If you are in Australia, your e-visa has been pending for days and your flight is getting closer, two questions matter: is this a normal wait, and what time is it in Vietnam right now? This page answers both for Australian time zones, with the causes, worked examples and the cutoffs converted for you.
Quick answer:
- Four causes: the normal queue, a silent error, an incomplete payment, or extra review. Check the live status to tell which
- Australia is ahead of Vietnam by 1 to 4 hours, so a cutoff in the Vietnamese afternoon lands in your evening. An early Saturday in Australia is still Friday evening in Vietnam
- Do not reapply. A duplicate can hold both files and means a second government fee
- If your flight is close, ask for a speed-up of the same file, from $70
- No agency employs immigration staff or controls the decision. A speed-up escalates and follows up the file
Why It Happens: Four Causes
An e-visa that has been pending for days has one of four causes. The first is harmless, the second is the one that needs action, and two of them are easy to mistake for each other.
| Cause | How it shows up | How to tell |
|---|---|---|
| The normal queue | Status reads In Process. Vietnamese weekends and holidays do not count | Count working days, not calendar days. Usually around 3, often 3 to 5 in practice |
| A silent error | Status reads Amendment Required, or the file simply stops. A photo in the wrong format, a transit hub as entry port, or a name that does not match the passport | Check the live status. Australian passports commonly show a middle name in the machine-readable zone that gets left off the form |
| An incomplete payment | The payment looked finished on your side but the application was not fully submitted | Check the receipt and the lookup. “No record found” can also be a mistyped code, email or date of birth |
| Extra review | Some files take longer without anything being wrong | There is no visible sign. Ask support to look at the file if you are past the usual window |
Check the live status at evisa.gov.vn/e-visa/search with the registration code, the email and your date of birth. The confirmation email is a snapshot and never updates.
The Australian Time Check
Australia is ahead of Vietnam, not behind it: 1 hour for Perth, 3 for Brisbane, 2.5 for Adelaide in winter (3.5 on daylight time), and 3 for Sydney and Melbourne in winter (4 on daylight time). Vietnam does not change its clocks. So your working day and Vietnam’s largely overlap, and a deadline in Vietnamese afternoon lands in your evening.
The cutoffs below are for single-entry weekday tiers. Each cell shows the time in your city, and where two times are shown, use the one that applies today.
| Tier | Vietnam (VNT) | Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart | Brisbane | Adelaide | Perth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Day | 11:00 | 15:00 AEDT 14:00 AEST | 14:00 AEST | 14:30 ACDT 13:30 ACST | 12:00 AWST |
| 2-Day | 11:00 | 15:00 AEDT 14:00 AEST | 14:00 AEST | 14:30 ACDT 13:30 ACST | 12:00 AWST |
| 1-Day | 11:00 | 15:00 AEDT 14:00 AEST | 14:00 AEST | 14:30 ACDT 13:30 ACST | 12:00 AWST |
| 5-Hour | 13:00 | 17:00 AEDT 16:00 AEST | 16:00 AEST | 16:30 ACDT 15:30 ACST | 14:00 AWST |
| 2.5-Hour | 15:30 | 19:30 AEDT 18:30 AEST | 18:30 AEST | 19:00 ACDT 18:00 ACST | 16:30 AWST |
| 1.5-Hour | 16:30 | 20:30 AEDT 19:30 AEST | 19:30 AEST | 20:00 ACDT 19:00 ACST | 17:30 AWST |
| 30–60 minutes | Confirm on WhatsApp | — | — | — | — |
| Weekend / Holiday (Sat/Sun) | 15:00 | 19:00 AEDT 18:00 AEST | 18:00 AEST | 18:30 ACDT 17:30 ACST | 16:00 AWST |
Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart and Adelaide move to daylight time (AEDT, ACDT) from early October to early April. Brisbane and Perth do not change. Weekday tiers run Monday to Friday only. The boarding letter has no cutoff.
Four examples, worked out
Illustrative scenarios built from the cutoff times above. They are not customer cases.
| It is… | In Vietnam | Weekday tiers still open |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 21:00 AEDT | Thursday 17:00 | Only the 30–60 minute tier, if its cutoff allows. Confirm on WhatsApp |
| Friday 15:00 AWST | Friday 14:00 | 2.5-Hour, 1.5-Hour, plus 30–60 minutes if its cutoff allows |
| Friday 18:00 AEST | Friday 15:00 | 2.5-Hour, 1.5-Hour, plus 30–60 minutes if its cutoff allows |
| Saturday 01:00 AEDT | Friday 21:00 | None. It is after Vietnamese working hours |
The last row is the one people miss. An early Saturday morning in Australia is still Friday evening in Vietnam, so the weekday tiers are already closed and the weekend batch, with its Saturday 15:00 Vietnam-time cutoff, is the next option.
