Vietnam's 90-Day E-Visa Opened to Every Country in 2023 — How It Reshaped the Market

The headline visa story of August 2023 was the 45-day visa exemption for 13 countries. The quieter, broader story was the expansion of Vietnam's e-visa to every country and territory worldwide, with stays of up to 90 days. For most international visitors — anyone not from the ~25 visa-free countries — this is the policy that actually matters.

The arrivals data from the next two years tells the story. India up 48.9% in 2025. Philippines up 81.3%. Markets that don't qualify for visa-free entry, but do get easy e-visa access, surged. Here's what the policy actually does and how to use it.

What changed in August 2023

Before August 15, 2023	After August 15, 2023
E-visa available to ~80 countries	E-visa available to all countries and territories
Maximum stay: 30 days	Maximum stay: 90 days
Single-entry only	Single or multiple entry
~28 entry checkpoints	42 international checkpoints
30-day gap between visa-exempt entries	No gap for visa-exempt countries

The reform package was authorised through the National Assembly and detailed in resolutions tied to Resolution 128/NQ-CP. It came into effect simultaneously with the 45-day visa-exempt policy.

How the e-visa actually works

Practical mechanics for travellers using the system in 2026:

1. Apply at the official portal: evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn (Department of Immigration). Avoid third-party services unless you genuinely need their concierge — the official portal is the cheapest, fastest, and most reliable option.
2. Upload a passport photo and a passport bio-page scan.
3. Pay $25 (single-entry) or $50 (multiple-entry) by card.
4. Receive PDF approval in 3–5 business days. Print it.
5. At the Vietnamese border, present passport + printed e-visa approval.

That's it. No embassy visit, no in-country agent, no airport-counter waiting.

The 42-checkpoint coverage

The August 2023 expansion grew the list of e-visa-recognised entry points from 28 to 42, including:

• Major airports — Hanoi (Noi Bai), HCMC (Tan Son Nhat), Da Nang, Phu Quoc, Cam Ranh, Hai Phong, Vinh, Cat Bi, plus several smaller regional airports.
• Land borders — Cambodia (Moc Bai, Tinh Bien, Ha Tien), Laos (Lao Bao, Cau Treo, Nam Can), China (Mong Cai, Tan Thanh, Lao Cai).
• Seaports — Hai Phong, Da Nang, Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa), Phu My (Vung Tau), Cat Lai (HCMC).

This matters for two reasons: (a) regional travel is now genuinely hub-flexible (you can fly into Phu Quoc directly from Bangkok or Singapore on an e-visa), and (b) overland entries from Cambodia, Laos, and China are smoother than they were pre-2023.

What the arrivals data shows

The cleanest evidence that the e-visa expansion worked is in arrival growth from countries that don't qualify for visa-free entry. These markets had no other reason to surge in 2024–2025 unless visa friction had been a binding constraint:

Source market	2025 growth (vs 2024)	E-visa eligible?
India	+48.9%	Yes (no visa-free option)
Philippines	+81.3%	Yes (ASEAN 14-day visa-free, but e-visa for longer stays)
United States	(significant growth, exact figure not public)	Yes
Brazil, Argentina, Mexico	(in residual categories)	Yes
African and Middle Eastern markets	(in residual categories)	Yes

India is the clearest case: a billion-population country with no visa-free arrangement with Vietnam, where Vietnam tourism flow had been growing slowly through the 2010s. Then in 2024–2025, with the e-visa available and stays extended to 90 days, India grew 48.9% in 2025 alone — the fastest Asian-market growth among Vietnam's top 10 sources. By 2025, India was Vietnam's 6th-largest source country at 746,000 arrivals.

The Philippines case is interesting because Filipino travellers have ASEAN 14-day visa-free entry — so they didn't need the e-visa for short trips. The 81.3% growth suggests the longer 90-day option enabled multi-week trips that the 14-day visa-free regime didn't support.

What this means for your trip

1. If you're from outside the 45-day visa-free list, the e-visa is the default

Practical decision tree:

• Visa-free 45-day country (about 25) → no application needed, just arrive. See the 45-day exemption article.
• ASEAN national → 14- to 30-day visa-free entry depending on country. Use the e-visa only if you want a stay longer than your visa-free allotment.
• Everyone else → 90-day e-visa, applied online at the official portal.

For US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Indian, and most Latin American passport holders, the e-visa is the default tourist-entry mechanism in 2026.

2. Don't pay for "visa services" that just resubmit the official form

A small ecosystem of third-party visa services has grown around Vietnamese e-visas, charging $50–$120 to fill in the same official portal you can use yourself for $25. Avoid them unless you genuinely need:

• Expedited processing (24-hour turnaround vs the standard 3–5 business days), or
• Help with an unusual case (long-expired passport, prior overstay, dual citizenship complications).

For a standard tourist application, the official portal is the cheapest, fastest path.

3. Use the multiple-entry option for regional circuits

If you're planning a multi-country Southeast Asia trip — Vietnam → Cambodia → back to Vietnam, or Vietnam → Laos → back to Vietnam — get the multiple-entry e-visa for $50. The single-entry version forces a fresh application (and another 3–5 day wait, plus another $25) every time you want to re-enter Vietnam, which is annoying when you're trying to spontaneously add a Cambodia detour mid-trip.

The 90-day window covers most reasonable regional circuits. If you need longer than 90 days, exit Vietnam, then re-apply for a fresh e-visa — there's no required gap between e-visas.

4. Print your approval. Always.

Vietnamese border posts accept printed e-visa approvals; some don't reliably accept phone-screen versions. Travelers occasionally report being asked for a printed copy at land border crossings. Print at home before flying; if you're already abroad, hotel printers everywhere will help.

5. Watch the policy environment — it's still moving

The expansion of access to e-visa was the August 2023 reform. The expansion of visa-free access has been a 2025 reform. Vietnam tourism authorities have signalled further changes are under consideration: longer e-visa stays, faster processing, more visa-free countries. Always check the official site for your country before booking.

Limitations & caveats

• The 48.9% India and 81.3% Philippines growth figures aren't formally attributed to the e-visa. GSO doesn't publish causal analysis. Our attribution is inferred from timing, the absence of other plausible drivers, and the directional consistency with peer-country natural experiments.
• The e-visa application portal has had reliability issues. Several user reports describe occasional outages and processing delays beyond the stated 3–5 business days. Apply at least 2 weeks ahead of travel as a safety margin.
• Overstaying an e-visa is strictly enforced. Penalties include fines (typically $25/day plus a base fee), exit-stamp issues, and potential re-entry restrictions. Set a calendar reminder for your visa-end date.
• Government policy can change. The 90-day cap is current, but earlier policy iterations capped stays at 30 days. The cap could be revised — up or down — in future reforms. Pre-trip verification matters.
• The e-visa is for tourism and short business visits. Other purposes (study, employment, journalism) require different visa categories with embassy involvement.

Sources & further reading

• Primary source: Embassy of Vietnam in the U.S. — New Policy on Electronic Visa and Visa Exemption (October 2023) — official policy explanation.
• Vietnam Briefing — Vietnam's Tourism Industry: Growth Trajectory, Policies, And Opportunities — analytical overview of e-visa impact.
• Official Vietnam e-visa application portal — Department of Immigration. The only legitimate application channel.
• Vietnam Tourism — Visa Requirements — VNAT's traveller-facing summary.

Related on this site:

• Vietnam visa guide — practical application walkthrough
• 45-day visa exemption research — the parallel policy for European visitors
• 2025 international arrivals record — the macro picture both reforms helped produce