Vietnam Now Officially Open for International Tourism
On March 15, 2022, after over 2 years of hard lockdown caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Vietnam finally reopened its borders for international tourism.
At the end of February, the country announced the reopening plans. Now, it has finally been done. Travelers can enter Vietnam for tourism reasons once again.
Restoring of visa exemption for certain countries
Since Vietnam once again allows visitors to visit the country for tourism-related purposes without needing to book a government-approved group tour (previously, it was the requirement to enter Vietnam), for some visitors it means visa-free entry.
The Vietnamese authorities decided to restore the visa exemption program for travelers from 13 countries, including:
- Denmark
- Belarus
- Finland
- Japan
- Germany
- Italy
- France
- Russia
- Norway
- Spain
- South Korea
- United Kingdom
- Sweden
Holders of passports from one of the above-listed countries can arrive in Vietnam without a tourist visa obtained before a trip and stay for up to 15 days.
Restoring the issuance of electronic visas
Along with allowing some countries to enter Vietnam visa-free, Vietnamese authorities have also restored the issuance of electronic visas.
The online visa application was halted by the Vietnamese Immigration Department in March 2020 due to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The country closed the border to most foreign visitors in order to stop the spread of the virus.
Now, travelers from 80 eligible countries can again obtain a Vietnamese visa entirely online before their trip.
A tourist e-Visa to Vietnam allows its holder to enter the country once and stay for up to 30 days.
The processing time should not take more than 3 buisness days, while the approved visa will be delivered directly to the applicant’s email address.
Requirements to enter Vietnam
Apart from the requirement to obtain a tourist visa to Vietnam (unless eligible to visa-exempt), arrivals still need to follow some rules. The most strict travel restriction to undergo quarantine after arrival was lifted, but travelers arriving in Vietnam still must:
- take an RT-PCR or RT-LAMP coronavirus test 72 hours prior to departure or a rapid antigen test - no earlier than 24 hours before travel (it does not apply to travelers under 2 years of age). As an alternative, travelers who cannot take a pre-departure test may undergo COVID-19 testing within 24 hours of arrival in Vietnam.
- complete a health declaration form before entering Vietnam.
- download and activate the PC-COVID app and use it throughout your entire stay in Vietnam.
- provide travel insurance proof (including coronavirus treatment costs) with a minimum coverage of $ 10,000.
All visitors to Vietnam, regardless of vaccination status, should also monitor their health for 10 days of their arrival in the country. If some coronavirus symptoms occur, they should notify the health authorities. Wearing masks remain obligatory at all times in public venues.
