Vietnam Entry rules in response to coronavirus

[Jonathan Fairfield]

 

Entry to Vietnam (June 20th 2021)

Vietnam has suspended visa waivers, issuing of visas and the entry into Vietnam for all foreign nationals. There are a very small number of exceptions for diplomats on official business and certain high-skilled workers.

 

These will be processed on a case by case basis. Such applications are required to be led by Vietnamese employers who must work directly through individual provincial government offices. The requirements and process may differ from province to province. The costs of quarantine, both in government centres and designated hotels, must be paid by those arriving or their employers.

 

Land borders

Borders with China, Cambodia and Laos are currently closed except for the import and export of goods and returning Vietnamese nationals.

 

Transiting Vietnam

Currently transit in Vietnam is not allowed.

 

Data collection

Those arriving in Vietnam are required to provide information about recent travel.

 

Testing on departure

There is no requirement for testing on departure though anyone who has tested positive previously may be asked to show their negative test results and release certificates.

 

Visas

If you want to stay in Vietnam, you should only do so legally and with the right visa and permission to stay. Immigration offices are open and working normally.

 

Vietnamese visit visas are issued to foreign nationals for a limited duration and on the basis that visitors must leave on or before the date of expiry. Those who come to Vietnam to work are required to apply for a work visa / permit. You should check the visa validity and conditions carefully. Overstaying your Vietnamese visit visa or working illegally is a serious matter and you may be delayed from travel until a fine is paid, deported and may be prevented from visiting Vietnam in the future.

 

The Embassy and Consulate General will not be able to assist with individual visit visa extensions should you wish to stay in Vietnam, nor sponsor individual applications or sign NA5 forms (which has the same effect) as this involves legal and financial obligations. For those with a valid work visa or resident cards, you can extend these at immigration offices with the assistance and support of your family or employer.

 

Passport validity

Your passport should be valid for a minimum of 6 months on the date you enter Vietnam.

 

A number of British nationals have been refused entry and exit due to their passport being damaged. Make sure your passport is in good condition before arriving in Vietnam. Being refused entry can result in significant cost and a long stay at the airport.

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Vietnamese Immigration Department has received assurances from the British Government that any passport held by a British national with an expiry date of 1 January 2020 onwards, or with less than 6 months validity, would be valid until 31 December 2021, when submitted for the purpose of renewing a visa or residence permit. This continues to be valid for all passports held by British nationals. However, because you can renew your passport online, and the visa application centres in Vietnam have now reopened, we still recommend that you renew your passport if required.

 

Quarantine requirements

Quarantine is mandatory for anyone who may have come in to contact with coronavirus inside Vietnam and for most coming to Vietnam Vietnamese government quarantine centres are basic. Most do not meet Public Health England standards. There are provisions for people who are exceptionally allowed to enter the country for work to be allowed to undertake quarantine in a hotel approved by the Ministry of Health. This is not guaranteed, is time consuming and must be arranged by your employer in Vietnam before you enter Vietnam.

 

The Vietnamese government has confirmed that anyone entering Vietnam from 1 September 2020 must pay for quarantine costs both in government centres and in designated hotels. You will also be responsible for paying for any coronavirus hospital treatment costs.

 

Vietnam’s quarantine requirements are mandated by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health. The British Embassy and Consulate General are unable to intervene in having these requirements waived, shortened or changed or assist in the reservation of, or transfer to, hotels used for quarantine. Violations carry strict penalties.

 

Quarantine lasts a minimum of 21 days and will be longer if you test positive at any point. If you test positive, you will be treated in a Vietnamese hospital. Following discharge you will be expected to undertake a period of self-isolation for 7 days during which you should not leave your home and should follow the instructions issued by the local authorities. You should expect to be tested at least 5 times prior to release, and will be required to produce at least 3 consecutive negative tests during quarantine and a further two consecutive negative tests during self-isolation.

 

Once you have completed quarantine and self-isolation you should receive a document specifying this. You should keep this, as you may need to present it customs/airport officials when you leave Vietnam.

 

Vietnam uses community testing as a means to provide assurance that COVID-19 is not being transmitted undetected. Should you be asked to undertake testing, you should comply. Failure to comply can be an offence with significant punishments.

 

Source:

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/vietnam/entry-requirements

 

[DouglasTsui]

Johnathan, Are you very sure about this comment?     

 

 

Testing on departure

There is no requirement for testing on departure though anyone who has tested positive previously may be asked to show their negative test results and release certificates.

[DouglasTsui]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news cause this is far from the truth. 

[Darkside Gray]

2 months out of date

[2Amusing]

Hello testing 1-2-3, can anyone read me, over!

So I had almost 12 month Visa and left VN March 7th 2020 to visit MY. On 18/Mar/2020 MY was locked down and I'm still here. All my important papers, laptops, clothing, video equipment & etc are still in VN, as I had expected to return from MY after only a few days. I'm American and quite stressed about at least obtaining my personal belongings from VN.

If anyone is out there and receives this message, then ANY advice/suggestions are greatly appreciated. Over!

