Vietnam: visa and entry rules
What you need to get in, how long you may stay, and what an overstay costs
Vietnam's borders: every crossing point
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Vietnam's land border crossings, neighbour by neighbour:
With China: Huu Nghi - Youyi Guan on the Hanoi road, Mong Cai - Dongxing on the coast, Lao Cai - Hekou near Sapa.
With Laos: Lao Bao - Dansavanh, the main one on the road from Da Nang; Nakhon Phanom, Tay Trang.
With Cambodia: Moc Bai - Bavet on the Ho Chi Minh City - Phnom Penh road, Ha Tien on the coast.
The Cambodian direction is the most used one for visa runs from the south: a few hours by bus from Ho Chi Minh City to the border.
The Chinese crossings need particular attention to opening hours - they close for Chinese public holidays, not Vietnamese ones.
The Laotian crossings run over mountain passes, and buses there take longer than the timetable says.
Driving in Vietnam
An International Driving Permit is not valid in Vietnam for driving over any length of time. The country does not recognise the Vienna Convention in the way its neighbours do: the only lawful way to drive here is on a Vietnamese licence, which a foreign one is exchanged for.
Hence the main practical conclusion: renting a motorbike without a Vietnamese licence is illegal, and insurance will cover nothing in an accident. Bikes are rented out to anyone without a document check - that does not make it allowed.
Bringing your own car in is possible only with an organised group and a permit arranged in advance through a local agency.
Traffic drives on the right, and the density of two-wheeled traffic in the cities is higher than anywhere else in the region.
A helmet is compulsory for both the rider and the passenger.
Travelling to Vietnam with a pet
An import permit is arranged in advance with the Department of Animal Health.
A microchip is compulsory, to ISO standard.
The rabies vaccination must be given no later than 30 days before entry and no earlier than a year before it.
The veterinary certificate is issued before the flight and endorsed by the state veterinary service.
There is no quarantine if the set of documents is complete; the animal is examined on arrival.
Overstaying your visa in Vietnam
The fine is paid on departure, and it grows with the length of the overstay.
A long overstay ends in deportation and an entry ban.
Living somewhere without registration is punished separately. A hotel registers its guest itself, but in a rented flat the owner has to do it - and in that case both are fined.
Leaving of your own accord is cheaper than having to explain yourself during a check: departure with a short overstay usually ends with a fine on the spot.
What else to check before you go
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Entry rules change faster than anything else on this site, and they change without notice. We cross-check every page against several sources and state the date it was verified, but that does not replace the main step: before you travel, check an official source — the country’s consulate, its immigration service or its e-visa portal. Especially if more than a couple of months have passed since our check.