Vietnam Visa Policy Updates: What Changed and When (2023–2026)

This page lists all the Vietnam visa policy updates since 2023, newest first, with the date it took effect, who it affects, the legal document behind it and a link to an official Vietnamese source. The biggest change came on August 15, 2023, when the e-visa opened to all nationalities and grew to 90 days. Most changes since then have widened visa-free entry.

Rules in Vietnam come from many separate resolutions, decrees and circulars, and older ones are often replaced quietly. If a website quotes an old number, such as a 15-day exemption or a 30-day e-visa, this timeline shows when that rule ended.

How we keep this page updated: we compare every entry with the official text or the government's own news portal. Last checked: 13 November 2026.

What are the latest Vietnam visa policy updates?

The newest rule is a visa-free pilot for Chinese tour groups to Khanh Hoa, signed on October 12, 2026. Before that, 2026 brought a shorter visa-free stay for Indonesians, a pre-arrival declaration pilot and a new fee circular with the same visa fees.

The table above gives the short version. Each entry below has the detail, newest first. To check your own passport against today's rules, use our Vietnam visa checker or the full visa exemption list.

What changed in Vietnam's visa rules in 2026?

October 30, 2026: Long Thanh opening date announced

The new Long Thanh International Airport is planned to start commercial flights at 0:00 on December 24, 2026. The government portal reported the date from the airport operator ACV's notice. It is a plan, not a guarantee, and the date has moved before.

For visas, the legal basis is already in place: Resolution 389/NQ-CP lists Long Thanh as an e-visa port that applies once the airport is in operation. Read what this means for arrivals in our Long Thanh airport guide.

Official source: Government news portal, October 30, 2026.

October 12, 2026: Chinese tour groups to Khanh Hoa

Chinese ordinary passport holders travelling in organised tour groups to Khanh Hoa can enter visa-free until December 31, 2027. Resolution 325/NQ-CP applies from its signing date, October 12, 2026, as part of the Vietnam–China Tourism Cooperation Year 2026–2027.

The tour must be a package of up to 30 days run by a Vietnamese international travel company. Groups fly directly from mainland China to Cam Ranh airport and leave through the same gate. Hong Kong and Macau passports are not covered, and independent Chinese travellers still need an e-visa.

Official source: Resolution 325/NQ-CP on the government's legal documents site.

July 15, 2026: Indonesia's visa-free stay cut to 14 days

Indonesian ordinary passport holders now get 14 days visa-free, for tourism or family visits only. It was 30 days before. The Indonesian Embassy in Hanoi announced the change and linked it to the ASEAN framework on visa exemption for ordinary passports.

We found no Vietnamese government text on this change. The Indonesian foreign ministry's travel page confirms the 14 days, but Vietnam's foreign ministry list, last dated June 2025, still shows 30. Indonesians staying longer, or travelling for work or business, need an e-visa.

Official source: Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Safe Travel.

July 1, 2026: new health declaration rules

Decree 165/2026/NĐ-CP, in force since July 1, 2026, sets out when travellers must make a health declaration. It is not a routine requirement for everyone. The Minister of Health decides, disease by disease, who must declare and when.

When a declaration is required, it must be made within 7 days before entry, exit or transit. The Ministry of Health has said it does not use the tokhaiyte.vn website for this and will announce its new system.

Official source: Government news portal, June 30, 2026.

April 15, 2026: pre-arrival declaration pilot at Tan Son Nhat

The Immigration Department started a free online pre-arrival declaration for foreigners at Tan Son Nhat airport, and described it as not yet mandatory. You file it at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn within 3 days before entry and get a QR code for the border.

In the first 15 days, 161,596 passengers started a declaration and 119,854 completed it. Some sources, including airlines, call the form required, so our pre-arrival form guide shows what each source says and which airports have been added since.

Official source: Ministry of Public Security, May 11, 2026.

April 1, 2026: new fee circular, same visa fees

Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC took effect on April 1, 2026 and kept visa fees at US$25 single entry and US$50 multiple entry up to 90 days. The Ministry of Public Security's online service page lists the same two amounts for the e-visa.

The fee you pay on the official portal is the government fee only. Agency prices, including ours, add checking and support; see our Vietnam visa cost guide.

Official source: Government news portal, March 31, 2026.

What changed in Vietnam's visa rules in 2025?

December 2, 2025: 41 more e-visa ports

Resolution 389/NQ-CP added 41 border gates where foreigners can enter and leave on an e-visa: 4 airports, 11 land crossings and 26 seaports. Added to the 42 gates under Resolution 127/NQ-CP, that makes 83 in total by our count.

The list includes Long Thanh International Airport, applying once the airport is in operation. Your e-visa shows the port you chose, so check the full list in our e-visa ports of entry guide before you book.

Official source: Government news portal, December 3, 2025.

August 15, 2025: 12 European countries get 45 days for tourism

Resolution 229/NQ-CP gives citizens of 12 European countries 45 days visa-free for tourism, from August 15, 2025 to August 14, 2028. The countries are Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland.

It applies to any passport type, but the purpose must be tourism. On the same day, Resolution 11/NQ-CP ended early, because its three countries moved into this wider list.

Official source: Government news portal, August 11, 2025.