Pending, and your flight is close? Send us your registration code and flight details.
WhatsApp +84 947 754 252Send your reference code (format E260705…) if you already applied.
What to Actually Do
- Check the live status using the registration code, the email and your date of birth. Do not rely on assumptions or on the confirmation email.
- Work out how close your flight really is, in Vietnam time. Use the table above to see which tiers are still open.
- If time is short, ask for a speed-up of the same application. Do not submit a duplicate: a second application can hold both files and means paying the government fee twice.
- If the status says Amendment Required, correct the specific error first. Speed cannot fix an error.
The state of your file decides the move. See wait, speed up or restart, and our guide for Australians in a hurry.
Worth Being Clear About
No visa service, including us, employs staff of Vietnamese immigration, and “urgent processing” does not replace or skip the government’s review. A speed-up escalates your existing file and follows it up on your behalf. We cannot control the decision or when it is made, so be cautious of any provider who implies otherwise.
Speed Up Prices
Speed Up applies when you already submitted on evisa.gov.vn and paid the government fee, so it costs less than a new application at the same speed. Prices are in USD, and multiple entry adds $25.
| Tier | Delivery | New application | Speed Up (already applied) | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 3 working days | $50 | — | Mon–Fri |
| 3-Day | 3 days | $90 | $70 | Mon–Fri |
| 2-Day | 2 days | $100 | $80 | Mon–Fri |
| 1-Day | 1 day | $110 | $90 | Mon–Fri |
| 5-Hour | about 5 hours | $125 | $100 | Mon–Fri |
| 2.5-Hour | about 2.5 hours | $155 | $130 | Mon–Fri |
| 1.5-Hour | about 1.5 hours | $185 | $160 | Mon–Fri |
| 30–60 minutes | 30–60 minutes | $215 | $190 | Mon–Fri only |
| Weekend / Holiday | typically before 06:00 VNT next morning | $230 | $210 | Sat, Sun, public holidays |
Full cutoff table for other time zones: urgent visa service.
What No Agency Can Honestly Guarantee
Vietnamese immigration always makes the final decision, and no agency can guarantee approval or an exact time. What we can state is our refund commitment:
Our refund policy: 100% refund if we cannot complete your visa, or if we do not complete it within the timeframe we committed to. Read the conditions in our Terms & Conditions, and confirm the price, the time and the refund in writing on WhatsApp before you pay. No agency controls Vietnamese immigration’s decision or timing.
Reviews are public on Trustpilot, Google and YouTube.
Frequently Asked Questions
My Vietnam e-visa has been pending for 5 days. Is that normal?
Possibly. Count Vietnamese working days, not calendar days, because weekends and holidays do not count. The usual estimate is around 3 working days, often 3 to 5 in practice. Check the live status for the specific state rather than assuming.
What is the time difference between Australia and Vietnam?
Australia is ahead of Vietnam: 1 hour for Perth, 3 for Brisbane, 2.5 for Adelaide in winter (3.5 on daylight time), and 3 for Sydney and Melbourne in winter (4 on daylight time). Vietnam does not change its clocks.
Can urgent processing override a pending application?
It does not skip the government’s review. A speed-up escalates the existing file and follows it up. The decision and its timing remain with Vietnamese immigration.
Does a visa agency employ Vietnamese immigration officers?
No. Agencies are private companies. Be cautious of any claim that suggests otherwise.
Should I reapply?
No. A second application under the same passport can hold both files and means paying the government fee twice. Ask for a speed-up of the existing file.
Is approval guaranteed with urgent processing?
No. Vietnam Immigration always makes the final decision.
What if my status says Amendment Required?
Something in the file has to be corrected before it moves. Common causes are the photo format, the entry port, and a middle name that does not match the passport. Correct it first, then choose a tier with the clock in mind.
What is the refund policy?
100% refund if we cannot complete your visa, or if we do not complete it within the timeframe we committed to. Confirm the price, the time and the refund in writing on WhatsApp before you pay.
Related guides
Need it fast? Message our support team.
WhatsApp +84 947 754 252Send your reference code (format E260705…) if you already applied.
VietnamVisaEasy.com is a private travel agency, not affiliated with the Vietnamese government. We charge a fee to assist with visa applications. If you don’t need assistance, you can apply directly on the official government website, evisa.gov.vn. For questions, visit our contact page.