This page is for British passport holders. Other nationalities, plus the full detail on customs, health and overstays, are in the main Vietnam visa and entry requirements guide.
Do I need a visa for Vietnam from the UK?
Not for a normal holiday. British citizens can stay up to 45 days without a visa, for any purpose. The UK Foreign Office describes it as a passport stamp on arrival. There's nothing to apply for in advance and no fee.
This comes from Vietnamese government Resolution 44/NQ-CP, which runs from 15 March 2025 to 14 March 2028. If you're travelling close to that end date, check whether it's been renewed.
A few more things to know:
- The 45 days start on the day you arrive. Look at the exit date stamped in your passport before you walk away from the immigration desk.
- You can leave and come back. The old rule forcing a 30-day gap between visa-free visits was scrapped in 2023, so a trip to Laos or Cambodia in the middle gives you a fresh 45 days when you return. Border officers do have discretion, and people doing repeated "visa runs" sometimes get questioned.
- You can't extend it in Vietnam. If you might stay longer than 45 days, get the e-visa before you go.
- Overstaying is expensive. Fines start at VND 500,000 for under 16 days and rise steeply, and the authorities can add deportation depending on the case.
Staying longer: the e-visa, step by step
For a trip of 46 to 90 days, apply for the e-visa. It's USD 25 for single entry or USD 50 for multiple entry, and takes about 3 working days. Apply at least 2 weeks ahead, and longer before Tết (Lunar New Year).
- Go to evisa.gov.vn, the only official site. Agencies with lookalike names (evisagov.vn, with no dot before "gov", is one) charge around USD 75 to 150 for the same visa.
- Upload a photo (4x6 cm, white background, no glasses, JPG under about 2 MB) and a scan of your passport photo page including the two lines of text at the bottom.
- Fill in your details exactly as they appear in your passport, including middle names. Choose single or multiple entry, and select your entry and exit airports.
- Pay, save your registration code, and check your status on the site. When it's approved, print the e-visa and take it with you.
Pick your ports carefully. The Foreign Office says e-visas restrict you to the entry and exit points you choose. The full walkthrough is in the Vietnam visa guide.
Entry checklist
- British passport valid for at least 6 months from the day you arrive, with 2 blank pages. The Foreign Office says British nationals have been refused entry with damaged passports, so replace a tatty one
- Printed e-visa, only if you're staying more than 45 days
- Pre-arrival QR code from prearrival.immigration.gov.vn, filled in free within 72 hours before you land
- Proof of onward travel within 45 days (or your e-visa dates). Airlines often check this at check-in
- Travel insurance details
- A doctor's letter for any controlled medicines
The Foreign Office currently says the pre-arrival form is encouraged rather than mandatory, while the US Embassy in Vietnam calls it mandatory for all foreign passengers. I'd do it anyway. It's free, takes minutes and saves you a longer queue at immigration. Only use the .gov.vn site, because copycat sites charge.
Flights from the UK to Vietnam
Vietnam Airlines is the only airline flying non-stop from the UK, on Boeing 787s from London Heathrow Terminal 4 to Hanoi (about 11 hours 20 minutes to 11 hours 55 minutes) and Ho Chi Minh City (about 12 hours 10 minutes to 12 hours 40 minutes). Over summer 2026 it cut back to 3 flights a week to Hanoi and 2 to Ho Chi Minh City. Its winter schedule, from 25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027, has 4 a week to Hanoi (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) and 3 a week to Ho Chi Minh City (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday). Check the timetable for your dates.
One-stop routes are usually cheaper. The common ones go:
- Via the Gulf: Qatar Airways (Doha), Emirates (Dubai), Etihad (Abu Dhabi)
- Via Istanbul: Turkish Airlines
- Via China: China Southern (Guangzhou) or China Eastern (Shanghai)
- Via Singapore, Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur
Kayak's London to Vietnam page showed one-stop returns from about £400 and Vietnam Airlines non-stops from about £590 (indicative, checked 24 Sep 2026). That's a guide, not a promise.
