effect from August 15, 2023. According to Resolution 127 of the government, Vietnam will offer electronic visas for citizens of all countries and territories who enter through any of the 42 international border gates. The electronic visas will be valid for up to 90 days and can be used for single or multiple entries. Moreover, Vietnam will extend the visa exemption period for 13 countries from 15 days to 45 days. These countries are: UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Belarus, Japan and South Korea. These changes are expected to boost tourism and trade between Vietnam and other countries.

In order to get Vietnam Visa, applicants will be required to pay Visa service fee and Stamping fee. For those people choosing to get Vietnam Embassy Visa, both of these fees will be collected by staff working there. In this case, visa fee is not fixed because each Embassy of Vietnam requires a different fee.

The most popular type of visa for Vietnam is a tourist visa, which is normally valid for 15-90 days. You can apply for a 3-month tourist visa, but the procedure will be the same as for a 1-month visa. In other words, the validity of a Vietnamese tourist visa can range from 15 days to 3 months.

If you need to stay in Vietnam for longer than 30 days, you will need to apply for a long-term visa. There are several types of long-term visas available, including business visas, student visas, and work visas. The requirements for these visas vary depending on the type of visa you are applying for.

You can apply for a tourist visa at a Vietnamese embassy or consulate in your home country, or you can apply for an e-visa online. The e-visa is a convenient option, but it is only available for citizens of certain countries.

To apply for a tourist visa, you will need to provide the following documents:

• A passport that is valid for at least six months
• A completed visa application form
• A recent passport-sized photo
• A visa fee

If you are applying for a long-term visa, you will need to provide additional documents, such as a letter of invitation from a Vietnamese sponsor, a proof of financial support, and a medical certificate.

The processing time for a tourist visa varies, but it is typically 3-5 working days. The processing time for a long-term visa can be longer, up to 15 working days.

About visa on arrival, to get this visa issued, each sub­type of fee is required to pay for two separate steps. In more details, visa service fee is charged to process pre­approved visa letter and stamping fee is paid to grant an official visa stamped onto passenger’s passport. Unlike embassy visa, the cost of Vietnam visa online is quoted clearly for each visa type at Vietnam visa fee page.

In order to request visa, foreign travelers can visit Vietnam Embassy and apply in person or apply online for visa upon arrival, or e-visa. Among these ways, getting Vietnam visa upon arrival and obtaining an e-visa are more recommended than the other option because of their simplicity of procedure.