August 8, 2025: visa exemption for special-category foreigners

Decree 221/2025/NĐ-CP lets selected foreigners receive a visa exemption card of up to 5 years, with 90 days per entry. It covers groups such as guests of senior leaders, leading scientists, major investors, and well-known figures in culture, sport and tourism.

You cannot apply on your own. A qualifying agency or organisation sends the request to the Immigration Department. Most visitors are not affected by this decree.

Official source: Government news portal, August 8, 2025.

March 15, 2025: Resolution 44 renews the 45-day list to 2028

Resolution 44/NQ-CP, signed on March 7, 2025, gives 45 days visa-free to 12 countries from March 15, 2025 to March 14, 2028. They are Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

The exemption applies regardless of passport type or purpose of entry. It replaced Resolutions 32/NQ-CP and 128/NQ-CP. Belarus, which was on the 2023 list, is not in Resolution 44; Belarusians now use a bilateral agreement instead (see January 30, 2025).

Official source: Government news portal, March 7, 2025.

March 1, 2025: tour-based exemption for Poland, Czech Republic and Switzerland

Resolution 11/NQ-CP, signed on January 15, 2025, gave citizens of Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland 45 days visa-free on tours, from March 1 to December 31, 2025. The trip had to be organised by a Vietnamese international travel company.

This rule no longer applies. It ended on August 15, 2025, when Resolution 229/NQ-CP took over with a wider country list and no tour condition.

Official source: Government policy portal, January 2025.

January 30, 2025: Belarus visa-free agreement in force

Belarusian ordinary passport holders can stay 30 days per entry without a visa, up to 90 days in total within one year. The agreement between the two governments came into force on January 30, 2025, and works both ways.

Official source: Government news portal, January 2025.

What changed in 2024?

2024: no new entry rule for ordinary passports

We found no new e-visa, exemption or fee rule for ordinary passports that took effect in 2024. The rules from August 2023 applied all year: the 90-day e-visa for every nationality and 45 days visa-free for the 13 countries in Resolution 128/NQ-CP.

Early in 2024, the Prime Minister issued Directives 06/CT-TTg and 08/CT-TTg, which asked ministries to widen the unilateral exemption list. That work led to the 2025 resolutions above. In the first 6 months of 2024, foreign arrivals reached 8.8 million, up 58.4% year on year, according to the Immigration Department.

Official source: Government news portal, August 17, 2024.

What changed in Vietnam's visa rules in 2023?

December 8, 2023: Vietnam–Belarus agreement signed

Vietnam and Belarus signed a visa exemption agreement for ordinary passports on December 8, 2023. It took effect later, on January 30, 2025, as shown above.

Official source: Government news portal, December 8, 2023.

November 18, 2023: multiple-entry visa fee set for the 90-day visa

Circular 62/2023/TT-BTC, in force since November 18, 2023, set US$50 for a multiple-entry visa valid up to 90 days. It amended the 2021 fee circular so the fee table matched the new 90-day visa. Longer multiple-entry visas cost more, for example US$95 for over 90 and up to 180 days.

Official source: Government news portal, October 5, 2023.

August 15, 2023: e-visa for every nationality, up to 90 days

From August 15, 2023, citizens of all countries and territories can apply for a Vietnam e-visa valid for up to 90 days. The National Assembly passed Law 23/2023/QH15 on June 24, 2023, raising the e-visa limit from 30 to 90 days. Resolution 127/NQ-CP, signed on August 14, 2023, opened the e-visa to every nationality.

Resolution 127 also set 42 e-visa ports: 13 airports, 16 land crossings and 13 seaports. It replaced Resolutions 79/NQ-CP (2020) and 60/NQ-CP (2022). See how to apply in our Vietnam e-visa guide.

Official source: Government news portal, August 14, 2023.

August 15, 2023: visa-free stay raised from 15 to 45 days for 13 countries

Resolution 128/NQ-CP raised the visa-free stay from 15 to 45 days for 13 countries from August 15, 2023. They were Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Belarus.

This resolution expired on March 15, 2025, when Resolution 44/NQ-CP took over for 12 of the 13 countries.

Official source: Government news portal, August 14, 2023.

Which Vietnam visa rules have not changed?

Several rules that travellers ask about have stayed the same through these Vietnam visa policy updates. Check these before you rely on an older article:

• Phu Quoc: foreigners can stay up to 30 days visa-free on Phu Quoc island. Vietnam's foreign ministry cites Decision 80/2020/QĐ-TTg. Details in our Phu Quoc visa-free guide.
• E-visa length: up to 90 days, single or multiple entry, since August 2023.
• Government e-visa fee: US$25 single entry, US$50 multiple entry.
• Exemption end dates: March 14, 2028 for Resolution 44 and August 14, 2028 for Resolution 229. Vietnam has renewed exemptions before, but nothing is promised.

Official source: Vietnam's visa exemption list, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

What should I do before my trip?

1. Check your nationality in our visa checker.
2. If you are visa-exempt, count your days, including the day you arrive.
3. If you need a visa, or will stay longer than your exemption, apply for an e-visa and pick the port where you will really land.
4. File the free pre-arrival declaration if you land at a pilot airport.

Questions about a rule on this page, or a change you've read about elsewhere? A visa consultant can check it for your passport.