This page is for American passport holders. For other nationalities, and the full rules on customs, health and overstays, see the main Vietnam visa and entry requirements guide.
Do US citizens need a visa for Vietnam?
Yes. The US isn't on Vietnam's visa-exemption lists, so you need a visa for any visit, however short. For tourists that means the e-visa:
| Where to apply | evisa.gov.vn only |
|---|---|
| Cost | USD 25 single entry, USD 50 multiple entry |
| Length | Up to 90 days |
| Processing | About 3 working days. Allow 1 to 2 weeks, longer around Tết (Lunar New Year) |
| Entry points | 83 airports, land borders and seaports, including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Nha Trang (Cam Ranh) and Phu Quoc |
The one exception is Phu Quoc. Fly directly to the island from abroad and you can stay up to 30 days without a visa, but you can't continue to the mainland on that exemption. Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it also applies if you connect through another Vietnamese international airport without leaving the transit area, but ask your airline whether it can check you through to the island.
Pick single entry if you're just flying in and out, and multiple entry (USD 50) if you're going to Laos, Cambodia or Thailand in the middle of your trip and coming back.
Watch out for lookalike sites. Search results are full of ads for agencies with official-sounding names that charge around USD 75 to 150 for the same USD 25 visa. The real site ends in .gov.vn. Be wary of evisagov.vn (no dot before "gov"), which isn't a government domain. Skip anyone selling a "visa on arrival approval letter" too, because the e-visa is cheaper and simpler.
How to apply for the e-visa, step by step
- Go to evisa.gov.vn and start a new e-visa application for foreigners. Tick the two confirmation boxes after reading the instructions.
- Upload a passport-style photo: 4x6 cm, white background, facing the camera, no glasses, JPG under about 2 MB, taken within 6 months.
- Upload your passport data page: the whole page, including both lines of machine-readable text at the bottom. No glare, no cropped corners, JPG under about 2 MB.
- Enter your details exactly as they are in your passport, middle name included. Add your entry date, single or multiple entry, your entry and exit airports, your first address in Vietnam and the purpose (tourism).
- Pay USD 25 or USD 50 by credit or debit card. Payment goes through the portal's Vietcombank gateway, and your bank will send a one-time passcode. The portal doesn't list which card brands it accepts, so have a second card ready in case one is declined.
- Save your registration code.
- Check your status on the site with the code, your email and date of birth. Once approved, download the PDF and print it.
Choose your ports carefully. The e-visa is tied to the entry point you select, and you should list the airport you plan to leave from. If you fly in on the SFO non-stop, that's Ho Chi Minh City (SGN). If you connect through Asia, you might land in Hanoi (HAN) instead.
The portal says the fee is non-refundable if the visa isn't granted, so double-check the spelling of your name before you pay.
Entry checklist
- Passport valid for at least 6 months after you arrive, with 2 blank pages and no damage
- Printed e-visa, with the right entry airport
- Pre-arrival QR code from prearrival.immigration.gov.vn (free, filled in within 72 hours of landing)
- Proof of onward travel within your e-visa dates. Airlines often ask at check-in
- Address of your first night's accommodation
- Travel insurance details
- Doctor's letter for any controlled medicines
As for the QR form, the US Embassy in Vietnam calls it mandatory for all foreign passengers, while UK and Canadian advice says it's encouraged. I'd just fill it in. It's free, takes a few minutes, and without it you're likely to queue longer at immigration. Only use the .gov.vn site, because private copies charge a fee.
Flights from the US to Vietnam
The only non-stop is Vietnam Airlines from San Francisco (SFO) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), 4 times a week (Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday), on an Airbus A350. It takes about 15 hours 40 minutes on the summer timetable and about 16 hours 35 minutes from 24 October 2026. Vietnam Airlines' own page quotes one-way fares from USD 600, and Kayak showed round trips on the route from about USD 750 (indicative, checked 24 Sep 2026). I found no other US non-stop on sale.