On Kayak's data, November is the cheapest month to fly (about £550 return on average), and July and December are the most expensive (about £840). Tết (late January or February) also pushes prices up. Weather matters as much as price, because Vietnam's north, centre and south have different seasons. See the best time to visit Vietnam.
The country is about 1,600 km long, so fly into Hanoi and out of Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam Airlines flies from Heathrow to both, which makes an open-jaw ticket easy and saves you backtracking.
Ho Chi Minh City's new Long Thanh airport, about 40 km from the centre, is due to open commercially on 1 December 2026, and long-haul flights are planned to move there from 28 March 2027. Check which airport is on your ticket.
For flights within Vietnam, bear in mind that Bamboo Airways stopped scheduled flights on 1 August 2026. Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, VietJet, Vietravel Airlines and Sun PhuQuoc Airways all fly domestic routes. Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City takes about 2 hours.
What to bring from the UK
Plug adaptor. UK three-pin plugs won't fit. Vietnam uses Type A, C and F sockets at 220 V, so a universal adaptor covers everything, and your UK chargers will work at that voltage.
Money. The currency is the dong (VND). Cards work in city hotels and larger restaurants, but outside the cities you'll mostly pay cash. Use ATMs or official, signposted exchange counters, because changing money elsewhere is illegal. ATM fees vary a lot. 2026 guides report VPBank ATMs charging foreign cards no fee and most other banks about VND 20,000 to 55,000 a withdrawal. Fees change often, so check the amount on screen before you confirm. A travel debit card with no foreign transaction fee helps. Declare cash over USD 5,000 or VND 15 million.
Insurance. It isn't a condition of entry, but the Foreign Office strongly advises cover that includes medical evacuation, since serious cases can mean a transfer to Bangkok or Singapore. If you'll ride on the back of a motorbike (the Ha Giang Loop, for example), check you're covered as a passenger.
Driving licence. Brits are luckier than most here. A UK-issued International Driving Permit is the 1968 type, which Vietnam accepts, as long as you carry it with your UK licence and your licence covers motorbikes. Without both, you're riding unlicensed, and your insurance probably won't pay out. Details are in our Ha Giang Loop guide.
Medicines. Controlled medicines (for anxiety, depression, insomnia or ADHD, and strong painkillers) are limited to 7 days' supply. Bring a doctor's letter in English with your name, age, the medicine, the dose, and the doctor's signature and address. Keep everything in your hand luggage with a copy of the prescription.
Leave at home. Vapes and heated tobacco top the list, and the Foreign Office is blunt about it: you can't buy them in Vietnam or bring them in, and users face fines of VND 3 to 5 million. Leave CBD products and drones (unless you have a permit) at home too.
SIM. A travel eSIM is easiest. A local SIM needs your passport and, under rules in force since 15 April 2026, a face check. Foreigners register in person with their passport, and official guidance doesn't say exactly how that works at airport kiosks.
The full list is in our Southeast Asia packing list.
Arrival day
- At Heathrow. Have your passport and onward ticket ready, as the airline may ask. Fill in the pre-arrival form if you haven't already and save the QR code.
- Immigration. Show your passport and QR code. You'll get a stamp with your exit date, so check it.
- Customs. Green channel if you have nothing to declare. Red channel for cash over the limits, goods over the duty-free allowances or controlled medicines.
- Cash and SIM. Airport kiosks register SIMs in minutes. Take out some dong at an ATM.
- Into town. Hanoi's Noi Bai airport is about 30 km from the Old Quarter, 45 minutes to an hour by road. Airport bus 86 runs to Hanoi Railway Station for about VND 45,000, a Grab car costs roughly VND 250,000 to 350,000, and an official taxi around VND 550,000 to 600,000. In Ho Chi Minh City, bus 152 runs from the international terminal towards Ben Thanh (roughly 05:15 to 19:00), and Grab or Be to District 1 is usually about VND 150,000 to 250,000. Bus 109 now stops only at the domestic terminal (T3). These are 2026 reported prices, so treat them as a guide.
- Your hotel will take your passport details to register you with the local police. That's normal and required.
Travel with us
Heading to Vietnam solo? Join a small group of travellers aged 18 to 40, with me there in person as your Trip Host.
