Visa Types

If you are going to travel to Vietnam, before your departure, it is crucial to understand your legal situation. In case a visa is required for your entry into Vietnam, you definitely should know which type of visa fit your trip purpose and itinerary to avoid any unexpected problems and also save time and cost. Here we will help you have a close look at different Vietnam visa types.

There are two criteria to categorize a Vietnam visa.

Purpose of visit, and
Validity

Vietnam Visa Types by Purpose of Visit

According to the new immigration regulations that took effect on July 1, 2020 (Law No. 51/2019/QH14), Vietnam visa is classified into about 21 main types by the purpose of visit, namely DL, DN1, DN2, NG, DT1, DT2, DT3, DT4, LS, DH, LV, LD1, LD2, HN, PV1, TT, SQ, etc.

06 popular types of Vietnam visas are:

Tourist visa (DL)
Business visa (DN1, DN2)
Student/internship visa (DH)
Investor Visa (DT1, DT2, DT3, DT4)
Working visa (LD1 – LD2)
Diplomatic visa (NG)

Other main Vietnam visa types include:

Vietnam Visa Type	Description	Validity
LV1-LV2	Working with Vietnam authorities/parties	Maximum of 12 months
LS	Lawyer visa	Maximum of 5 years
NN1	Members of delegations invited by the Secretary-General of Vietnam’s Communist Party, the President of Vietnam, the President of the National Assembly, and the Prime Minister.	Maximum of 12 months
NN2	Members of delegations invited by standing members of the Secretariat of Vietnam’s Communist Party, Deputy President of Vietnam, Deputy President of the National Assembly, Deputy Prime Minister, President of Vietnamese Fatherland Front, Executive Judge of the People’s Supreme Court, Chief Procurator of the People’s Supreme Procuracy, State Auditor General; members of delegations at the same levels of Ministers, Secretary Generals of Provincial Communist Authorities, Presidents of the People’s Councils, Presidents of the People’s Committees of provinces.	Maximum of 12 months
NN3	Members of diplomatic missions, consular offices, representative offices of international organizations affiliated with the UN, representative offices of intergovernmental organizations and their spouses, children under 18 years of age, and housemaids during their term of office.	Maximum of 12 months
NN4	Those coming to work with diplomatic missions, consular offices, and representative offices of international organizations affiliated with the UN, representative offices of intergovernmental organizations and their accompanying spouse/children under 18 years old, visitors of members of diplomatic missions, consular offices, representative offices of international organizations affiliated to the UN, and representative offices of intergovernmental organizations.	Maximum of 12 months
HN	Meetings/Conferences	Maximum of 3 months
DH	Student/Internship	Maximum of 12 months
PV1	Journalists with permanent residence in Vietnam	Maximum of 12 months
PV2	Journalists with short-term residence in Vietnam	Maximum of 12 months
TT	Dependents of LV1, LV2, LS, DT1, DT2, DT3, NN1, NN2, DH, PV1, LD1-LD2 visa holders, or foreigners that are parents, spouses, children of Vietnamese citizens.	Maximum of 12 months
VR	Family visits, other purposes	Maximum of 6 months
SQ	in the cases mentioned in Clause 3 Article 17 of Law No. 47/2014/QH13 .	Maximum of 6 months
EV	Electronic visa	Maximum 30 days

The following are details about those 6 most popular Vietnam visa types:

1. Tourist visa

The tourist visa is issued to those who are traveling to Vietnam for tourism only, not for doing any business in the country.

Depending on validity and number of entries, a Vietnam tourist visa can be divided into:

1-month single entry visa;
1-month multiple entry visa;
3 months single entry visa; and
3 months multiple entry visas.

However, according to the new regulations taking effect on July 1, 2020, holders of tourist visas for Vietnam which are valid for more than 30 days are only given a 30-day temporary residence stamp, and they may extend visas in Vietnam if wishes to remain in the country.

Besides, US travelers to Vietnam have 01 more option for a tourist visa Vietnam: Vietnam 1 year multiple entry visa.

At the moment, there are up to 3 ways to get a tourist visa to Vietnam, namely:

Getting a Vietnam visa on arrival (VOA – highly recommended for those traveling to Vietnam by air. You can see why it is highly recommended via those 5 undeniable advantages of a Vietnam visa on arrival);
Getting a Vietnam embassy visa; and
Getting a Vietnam e-visa (available for 1-month single entry, and for nationals of 80 countries only).

