For a normal holiday from Hong Kong, apply for a Vietnam e-visa before you fly: it is open to citizens of all countries and territories and allows a stay of up to 90 days. Travel with the issued visa ready; Vietnam's “visa on arrival” is not a visa you simply buy at the airport without applying first.
What people mean by "visa on arrival" in Vietnam#
The phrase “visa on arrival”, often shortened to VOA, refers to an arrangement that relies on an approval letter organised before travel. The name can make it sound as though the application starts after landing. That is the misunderstanding to avoid: it is not a walk-up visa.
Older Hong Kong travel guides and messages from friends can still use the approval-letter terminology. If a guide predates the expansion of e-visa access on 15 August 2023, keep that date in mind when comparing its advice with your own plans. An old article title does not establish which document you should arrange for this trip.
Start by identifying what you are being offered. An approval letter and an issued e-visa are different documents. If someone describes a service only as a “Vietnam visa”, ask which document you will receive before paying or treating the paperwork as complete.
How the e-visa works today#
Vietnam's e-visa has been open to citizens of all countries and territories since 15 August 2023. It covers stays of up to 90 days, with single-entry and multiple-entry options. The application is made online through the official Vietnam e-visa portal, or you can use a private service to help prepare and submit it.
The government fee is US$25 for single entry or US$50 for multiple entry, and is non-refundable. These are e-visa government charges, not approval-letter or stamping fees. When comparing assistance options, check the service total and included items on our pricing page.
Official processing takes about three working days after a complete application. It can take longer during peak periods and holidays, including Tết, Golden Week and Christmas. Allow time to prepare your documents and review the result as well as waiting for processing; our processing-time guide explains those stages.
The issued e-visa is a PDF to print or show on arrival. Open it before departure and compare the details with your passport exactly. Keep the file easy to find with your travel documents, and check its dates and entry type against your itinerary.
Side-by-side comparison#
Use this comparison to distinguish the documents and the preparation involved. It is a starting point for deciding what to ask, particularly if you already have paperwork from another provider.
| Question | Vietnam e-visa | “Visa on arrival” / approval-letter arrangement |
|---|---|---|
| When do you hold the visa? | After issue, before travelling | An approval letter must be arranged before travel; it is not the issued e-visa |
| Where do you apply? | Online through the official portal, independently or with assistance | Arrange the approval in advance; ask us about your case |
| What do you show at the airport? | The issued e-visa PDF, with details matching your passport | Do not treat an approval letter as an e-visa; ask for a review of the document you have |
| Who does it suit? | Travellers preparing an ordinary holiday with the visa issued before flying | Ask us if your circumstances need a different arrangement |
Read the document itself alongside any service description. A receipt or a message saying that an application was submitted is not the issued e-visa PDF.
Which one should you choose?#
For an ordinary holiday, choose the e-visa and organise it before departure. HKSAR passport holders need a visa for tourism, and BN(O) passport holders are not covered by the British-citizen exemption. Our Hong Kong passport visa guide explains the distinction so you can use the correct passport details from the start.
Consider the whole route when choosing single or multiple entry. Write down each planned arrival in Vietnam, including any return after visiting another country. Keep the entry count separate from the length of stay: a longer stay does not turn a single-entry visa into a multiple-entry one.
Check the entry port too. Travellers must enter through the port chosen in the application and a port permitted for e-visa holders. Compare your route with the official portal's permitted-port list before submitting.
For business travel or a sponsored stay, contact us with the purpose of the trip. If your plans change after arrival, ask about the next step before assuming an online extension is possible: tourists generally cannot extend an e-visa online, and extensions or status changes go through Vietnamese immigration procedures.
If you were given an "approval letter" by someone else#
Before starting another application, establish what you already have. Ask the person or company who sent the document to explain who issued it, what it is for and what they have already arranged. Keep their explanation with the document and any payment record so you can review everything together.
Work through these checks:
- Read the document's title and identify whether it is an approval letter or an issued e-visa.
- Compare the names and passport numbers with the passports that will be used for travel.
- Ask what has been submitted and what remains to be done before departure.
- Clarify any payment request before paying again for work you believe is already covered.
Do not discard the paperwork simply because its wording differs from this guide. Open our live chat, explain that you have an approval letter from another provider and ask us to help review your next step. Include your planned departure date so the discussion reflects your actual schedule.
Applying for the e-visa with us#
Our private application assistance service checks your documents before submission. Prepare a passport biographical-page scan and a recent portrait in a 4×6 cm style, with a white background, facing the camera and without glasses. You also need entry and exit dates, the intended entry port, an address in Vietnam and an email address.
Keep those details together and follow our how-to-apply guide. Tell us at the outset if another provider has already arranged paperwork, so we can discuss what you have before you start again. We are a private service, not the Vietnamese government.
When you are ready, Chat to apply with the passport and itinerary you intend to use. The final checkpoint is the issued PDF: compare it with your passport and travel plans, then keep it ready for the journey.
Questions about this guide
01Can I get a Vietnam visa at the airport without applying first?
Do not plan on a walk-up visa. Vietnam's visa-on-arrival arrangement relies on an approval letter organised before travel. For an ordinary holiday, apply for the e-visa and have it issued before you fly.
02Is the e-visa valid for both single and multiple entry?
Yes. Vietnam's e-visa has single-entry and multiple-entry options for stays of up to 90 days. Choose the entry type that matches your full itinerary.
03How long should I allow before departure?
Official processing takes about three working days after a complete application, with longer waits possible at peak times and holidays such as Tết, Golden Week and Christmas. Allow additional time to prepare your files and check the issued PDF.
04Does travelling on BN(O) remove the need for a Vietnam visa?
No. BN(O) passport holders need a visa and are not covered by the British-citizen exemption. Read our Hong Kong passport visa guide before preparing the application.
