Vietnam Visa: General Information

As of August 15, 2023, no visa is required for a stay of less than 45 days in Vietnam for the list of countries mentioned below, including Italy. Therefore, for most tourist stays there are no problems entering Vietnam with a passport valid at least 6 months after your travel return date.

For stays longer than 45 days, citizens of most countries must undertake the necessary procedures to obtain a visa. It allows foreigners to enter Vietnam and exit from the international airports of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang or through any of its numerous land borders shared with China, Laos, and Cambodia. It will be valid from the date you indicate in the form (desired length of stay).

If there are several types of visas, we will provide you here with all the details to obtain a tourist visa.

Vietnam visa

IMPORTANT: Note that your passport must be valid for 6 months after the visa expiration date or your return travel date.

Stay of maximum 45 days

As of August 15, 2023, Vietnam applies a 45-day visa exemption system, in particular for citizens of thirteen countries (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Belarus)

This exemption is applied for a maximum duration of 45 days without distinction of passport categories and entry into Vietnam, and is valid from August 15, 2023. If your stay is less than 45 days on site, you therefore benefit from a visa exemption in Vietnam.

This exemption is also valid for multiple entries of a maximum duration of 45 days in Vietnam. In other words, the traveler can exit and re-enter the country. He or she benefits from a visa exemption for all entries into Vietnam if the stay is less than 45 days on site.

Be careful, to obtain authorization to enter the territory under the exemption, it is absolutely necessary to have an exit ticket from the territory with you. It can be a return flight to your country or another ticket.

Upon arrival at the airport/border, present your passport and round-trip plane ticket. That’s all.

List of countries eligible for the 45-day visa exemption:

Stay of more than 45 days and less than 3 months

In order to stay more than 45 days in Vietnam, you must apply for a visa. This procedure allows you to obtain a multiple-entry visa, meaning you can enter, exit, and re-enter the country during the duration of the visa.

To apply for a 90-day Vietnam visa. There are 2 options:

Option 1: Travelers can apply for an e-visa online themselves https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/en_US/trang-chu-ttdt

Option 2: If the traveler signs a travel contract with Horizon, we will help them apply for the e-visa and they will only pay 25 USD/person for the visa stamp. To do this, the traveler should send us the following necessary documents:

• scan/photo of passport
• a passport photo (4×6 format) of each person
• round-trip international plane ticket

Once the visas are issued, we will send the result to the traveler via email and explain the next steps.

Stay of more than 90 days

You must exit Vietnam (to Cambodia or Laos) and then re-enter Vietnam to apply for the visa a second time. You can then choose to benefit from a visa exemption or apply for an e-visa depending on the length of your second stay.

Extension

It is not possible to extend your stay with an e-visa when you benefit from the exemption. Exiting the territory is indeed mandatory.

Types of visa in Vietnam

1. Tourist:

General duration of 3 months, with single or multiple entry.

2. Family:

You must complete procedures at the Vietnamese embassy

3. Student:

You can enter Vietnam with a tourist visa, and then to study in Vietnam, you must request from the Vietnamese Immigration Department a change of status.

4. Work:

maximum duration of two years, you must complete procedures with your company

Price

The price of a single-entry visa is 25 dollars, or 23.50 euros

Visa Procedure for Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos

Visa in Cambodia

Cambodia issues the visa on arrival without any preliminary formalities. Upon your arrival at Cambodia’s airport/border, you only need to present your passport and pay 30-35 USD/person. You will then receive your visa on site.

Visa in Laos

You must apply for a visa to enter Laos.

In the case of airport entry, 2 options:

Option 1: Laos issues the visa on arrival without any preliminary formalities: upon your arrival at Laos airport, you only need to present your passport, two passport photos (4×6 format) for each person, and pay 41 USD/person (USD only). You will then receive your visa on site.

Option 2: You can apply for an electronic visa (e-visa). This option is practical and fast. This will save you from waiting in line at the airport and save you time. To do this, I invite you to access this link: https://laoevisa.gov.la/index and follow the steps.

In the case of border entry, 2 options:

Foreigners, as tourists, who wish to enter Laos from the border gate, must apply for a visa before entering Laos.

Option 1: Travelers apply for the visa themselves at the Laos Embassy in their country of origin.

Option 2: When the traveler enters Vietnam, our French-speaking guide will accompany them to the Laos Embassy in Hanoi to help them apply for the visa. They must prepare:

– a passport photo for each person (4x6cm format).

– 40 USD/person (USD only)

– passports

Thailand Visa

• If the stay is less than 30 days -> Benefit from a visa exemption (valid after March 31, 2023)

>> List of countries and territories that benefit from a visa exemption and visa on arrival in Thailand -> Click here

Health conditions concerning COVID

VIETNAM + CAMBODIA + THAILAND + LAOS

Tourists can enter without conditions. Indeed, they do not need a vaccination passport, quarantine upon arrival, or a negative SARS-CoV-2 test certificate. Vaccination and Covid insurance are not even required for a trip to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand.

Have a good trip!