Vietnam · money + entry
The bowl is cheap. The wrong website is not.
Vietnam rewards a simple corridor and punishes visa middlemen who look official. Here is the boring, kind version — government e-visa domains and fees only, a dated exemption window from a Vietnamese embassy notice, and booking order that protects focus. Dated 16 August 2026. No invented train or Grab prices.
Official portals only (avoid lookalikes)
Vietnam's Immigration Department announced that from 08:00 on 11 November 2024 (GMT+7) the electronic visa system runs on two new domains. Use these — not random "vietnamvisa.gov…" clones that charge a service markup:
- Primary apply / land: evisa.gov.vn
- Twin domain named in the same notice: thithucdientu.gov.vn
- Immigration portal (services index + domain notice): immigration.gov.vn
- Apply flow still reachable on the legacy host (fee text we quote lives here): evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn — foreigner e-visa steps
If the site is not a .gov.vn immigration property, treat the fee as a private service charge — not the government e-visa price.
E-visa: what the official wording says (this check)
Observation from the Immigration Department English apply page (not legal advice): processing is quoted as 3 working days after fee payment. Maximum validity is described as up to 90 days, single or multiple entry. You check the result with registration code + email + date of birth; if approved, print the e-visa for entry/exit.
| Product | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single-entry e-visa | USD $25 | Government fee on the official payment step |
| Multiple-entry e-visa | USD $50 | Government fee on the official payment step |
Photo / file hygiene (official notes)
- Portrait photo size guidance on the portal: under 50 KB.
- Passport image size guidance: under 200 KB.
- Missing or unreadable data → application not accepted (portal wording).
- Fee is paid on the official electronic payment step. Third-party sites that add "express" tiers are not the government price table.
Confidence: high that evisa.gov.vn / thithucdientu.gov.vn are the correct government surfaces and that the English apply page still lists $25 / $50 and 3 working days. Medium that your nationality is eligible without reading the live form — eligibility and port lists sit inside the official flow, not on a blog matrix.
Visa exemption — do not invent your row
Exemption length is nationality-specific (and sometimes purpose-specific). Yomu does not publish a complete world matrix. Match your passport to a Vietnamese government or embassy source before you skip the e-visa form.
Dated government notice we checked (16 Aug 2026)
The Embassy of Viet Nam in Japan published that on 7 March 2025 the Government issued Resolution No. 44/NQ-CP on visa exemption for citizens of 12 countries, effective 15 March 2025 through 14 March 2028 (extension to be considered under Vietnamese law). The embassy English text lists: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland — temporary stay of 45 days from the date of entry, regardless of passport type or purpose of entry, if entry conditions under Vietnamese law are met.
VN Embassy Japan — visa exemption extension notice
Other nationalities (including many ASEAN peers and Latin American bilateral cases) appear on separate MOFA / government lists with different day caps. Do not copy a Wikipedia table onto your boarding pass — open the official list that names your passport.
US travelers: your embassy points you at Vietnam Immigration portals — treat e-visa as the default path unless a live government page says otherwise for your document type.
Corridor money (no invented rail fares)
Inside Vietnam the money leaks are usually: wrong visa middleman, overnight bus hostage nights, and day-trip Ha Long that burns the bay. Rail exists; we do not invent SE seat prices. Check Vietnam Railways when you want the steel spine:
When to keep the itinerary brutal-simple
- North focus — Hanoi base → one water day (Ha Long or Ninh Binh) → optional overnight south only if the calendar is kind.
- Central stop — Hoi An with Da Nang as airport/beach utility.
- South focus — HCMC + Mekong day or none; do not stack four cities because a reel said so.
- Full spine Hanoi → Hoi An → HCMC — open-jaw flights beat three overnight buses. Price real seats; we will not invent them.
Booking order that protects focus
- Confirm exemption vs e-visa on a .gov.vn / embassy page for your nationality.
- If e-visa: apply only on evisa.gov.vn or thithucdientu.gov.vn; pay $25 / $50 government fee.
- Lock nights on one corridor shape (north / central / south / honest spine).
- Ha Long: vetted overnight boat beats a drive-through day trip when sleep is the product.
- Soft season check: events / weather notes.
Sources (this page)
- Vietnam National Electronic Visa system (evisa.gov.vn) — checked 2026-08-16
- Vietnam Immigration portal — domain notice + services
- Immigration — foreigner e-visa steps ($25 / $50 · 3 working days)
- Embassy of Viet Nam in Japan — Resolution 44/NQ-CP (45 days · 12 countries · to 14 Mar 2028)
- U.S. Embassy Hanoi — points travelers to Vietnam Immigration portals
- Vietnam Railways English — tickets; no fares invented here