2. Business visa

The second most popular type of Vietnam visa is a business visa which is now categorized into:

DN1 visa – to be granted to foreigners who work with other businesses and organizations with legal status in accordance with the laws of Vietnam.
DN2 visa – to be granted to foreigners who come to Vietnam to offer services, establish a commercial presence or perform other activities under international treaties to which Vietnam is a member.

Like a tourist visa for Vietnam, depending on validity and number of entries, a Vietnam business visa also can be divided into a 1-month single entry visa;

1-month multiple entry visa;
3 months single entry visa; and
3 months multiple entry visas.

In addition, US travelers to Vietnam have 01 more option for a tourist visa to Vietnam: Vietnam 1 year multiple entry visa.

At the moment, there are 02 ways to get a business visa to Vietnam, namely:

Getting a Vietnam visa on arrival (VOA – highly recommended as no sponsor letter from a Vietnam company is not required for application); and
Getting a Vietnam embassy visa.

3. Student visa

A Vietnam student visa is granted to those who are attending a university course in Vietnam.

Normally this Vietnam visa type is arranged after arrival in Vietnam. You can enter Vietnam with a tourist visa, and then apply for a change in visa status at the Immigration Office after enrolling in the course. The easiest way to get this type of visa for Vietnam is to have an agency do it for you.

4. Working visa

Vietnam working visa is issued to foreigners who come to work in Vietnam, like teaching, etc. It is categorized into:

LD1 – to be granted to foreigners who come to work in Vietnam with a work permit exemption certificate, unless otherwise provided for in international treaties to which Vietnam is a member.
LD2 – to be granted to foreigners who must have a work permit in Vietnam to work.

This type of visa for Vietnam is valid for 2 years at maximum. In case you wish to stay in Vietnam for longer, you need to apply for an LD temporary residence card which is valid for up to 02 years.

How to get Vietnam to work visa?

To get a visa for doing a job in Vietnam,

You need to request the company in Vietnam for which you will work to apply for an LD visa approval letter at Vietnam Immigration Department; and then
You will then get your visa stamped at the Vietnam mission in foreign countries or at your port of entry upon your arrival there, depending on the type of visa approval letter you are issued.

Note:

The most important document for a Vietnam work visa application is a work permit or work permit-free written confirmation. If you wish to obtain this type of visa but have no work permit or work permit-free written confirmation, you apply for a business visa first with the determined company you will work for. After you have your work permit, you will easily apply for a working visa for Vietnam.
Normally, an application for a Vietnam work visa does not require a criminal record or health check.
Vietnam work visa cost consists of two kinds of fees: working visa approval letter fee and stamping fee at the Vietnam embassy or Vietnam port.

5. Investor Visa

An Investor visa for Vietnam is a type of visa granted to foreign investors in Vietnam. It is categorized as:

DT1 – to be granted to foreign investors in Vietnam and representatives of foreign organizations investing in Vietnam with a capital contribution of at least VND100 billion, or investing in the business fields and areas of investment incentives decided by the Vietnam Government. Valid for up to 5 years.
DT2 – to be granted to foreign investors in Vietnam and representatives of foreign organizations investing in Vietnam with a capital contribution of VND50 – under VND100 billion, or investing in the business fields of investment encouragement decided by Vietnam Government. Valid for up to 5 years.
DT3 – to be granted to foreign investors in Vietnam and representatives of foreign organizations investing in Vietnam with a capital contribution of VND3 – under VND50 billion. Valid for up to 3 years.
DT4 – to be granted to foreign investors in Vietnam and representatives of foreign organizations investing in Vietnam with a capital contribution of less than VND3 billion. Valid for up to 12 months.

6. Diplomatic visa

A Vietnam Diplomatic visa is granted to:

members of a delegation visiting Vietnam at the invitation of the Vietnamese ministries or other high-ranked government officials;
consulate personnel in Vietnam;
those who go to work with consulate members or visit them for a short period.

There is no fee for a diplomatic visa to Vietnam unless it has been decided by the Vietnamese embassy and the applicant’s home country.

To apply for the Vietnam diplomatic visa, the applicant has to submit an official letter from the local government agency, consulates, or foreign embassies, to the concerned agencies in the applicant’s home country.

A Diplomatic visa for Vietnam is valid for up to 12 months.

Vietnam Visa types by Length of Stay and Validity

By this criterion, a Vietnam visa is normally categorized into:

1-month single entry visa
1-month multiple entry visa
3 months single entry visa
3 months multiple entry visa
6 months multiple entry visa
1-year multiple entry visa

The major difference between a single entry visa and a multiple entry visa for Vietnam is the number of entries into the country. While a single entry visa is valid for one stay in Vietnam during the visa validity, the multiple entry visa is valid for several stays in Vietnam during the visa validity.