Vietnam is one of the most popular holiday destinations currently, especially during the winter months. This Asian country's tropical climate, bustling cities and beautiful landscapes, as well as its rich culture and delicious cuisine, make Vietnam a very popular vacation destination among travelers.
If you are going to travel to Vietnam in 2024, you must take into account a series of important changes in the country visa policy. In this article we explain everything to you.
A before and after of the coronavirus pandemic
In recent years, Vietnam's visa policy has undergone numerous changes. Until 2018, there was a visa on arrival (Visa on Arrival: VoA), which could be requested upon arrival in the country, allowing travelers to stay in Vietnam for up to 3 months.
In 2018, the e-visa to Vietnam, easy to request online, and which allowed tourists to travel with the security of being able to enter the country without problem. For Spanish travelers, this electronic visa was only mandatory if the stay in Vietnam was longer than 15 days, otherwise it was possible to enter the country without a visa.
El VoA and the e-visa coexisted for a couple of years, until the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. During the pandemic - due to the closure of the borders - neither of these two visas were processed. However, in 2022, once they reopened, only the electronic visa was restored, and the VoA was unofficially eliminated.
Although the e-visa for Vietnam offered many advantages, it also required a series of requirements that put a brake on the recovery of the tourism sector. It was valid for only 30 days, and was valid for a single entry into the country. The Vietnamese tourism sector was not recovering at the same speed as other neighboring countries, such as Cambodia or Thailand, with less restrictive visas. This led to numerous voices of protest beginning to demand that the Vietnamese government relax visa requirements.
The new e-visa for Vietnam
Faced with numerous pressures from the tourism sector, in August 2023 the Vietnamese government finally made the decision to introduce changes to the electronic visa for Vietnam, with the intention of promote the recovery of the country's economy after the pandemic. These measures represent a significant relaxation of visa requirements. These are the main changes:
- The visa validity period becomes 90 days (instead of the previous 30)
- The period during which you can stay in the country without a visa becomes 45 days (instead of the previous 15)
- The Vietnam e-visa becomes a visa multiple entry, which allows you to enter and leave the country several times during the validity period of the visa
It must be taken into account, however, that these new conditions apply only to national travelers from countries that were previously able to visit Vietnam for 15 days without the need for a visa. Fortunately, Spain is one of them, along with other European countries, such as Germany, France, Italy or the United Kingdom. If you are not a national of one of these countries, you should check before traveling to see what visa requirements apply to you.
Apply now for your Vietnam e-visa
If you are only going to travel to Vietnam For a couple of weeks, you won't have to worry about your visa, you can enter the country freely. However, if you intend to travel through Vietnam for more than 45 days, or tour several Asian countries entering and leaving Vietnam several times, you will need to apply for an e-visa. Fortunately, the process is very simple. You only have to fill out an online form (some visa agencies offer it in Spanish), pay the costs, digitally present an ID photo and a scan of your passport. You will receive your visa after a few days in your email inbox.