Use official sources, check your passport and visa details carefully, and allow time to resolve errors before departure.
Check the requirements for your passport
Australian ordinary-passport holders should arrange the appropriate visa before travelling to Vietnam. Requirements can differ for other passports and circumstances. Use the official Vietnamese e-visa portal and Australian Smartraveller advice for your own journey, and check again close to departure.
This page is a planning guide rather than an approval or a substitute for the authorities. A booking confirmation from a hotel, airline or tour company does not establish permission to enter. Travellers with unusual circumstances should obtain advice from the relevant Vietnamese authority before committing to non-refundable arrangements.
Use the official application channel
Vietnam's official e-visa portal is evisa.gov.vn. Check the web address carefully before submitting passport details or paying. Search results and advertisements can lead to commercial intermediaries whose service fees and terms differ from the government's application process.
E-visas can be issued for up to ninety days with single or multiple entry, subject to approval. Select the option that fits the actual route. If you plan to leave Vietnam for another country and return, a single-entry permission may not cover the complete holiday. Do not infer your approved dates from the maximum duration advertised.
Prepare accurate information
Have the passport you will travel on, the required photograph and a clear copy of the requested passport page ready. Read the portal's current instructions for formats and fields. Enter names and document details exactly as required and review them before payment.
Check passport validity and blank-page requirements through official guidance and the airline. Renewing a passport after applying can create a mismatch with the visa. If your name or passport changes, obtain official advice about the correct next step rather than assuming an existing approval can be used.
Allow time and check the approval
Apply with enough time to address requests for corrections or a delayed result. Published processing periods are not a guarantee for an individual application. Keep the application reference and use the official status-check process; avoid relying only on an email notification.
When approval arrives, check the name, passport number, entry validity, exit validity and number of entries. Save an offline copy and carry a printed copy. If anything is wrong, seek correction before travelling. Do not assume an airline or border officer can fix an application error at departure.
Match the visa to the whole itinerary
Check that the intended entry and exit arrangements are permitted under the approval and current rules. A flight change, land crossing or cruise arrival can alter what needs to be checked. Build the application from the actual route rather than a provisional itinerary that may change substantially.
Phu Quoc has special arrangements in some circumstances, but an island exception should not be assumed to cover a mainland holiday or every transit route. For a trip involving Hanoi, Hoi An or Ho Chi Minh City, use the requirements relevant to that journey. Confirm unusual routes directly with the authorities.
Other arrival steps are separate
An arrival declaration, health form or airline document check is separate from a visa. Digital arrival procedures may be introduced or changed at individual airports. Check the latest official instructions for your arrival airport and date rather than treating an online form found in an old article as universally required.
Before leaving, keep your accommodation address, onward travel details and documents accessible without internet. Ensure the names on the airline booking and travel documents match as required. If travelling with children or on different passports, check each person's arrangements individually.
Final departure check
Recheck official entry advice, the approved visa and airline requirements before travel. Keep a record of the permitted stay and arrange departure within it. If plans change while in Vietnam, obtain official advice rather than assuming an extension or a new visa can be arranged quickly.
The useful habit is simple: verify the source, check every field and leave time to resolve uncertainty. That preparation is far less disruptive than discovering a mismatch at the airport.
Planning sources & updates
Reviewed 11 November 2026. Check Smartraveller Vietnam advice, the official Vietnam e-visa portal and Vietnam Tourism before travel. Confirm opening hours, transport, weather and booking terms for your dates. Photography: Vietnam Tourism.