Since 2023, Vietnam has opened its e-Visa to practically the entire world, with stays of up to 90 days and a choice of single or multiple entry. For an American, it is the way in. You fill out the form online, attach a photo and your passport page, pay by card, and within a few days the approval lands in your inbox — no consulate visit required. The process is not the problem. The scam is. Dozens of middleman sites impersonate the official portal, charge 70 to 150 dollars for something the government sells for 25, and a few vanish with your money. This guide shows the only genuine site, the real step-by-step, the difference between single and multiple entry, the list of approved ports, and the errors that stop you cold at the immigration counter.
18 min read
Vietnam spent the whole decade making life easier for tourists. In August 2023, it took the boldest step yet: it opened the e-Visa to citizens of every country and territory, stretched the stay from 30 to up to 90 days, and began offering multiple entry. You complete a form online, attach a photo and a scan of your passport, pay by card, and receive the approval by email. No consulate, no line, no mailing your passport away. For Americans, it works smoothly.
So why do so many people get tangled up? The scam. You type "Vietnam visa online" into Google and the first results — paid, prominent — are middleman companies dressed up to look official. Yellow star, red flag, "Vietnam Government Visa." They charge 70, 100, sometimes 150 dollars for an e-Visa the Vietnamese government sells for 25. Some deliver (late). Others disappear with your money and with your passport data.
This guide has one practical goal: to take you to the real site, show you the real process, and pull you out of the traps. No consulting to sell, no affiliate link, no "facilitator." You do it yourself in half an hour.
The only official site: evisa.gov.vn
Memorize it: evisa.gov.vn. It ends in .gov.vn, the Vietnamese government's domain. It is the only place where the tourist e-Visa is issued at the official price. The system also answers at the full address evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn — "xuat nhap canh" is Vietnamese for "immigration," the name of the Immigration Department that runs the service.
The path inside the site may change its layout, but the root never does: gov.vn. If the domain does not end in gov.vn, it is not the government.
How to spot a fake site:
- Domains like
vietnam-visa.org,evisa-vietnam.com,vietnamvisa.gov.com,vietnamimmigration.org,vietnam-evisa.net. None of these is official. Be especially wary of.gov.comand.org— they look official and are not. - Paid ads at the top of Google ("Sponsored"). The official site rarely runs ads. The first results tend to be middlemen.
- Inflated prices: if they asked for more than USD 50 for a standard tourist visa, it is a middleman.
- "Service fee," "urgent processing," "approval guarantee," "24/7 support" baked into the price. The government charges the visa fee. Period.
- Manufactured urgency: "approved in 30 minutes," "today only." A real e-Visa takes days and has no promotions.
The middlemen are not all criminals — some merely resell, at a markup, a service you could do for free. But there are pure scams in the mix that keep your money or clone your passport data. For you, the outcome is the same: you overpaid for nothing, or worse. Go straight to evisa.gov.vn.
Do you need an e-Visa, or are you exempt? The first question
Vietnam waives the visa for citizens of some countries for periods of 15 to 45 days. The list includes much of Western Europe, Southeast Asian neighbors, Japan, and South Korea. Citizens of those countries enter on their passport alone, no paperwork at all.
The United States is not on that exemption list in 2026. Americans need a visa to enter Vietnam — and the natural route is the e-Visa. Do not be misled by a travel forum claiming "you don't need a visa for Vietnam": that applies to people with an exempt European or Asian passport, not to you.
The exemption is also more restrictive than it looks. Travelers who are exempt for 45 days and want to stay longer still need a visa. And in some cases there are rules about the interval between entries. For an American, the conversation is simple: you get the e-Visa.
e-Visa, visa on arrival, or consulate? The difference that matters
Vietnam offers three routes in for travelers who are not exempt. Knowing which one is yours keeps you from paying the wrong fee, getting turned away, or wasting time.
| e-Visa | Visa on Arrival (VOA) | Consular visa (sticker) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where you apply | Online, evisa.gov.vn | Online (letter) + counter at the airport | Embassy/consulate, in person or by mail |
| Document | PDF by email | Stamp affixed at the airport | Sticker glued into the passport |
| Before you travel | Visa ready in your inbox | Need an approval letter obtained first | Visa ready in the passport |
| Turnaround | 3 to 5 business days | Letter in 2 to 5 business days | 1 to 3 weeks |
| Where you can enter | Approved air, land, and sea ports | By air only | Any authorized port |
| Cost | USD 25 / 50 (government) | Letter (middleman) + stamping fee USD 25/50 at the counter | More expensive, varies |
| For whom | Standard tourist | Rare case today | Long stay, work, study |
For 95% of American tourists, the e-Visa is the answer. It is the cheapest, the most predictable, and the only one that is 100% online, paid directly to the government.
The visa on arrival still exists, but it has lost its purpose for the ordinary tourist. It is not "show up and ask": before you board, you need an approval letter issued by a licensed agency in Vietnam — almost always a paid middleman. With the letter, you line up at the airport's immigration counter, hand over a photo and a form, pay the stamping fee (USD 25 for single entry, USD 50 for multiple) in cash, and wait. And the VOA works only by air. Compared with the e-Visa, it is more expensive, slower at the airport, and dependent on a third party. Use it only if you have a very specific reason.
The consular visa is for people who will study, work for pay, do journalism, undertake a diplomatic mission, or stay well beyond 90 days. For a vacation, it is unnecessary.
If you are landing in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, seeing Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, the Mekong Delta, and heading home, it is the e-Visa. No question.
About the author
Curadoria Voyspark
2 years in the Voyspark editorial team
Time editorial da Voyspark — escritores, repórteres, fotógrafos e fixers em Lisboa, Tóquio, Nova York, Cidade do México e Marrakech. Coletivo. Sem voz corporativa. Cada peça com checagem cruzada por um editor regional e um chef ou curador local.
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