Vietnam visa exemption: Americans and Australians are not on the list

The Vietnam visa exemption covers citizens of 24 countries for up to 45 days, and the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand are not among them. On those passports you need an e-visa, USD 25 for single entry or USD 50 for multiple entry, valid up to 90 days. That was the position on 26 September 2026, on the official immigration portal and in the two government resolutions behind the list.

The confusion is real. Several widely shared 2026 articles claim that Americans or Australians now get 45 days free. They do not. You find out at the airline check-in desk, where staff refuse boarding without a visa or a valid exemption. So check your own passport against the two lists below before you book anything.

Which countries do not need a visa for Vietnam?

Twenty-four countries get 45 days without a visa, split across two resolutions with different rules. A few more passports have shorter or longer bilateral exemptions. Everyone else applies for the e-visa.

Resolution 44/NQ-CP. Signed on 7 March 2025, in force from 15 March 2025 to 14 March 2028. It covers 12 countries: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Holders get 45 days from the date of entry, "regardless of passport type or purpose of entry".

Resolution 229/NQ-CP. Signed on 8 August 2025, in force from 15 August 2025 to 14 August 2028. It covers 12 more countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland. The stay is also 45 days, but the exemption is part of a tourism stimulus programme: you must enter for tourism and your passport needs at least six months of validity. It replaced Resolution 11/NQ-CP of 15 January 2025, which had covered only Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland.

The purpose rule matters if you work remotely, and it is the line we would read twice. A Dutch citizen who declares remote work sits outside Resolution 229, which is written for tourism. A French citizen under Resolution 44 is exempt for any purpose. Neither exemption authorises paid work for a Vietnamese employer.

Separate bilateral agreements cover other passports. As of 26 September 2026, Chile and Panama get 90 days. Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore and Thailand get 30 days, the Philippines 21 days, and Brunei, Indonesia and Myanmar 14 days. Tables that mix these treaties with the two resolutions run to 35 or more lines, which is one reason people assume their passport is on it.

How long can you stay in Vietnam without a visa?

The longest visa-free stay under the two resolutions is 45 days from the date of entry, and you cannot extend it inside Vietnam. Chile and Panama are the exception at 90 days. If you want more than 45 days, the 90 day e-visa is the standard route, open to every nationality since 15 August 2023. We would take it even on an exempt passport when the plan is a long stay.

There is one geographic exception. All nationalities can stay up to 30 days on Phu Quoc island without a visa, provided they fly there directly from abroad. Any onward travel to the mainland needs a visa. Many "no visa needed" claims are Phu Quoc claims with the island left out.

Is there a Vietnam visa exemption for Americans?

No: US citizens are on neither the Resolution 44 nor the Resolution 229 list, and no bilateral exemption covers them. You apply for the e-visa before you travel. The published lists of exempt countries do not include the United States.

We see three likely sources of the myth:

1. In 2025 the 45 day lists grew twice, and "Vietnam is loosening visa rules" became "Americans now get 45 days" in some rewrites.
2. The Tourism Advisory Board proposed a ten year golden visa. As of 29 June 2026 it remained a draft with no decree number and no application channel. We cover it in No, Vietnam Has Not Launched a Golden Visa.
3. The Phu Quoc 30 day rule applies to every nationality, including Americans, but only on that island.

Do Australians need a visa for Vietnam?

Yes: Australians, Canadians and New Zealanders need a visa for any visit to mainland Vietnam, and the e-visa is the simplest option. Their passports are absent from both resolutions and from the bilateral exemptions.

There is an upside. The e-visa lasts up to 90 days, double the 45 day exemption.

How do you apply for the Vietnam e-visa?

Apply only on the government portal of the Vietnam Immigration Department, pay USD 25 or USD 50, and expect three working days of processing. Here is what the application page asked for on 26 September 2026:

1. Fees: USD 25 for single entry, USD 50 for multiple entry. Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC, in force from 1 April 2026, restated the fee basis, and children under 14 pay USD 25.
2. Processing: three working days once your application and payment are complete. Leave extra margin around Tet.
3. Uploads: a portrait photo under 50 KB and a passport data page under 200 KB. Resize both before you start.
4. Entry port: you name your checkpoint on the form, so choose the airport or border you will actually use.
5. Refunds: the fee is not refunded if your application is refused, including after a typo. Read every field twice before you pay.

Third party sites that look official charge a markup for the same result. The portal also answers at evisa.gov.vn.

Choose multiple entry if a trip to Bangkok or Siem Reap is possible: a single entry e-visa ends when you leave. You cannot extend the e-visa inside Vietnam, so plan your exit date. Overstaying is costly since Decree 282/2025 raised the fines from 15 December 2025. We explain the bands in Vietnam Doubled Its Overstay Fines in December 2025.

What should a remote worker from the US or Australia do?

Apply for the USD 50 multiple entry e-visa about two weeks before you fly, on the official portal, and print the approval. The extra USD 25 is cheap insurance against a second application. Run your passport through Visa Check to see the days you get and why. If you are weighing Vietnam against other bases, the destination comparison sets visas, costs and internet side by side. For a longer term view, read Is There a Vietnam Digital Nomad Visa Yet? and our guide on how to become a digital nomad.

Updated on 26 September 2026. Rules and prices change: confirm with the official source linked above before you act.