→

United States→Vietnam

Entry requirements for Tourism travel

Do United States citizens need a visa for Vietnam? For tourism travel, the current rule is e-visa, with a permitted stay of up to 90 days per visit. This tourism rule was last checked against an official government source — Vietnam National Electronic Visa system (evisa.gov.vn), on 2026-08-29. It applies to United States passport holders, but the exact conditions granted on the day can still differ, so keep the requirements below — and the official source in the sidebar — handy when you plan your trip.

An e-visa means you apply online before you travel and receive approval electronically, without an embassy visit. Approval is usually subject to the authorities’ checks, so apply with enough time before departure and keep the approved e-visa with your documents.

Before you travel — tourism checklist

Apply for (and receive) your visaYou need a visa for this route — book travel only after you receive the decision.
Passport valid and checkedPassport valid for at least 6 months with two blank pages

Every item is derived from the verified requirements on this page — tick them off before you go.

e-VisaUp to 90 daysVietnam e-Visa

Entry requirements · Tourism travel

Passport requirements

Passport valid for at least 6 months with two blank pages

How to apply

Apply online through the official Vietnam e-Visa system before travel
Upload a passport photo and passport data page
Pay the e-visa fee

Required documents

Valid passport
Approved e-visa
Recent photo

Conditions & restrictions

The e-Visa allows a stay of up to 90 days (single or multiple entry)
Paid work is not permitted

US citizens travelling to Vietnam for tourism must obtain a Vietnam e-Visa before travel. It allows a stay of up to 90 days (single or multiple entry).

Planning your trip to Vietnam

Practical notes about Vietnam — checked as part of this page for tourism travellers.

Ha Long Bay's Emerald Waters

Cruising through Ha Long Bay at first light, when the limestone karsts emerge from a veil of mist like sleeping giants, is a moment that recalibrates your sense of beauty. The bay contains nearly two thousand islands, each one a steep-sided pillar of ancient limestone draped in jungle vegetation. Drifting past caves dripping with stalactites, your sampan guide points out hidden lagoons accessible only through narrow rock arches. After anchoring in a quiet cove, kayaking brings you face to face with the textures of the rock walls and the still, green mirror of the water. In the afternoon, a floating village of houseboats appears around a bend, where fishermen haul nets and children paddle between vessels on tiny wooden craft. As evening falls, squid fishermen hang glowing lanterns from bamboo poles and the karsts turn to dark silhouettes.

Hoi An's Lantern-Lit Old Town

Hoi An's ancient town is a perfectly preserved pocket of Southeast Asian trading history, where mustard-yellow merchant houses line narrow streets paved with brick and shaded by bougainvillea. At dusk, hundreds of silk lanterns in every color flicker to life along the Thu Bon River, their reflections rippling in the slow-moving water. Crossing the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge, you pass tailors offering custom suits stitched in twenty-four hours and cafes serving ca phe den da over ice. On the fourteenth of each lunar month, the town switches off its electric lights entirely, leaving only candlelight and lantern glow to illuminate the old facades. Boatmen release paper lanterns onto the river as a gesture of hope, and the entire scene becomes a meditation on light, color, and the quiet magic of a town that has not hurried to modernize.

Hue's Imperial Citadel

Behind the moated walls of Hue's Imperial Citadel, the scale of the Nguyen Dynasty's ambition becomes clear. The Ngo Mon Gate opens onto a series of courtyards lined with stone dragons and ceramic mosaics, leading to the Thai Hoa Palace where emperors once held court beneath lacquered columns. Restorative gardens within the citadel walls offer an unexpected sense of calm, with lotus ponds, stone bridges, and pagodas hidden among rows of trimmed hedges. Outside the main complex, the royal tombs scattered along the Perfume River each tell a different story: Tu Duc's tomb is a miniature landscape of artificial lakes and poetry-inscribed pavilions, while Khai Dinh's combines Vietnamese and European influences in dramatic dark stone. Taking a dragon boat along the river at sunset, with incense drifting from village pagodas on the banks, connects you to a more contemplative version of Vietnamese history.

Phong Nha's Cave Labyrinth

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park conceals some of the largest cave systems ever discovered, hidden beneath a landscape of jungle-covered limestone ridges in central Vietnam. Entering Phong Nha Cave by boat, the river carries you deep underground into a cathedral-sized chamber where stalactites hang like chandeliers and the sound of dripping water echoes off walls that have been forming for millions of years. For the adventurous, the overnight expedition into Son Doong Cave takes you through a passage so vast that it contains its own weather system and a jungle of ferns and palms growing beneath a collapsed ceiling. Even without the extreme treks, the park's blue-green rivers and jungle trails feel untouched. Local guides, whose families have lived among these karsts for generations, point out rare langurs in the canopy and explain the geology with infectious enthusiasm.

More about Vietnam →

Common questions

Do American citizens need a visa for Vietnam?+

e-Visa. Permitted stay: up to 90 days.

What documents do I need to enter Vietnam?+

Valid passport. Approved e-visa. Recent photo.

What passport validity is required to enter Vietnam?+

Passport valid for at least 6 months with two blank pages.

Are there any restrictions for entering Vietnam?+

The e-Visa allows a stay of up to 90 days (single or multiple entry)

Any additional conditions for entering Vietnam?+

Paid work is not permitted

How long can American citizens stay in Vietnam?+

The permitted stay for tourism travel is up to 90 days. The exact period granted depends on the entry decision at the border.

Where can I check the official Vietnam visa and entry rules?+

This information was last verified on 2026-08-29 against an official government source: Vietnam National Electronic Visa system (evisa.gov.vn) (https://evisa.gov.vn/).