Do you need visa to transit in Vietnam?

While travelling, you might be wondering if you need a visa to transit in Vietnam or not. In this article, we’re hoping to clear things up for you. 

Long story short, you would need a visa to transit in Vietnam if you have to leave the transit area or layover for more than 24 hours or do not possess a passport/document that grants Vietnam Visa exemption. Let’s explain further:

Who can transit in Vietnam?

As regulated by the Law No. 47/2014/QH13 which took effect on January 1, 2015 on foreigners’ entry into, exit from, transit through and residence in Vietnam, those fully meeting the following conditions can do a transit in Vietnam:

• Holding a passport with at least 06 months of validity;
• Having a ticket suitable to his/her trip to the third country;
• Owning the third country’s visa, except those who are exempted from visas.

In what case can you transit without a visa in Vietnam?

Transit without visa if you stay within transit area and lay over for less than 24 hours.

Except for those eligible for visa exemptions, foreigners can transit in Vietnam without a visa if both of following conditions are met:

• Their layover in Vietnam is less than 24 hours, AND
• They stay within the transit areas during their layover.

Notes: Transit areas are decided by the agencies competent to manage the international border gates. It is the transit area at the international airports if you are traveling by air and at the international seaports where your ships are anchoring if you are on a cruise.

Transit without visa with visa exemption

Foreigners from countries exempted from Vietnam visa unilaterally or bilaterally won’t need a visa to transit. To check if your nationality is exempted from getting a visa in Vietnam, you can use this link and find your country: www.vietnam-immi.com/visa.html#requirement.

If you own an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) with the code “VNM” and a valid passport, you are exempted from Vietnam visa requirements for a stay of no longer than 60 days. Therefore, you can transit in Vietnam without a visa.

On another note, you can also transit in Vietnam without a visa if you transit in Phu Quoc. Due to Decision No 80/2020/QĐ-TTg of the Prime Minister, all holders of foreign passports are exempted from visa requirement for entry into and exit from Phu Quoc island, with duration of stay no longer than 30 days.

Hope this has been helpful! For further inquiries, you can contact us at email: visa@vietnam-evisa.org or phone number: +84.909.597.525.