Can you get a Vietnam visa at the airport?

"Visa on arrival" in Vietnam is a visa you collect at the airport, not one you apply for there. The application happens before you fly.

Who can be issued a visa at the border

The Government news portal listed the cases on 28 March 2025: leaving from a country with no Vietnamese visa authority, arriving after travelling through other countries, entering on a tour run by an international travel company in Vietnam, ship crew leaving through another gate, attending a relative's funeral or visiting a seriously ill relative, and emergency or rescue work.

How to get a visa on arrival

The UK Foreign Office describes the route in one line: book with a travel agent in Vietnam and ask them to apply for a visa pre-approval letter. The practical detail below comes from one Vietnamese visa agency, Tan Van Lang (page updated 4 April 2026), so confirm it with whoever arranges your letter:

1. The sponsor or agency obtains an approval letter from the Immigration Department before you travel.
2. You print the letter. The agency says airlines will not board you without it.
3. At the landing visa counter you hand over the letter, your passport (six months of validity and two blank pages), the entry form, two 4x6 cm photos and the stamping fee in cash.

Tan Van Lang lists eight airports that do this: Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City), Noi Bai (Hanoi), Da Nang, Cam Ranh, Cat Bi, Lien Khuong, Can Tho and Phu Quoc. It says the letter route does not work at a land border or a seaport.

Can you buy a visa on arrival?

No. The USD 25 or USD 50 paid at the counter is the government fee, the amounts the Ministry of Public Security lists for a single entry visa and for a multiple entry visa of up to three months. The approval letter is a separate service with its own agency fee, paid in advance.

E-visa or visa on arrival?

The e-visa covers every nationality for up to 90 days, so few travellers need the letter route. Apply on the government portal only: is the Vietnam e-visa legit gives the official addresses. Citizens of 24 countries need neither for 45 days: see how long you can stay in Vietnam without a visa.

Check your passport in Visa Check, and read the Vietnam visas guide for remote workers for the full picture.