[GypsyT]

In two weeks you can get in. However, Covid cases are still quite high but much less dead now.

 

"CDC Warns Against Travel to Vietnam Weeks Before Country Opens Its Borders.

The warning for Vietnam comes just weeks before the country plans to open its borders to travelers on March 15."

 

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

22 hours ago, 2Amusing said:

Hello testing 1-2-3, can anyone read me, over!

So I had almost 12 month Visa and left VN March 7th 2020 to visit MY. On 18/Mar/2020 MY was locked down and I'm still here. All my important papers, laptops, clothing, video equipment & etc are still in VN, as I had expected to return from MY after only a few days. I'm American and quite stressed about at least obtaining my personal belongings from VN.

If anyone is out there and receives this message, then ANY advice/suggestions are greatly appreciated. Over!

Keep your eyes on these news sites. They're always on the ball with gov/tourist/visa news: VNExpress, Viet Nam News and Tuoi Tre. There's also FB group: Vietnam Legal Group, run by a Viet lawyer. He's usually pretty on top of anything legal.

 

However, not a peep from Immigration on visas yet. And the latest news from VN Health Ministry about restrictions on entry is not encouraging. 

 

https://e.vnexpress.net/news/travel/health-ministry-seeks-to-tighten-entry-restrictions-as-inbound-tourism-reopens-4433863.html

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

23 hours ago, andy said:

Any update?  Supposed to open on Tuesday (March 15), yet I haven't seen much or anything about visas and entry regulations.  If really "fully open", I could possibly hop over there in April.

Not read a thing about any approvals by the top decision makers in VN. For a month now, all we've heard are ministerial proposals for health and visa protocols. I check 6-10 Viet news sites a day. Pretty shocking considering the constant messages about fully re-opening March 15.

[aussiexpat]

Vietnam is officially open with just a PCR within 72 hours of entry, or formal ATK within 24 hours of entry

 

https://www.vietnam-briefing.com/news/covid-19-vietnam-travel-updates-restrictions.html/

 

[aussiexpat]

8 minutes ago, andy said:

Awesome news.  Apparently the health regulations are final and official, but the visa situation has still not been officially announced.  Fat and Broke on youtube is reporting that people have now been able to successfully submit docs for visas online and at embassies though (including the 1 year visa for Americans).  Looks like the tiny list of visa exempt countries will remain tiny.

From the same link I added above

• The e-visa government website link is now open for visa submissions.
• Vietnam’s government on March 15 agreed to resume its visa exemption policy for 13 countries for up to 15 days regardless of the purpose of entry. This applies to citizens of Belarus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the UK

 

[vinci]

Vietnam has now officially removed all covid requirement to enter the country, they just removed the last of covid test requirement, book your ticket and your normal visa stuff and go, happy traveling.

[dhupverg]

Just to confirm, no insurance is needed now?  I checked various websites and I saw one site that says you can just enter as before covid, whereas the rest of the varioues evisa sites still show varying degrees of necessary items.

[rahil627]

On 7/16/2022 at 11:00 AM, dhupverg said:

Just to confirm, no insurance is needed now? 

from a few sources on youtube, these forums, and even a few travelers that came to Thailand (i'm currently at a guest-house), it seems it's not needed...

 

i also thought i read somewhere that you had to be either fully vaccinated or have insurance... i think on the US gov's travel site, but it sounds like all health restrictions are gone now, from several sources. I think even the US gov web-site can't keep up with changes going on in every country (still very good though!).

 

before that, i even tried nomad insurance.. but the travel insurance people are so busy that they can only handle emergency customers! (there's probably so many governments and health institutions around the world scamming people because of covid... ugh.)

[howlee101]

On 7/16/2022 at 11:00 AM, dhupverg said:

Just to confirm, no insurance is needed now?  I checked various websites and I saw one site that says you can just enter as before covid, whereas the rest of the varioues evisa sites still show varying degrees of necessary items.

Check out this website....indicates covid insurance no longer required.

 

https://www.vietnam-visa.com/entry-quarantine-covid/

[USslugga]

Any more solid info on if I need covid insurance?

 

I'm planning on taking a holiday to Vietnam in about 3 weeks. 

 

On this website, it says you need health insurance that covers covid with a minimum coverage of $10,000.

https://vietnam.travel/things-to-do/information-travellers-novel-coronavirus-vietnam

 

But the site posted above says it's not required anymore?

 

Has anybody been to Vietnam recently that can comment?

[Adam219]

On 9/19/2022 at 9:43 AM, USslugga said:

Has anybody been to Vietnam recently that can comment?

I flew in from BKK 2 weeks ago (21st sept). no insurance requirement. In fact, there were no requirements at all, just a valid passport. 

 

Was asked by airline about onward travel, told them i would exit by bus. All good.

[USslugga]

17 minutes ago, Adam219 said:

I flew in from BKK 2 weeks ago (21st sept). no insurance requirement. In fact, there were no requirements at all, just a valid passport. 

 

Was asked by airline about onward travel, told them i would exit by bus. All good.

Great, thanks for the update!