Which countries get 45 days visa-free in Vietnam?

The 45-day exemption is not one rule but two, and the differences matter if you plan to work remotely or stay near the limit.

List one: Resolution 44/NQ-CP (any purpose)

Dated 7 March 2025 and in force from 15 March 2025 to 14 March 2028, this resolution exempts citizens of 12 countries: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. The stay is 45 days from the date of entry, on any passport type and regardless of the purpose of entry. The government portal notes the policy will be considered for extension when it expires.

List two: Resolution 229/NQ-CP (tourism only)

Dated 8 August 2025 and valid from 15 August 2025 to 14 August 2028, this one belongs to a tourism development stimulus programme. It exempts Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland. Also 45 days, but with two conditions: entry must be for tourism, and your passport must be valid for at least six months. Resolution 229 replaced Resolution 11/NQ-CP, which from January 2025 had covered only Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland.

What "tourism only" means in practice

Nobody checks your laptop at the border. But if you are asked the purpose of your visit and you are on the second list, the honest answer that fits the exemption is tourism. Someone on the first list has more room, since the resolution does not restrict purpose. Either way, neither exemption grants the right to work in Vietnam; see Can I work remotely in Vietnam on a tourist e-visa? for that discussion.

Other exemptions that are not 45 days

A few nationalities have separate arrangements: Chile and Panama get 90 days, most ASEAN neighbours (Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and others) get 30 days, the Philippines 21 days, and Brunei, Indonesia and Myanmar 14 days (Vietnam cut Indonesia from 30 to 14 days on 15 July 2026). Any passport can also visit Phu Quoc island alone for up to 30 days without a visa when arriving directly from abroad.

If your country is on neither list, the 90-day e-visa is the route, and that includes Americans and Australians: see Vietnam visa exemption: Americans and Australians are not on the list for why. Check your passport in the Visa Check tool or read the exemption chapter of our Vietnam visas guide.