Everyone else connects. The usual stops are Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, Manila, Singapore, Doha and Chinese hubs such as Shanghai. On Kayak (indicative, checked 24 Sep 2026), recent one-stop round trips started from about USD 680 to USD 720 from Los Angeles, mostly on Chinese airlines, and from about USD 670 from New York, with United and Philippine Airlines among the cheapest.
If you want to save money, some travellers fly into Bangkok, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur on the cheapest long-haul fare they can find, then take a budget airline (AirAsia, VietJet or Scoot) into Vietnam. It can work out cheaper, but it's two separate tickets, so leave a long gap between flights and check baggage allowances.
Kayak's data for the US as a whole puts March as the cheapest month (about USD 490 round trip on average) and June and December as the most expensive (about USD 800 to 830). Tết (the Lunar New Year, late January or February) is also busy and expensive. For weather by region, see the best time to visit Vietnam.
Vietnam is about 1,600 km long, so I'd fly into Hanoi and out of Ho Chi Minh City. An open-jaw ticket (into one city, out of the other) saves you backtracking the length of the country. If your trip runs south to north, reverse it.
Check which Ho Chi Minh City airport you're using. A new airport, Long Thanh, about 40 km from central Ho Chi Minh City, is due to open commercially on 1 December 2026, and long-haul flights are planned to move there from 28 March 2027. Look at the airport code on your ticket (SGN or LTH).
For domestic flights, note that Bamboo Airways stopped scheduled flights on 1 August 2026, so don't plan around it. Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, VietJet, Vietravel Airlines and Sun PhuQuoc Airways all fly domestically. Bring your passport, because ID is checked on domestic flights too.
What to bring from the US
Plugs. Vietnam uses Type A sockets (the same flat pins as the US) as well as Type C and Type F. Type A is more common in the south and Type C in the north, so a small universal adapter covers you everywhere. The voltage is 220 V, so check the label on your chargers. Hair dryers and straighteners that only run on 120 V need a converter.
Money. The currency is the dong (VND). Visa and Mastercard work in city hotels and bigger restaurants, but most day-to-day spending outside cities is cash. Use ATMs or official, signposted exchange counters only, because changing money elsewhere is illegal. ATM fees vary. 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 debit card with low foreign fees saves money over a few weeks. Declare cash over USD 5,000.
Insurance. It isn't an entry requirement, but get a policy that includes medical evacuation, because serious cases may be moved to Bangkok or Singapore. Check whether your US health plan covers you abroad at all. If you'll ride on the back of a motorbike (on the Ha Giang Loop, for example), make sure the policy covers you as a passenger.
Driving. A US International Driving Permit is the 1949 type and isn't valid in Vietnam. If you ride a motorbike yourself you're riding unlicensed, and your insurance probably won't pay out. There's more in our Ha Giang Loop guide.
Medicines. Controlled medicines, including ADHD medication, anxiety and sleep medication and strong painkillers, are limited to 7 days' supply. Carry a doctor's letter in English with your name, age, the drug, the dose and the doctor's signature and address. Keep prescriptions in your carry-on with a copy of the prescription.
Leave at home. That means vapes and heated tobacco (banned since 2025, with fines of VND 3 to 5 million for users), any CBD, and drones unless you have a permit.
SIM. The easiest option is a travel eSIM set up before you leave. Local SIMs need 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 rest of the list is in our Southeast Asia packing list.
Arrival day
- Before you board. Fill in the pre-arrival form within 72 hours of landing and save the QR code. Have your printed e-visa and onward ticket to hand, since the check-in desk may ask.
- Immigration. Show your passport, printed e-visa and QR code. Check the dates in your passport before you leave the desk.
- Baggage and customs. Use the green channel if you have nothing to declare. Use the red channel for cash over USD 5,000, goods over the duty-free allowances or controlled medicines.
- SIM and cash. Airport kiosks sell and register SIM cards in minutes. Take out some dong at an ATM.
- Into the city. 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.
- Check-in. Your hotel will ask for your passport, because every visitor has to be registered with the local police. They do it for you.
Travel with us
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