The short version
- Americans need a visa for Vietnam. The e-visa is the one you can apply for online.
- The e-visa allows up to 90 days, with single or multiple entry.
- You apply online on the Immigration Department's portal, from outside Vietnam. The fee is not refunded if you are refused.
- One exception: any foreign passport can visit Phu Quoc island without a visa for up to 30 days.
How long can Americans stay in Vietnam?
Up to 90 days, on an e-visa. Vietnam's Immigration Department says the e-visa is valid for a maximum of 90 days, with single or multiple entry. We read the page on 26 October 2026.
Single entry means one trip in. Multiple entry lets you leave and come back while the e-visa is still valid.
The US is not on Vietnam's visa-free list, so a visa is the normal route for Americans. The e-visa is the one you can get online, without going to an embassy.
Do Americans need a visa for Vietnam?
Yes, for most trips. The United States is not on the foreign ministry's visa exemption list. There are two exceptions:
- Phu Quoc island. The same ministry list says holders of foreign passports can enter and leave Phu Quoc without a visa and stay up to 30 days, under Decision No 80/2020/QĐ-TTg. It still applies if you first pass through another of Vietnam's international border gates. The exemption is for the island only.
- Vietnamese family ties. People of Vietnamese origin living abroad, and the husbands, wives and children of Vietnamese citizens or of overseas Vietnamese, can apply for a visa exemption certificate. The Embassy of Vietnam in the US says it is valid for up to 5 years. You need a passport with at least a year left on it.
Everyone else with a US passport needs a visa.
How do you apply for the Vietnam e-visa?
Online, on the Immigration Department's own portal, while you are outside Vietnam. The Embassy of Vietnam in the US says to use the official portal run by the Immigration Department. It also says e-visas are handled by the department in Hanoi, not by the embassy.
The Immigration Department lists three conditions:
- You are outside Vietnam when you apply.
- You hold a valid passport.
- You are not barred from entry under Article 21 of Vietnam's law on foreigners' entry and exit.
The department says the portal runs on two addresses, evisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn. You pay the fee online, through its payment gateway. If your application is refused, the fee is not refunded.
The department also publishes a list of the ports where e-visa holders can enter and leave Vietnam. Your airport or land crossing needs to be on that list.
We could not read the fee or the processing time on an official page on 26 October 2026, so they are not here.
Which passports can visit Vietnam visa-free?
39 ordinary passports, for between 14 and 90 days. Some come from Vietnam's own decisions and some from two-way deals with other countries. We took them from the foreign ministry's list and its notice on the 2025 tourism programme.
| Passport | Days without a visa | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom | 45 days, any purpose | Vietnam's own rule, to 14 Mar 2028 |
| Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland | 45 days, tourism only | Tourism programme, to 14 Aug 2028 |
| Chile and Panama | 90 days | Two-way deal |
| Belarus, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand | 30 days | Two-way deal |
| Philippines | 21 days | Two-way deal |
| Brunei | 14 days | Two-way deal |
Belarus and Kazakhstan also have a cap of 90 days in total: per calendar year for Belarus, and in any 180 days for Kazakhstan. Both 45-day rules end in 2028.
Can you extend your stay in Vietnam?
Not on your own. The Immigration Department says e-visa holders in Vietnam may be considered for a new visa if an authority, organisation or person in Vietnam invites or sponsors them, under Vietnam's entry law.
So the e-visa is not something you top up yourself. Without a sponsor in Vietnam, the end date on your e-visa is the one that counts. A fresh e-visa is applied for from outside the country, because that is one of its conditions.
For work or study, Vietnam uses other visa types. The Embassy of Vietnam in the US says employment and study visas need an approval letter from the Immigration Department first.
Where else in Southeast Asia can Americans go visa-free?
Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore all let Americans visit without a visa. Each one counts days its own way.
- Thailand. Up to 30 days, under the rules in force since 15 September 2026. See how long Americans can stay in Thailand.
- The Philippines. Up to 30 days, and you can ask for more time once you are there. See how long Americans can stay in the Philippines.
- Malaysia and Singapore. No visa needed for a visit. In Singapore, the immigration officer sets your stay at the checkpoint.
- Indonesia. Not visa-free for Americans, but a visa on arrival gives 30 days, and it can be extended once for 30 more. You can also buy it online before you go.
Further north, Japan gives Americans up to 90 days: see how long Americans can stay in Japan. Our US passport page lists the places that let you in without a visa, with each rule's official source.