Vietnam eVisa for Australian Citizens: The 2026 Guide

Updated 2026-07-02

Yes — Australian citizens need a visa for Vietnam. Australia is not on Vietnam's visa-exemption lists in 2026, so the eVisa is the standard route: up to 90 days, single or multiple entry, arranged online before you fly. This guide covers the official government fees, processing times, the 90-day multiple-entry option for longer trips, and the mistakes that most often catch Australian travelers out.

Do Australian citizens need a visa for Vietnam?

Yes. Australia is not on any of Vietnam's visa-exemption lists as of 2026. The 45-day exemptions under Resolution 44/NQ-CP cover twelve countries (the UK, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea and others), and Resolution 229 added twelve more European countries in August 2025 — Australia is on neither list, and no exemption for Australian passports has been announced. Every visit to Vietnam on an Australian passport requires a visa, regardless of how short the stay is.

There is one narrow exception: Phu Quoc island. Travelers of all nationalities, Australians included, can visit visa-free for up to 30 days if they arrive directly at Phu Quoc's airport or seaport and stay only on the island. Step onto the mainland and the normal visa rules apply.

For everything else, the eVisa is the standard route. It has been open to all nationalities since 15 August 2023, and it replaced the old 30-day cap that used to apply to Australian travelers with a maximum stay of up to 90 days.

What do Australian travelers need to qualify for the eVisa?

Eligibility itself is straightforward — every nationality, including Australia, can apply. What decides the outcome is your passport and the accuracy of your application.

Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond your arrival and planned stay, have at least one blank page, and be undamaged — travelers have been refused entry and exit over passport damage. Emergency passports may be refused for eVisa applications, so if you are traveling on one, resolve that before applying.

Just as important: the details you enter must match your passport's biographical page exactly. Vietnamese immigration treats even minor differences — a typo in a name, a missing middle name — as grounds to deny entry. More on this in the pitfalls section below, because it is the single most common way an otherwise valid eVisa fails at the border.

How much does a Vietnam eVisa cost for Australian citizens?

The official government fee — the amount the Vietnam Immigration Department charges on the official portal — is the same for every nationality:

The government fee is non-refundable, even if the application is refused, so it is worth getting the details right the first time.

One caution on price: a number of commercial websites are designed to look official and charge several times the US$25 fee without making clear they are private services. Only evisa.gov.vn is the official government portal. Any other site — including ours — is a private service, and a legitimate one will say so plainly and show its service fee separately from the government fee.

• US$25 — government fee for a single-entry eVisa, valid for a stay of up to 90 days
• US$50 — government fee for a multiple-entry eVisa, valid for up to 90 days
• Fees are paid to the Vietnam Immigration Department via evisa.gov.vn and are non-refundable, even if the application is refused

How do you apply, and how long does processing take?

Applications are made online at evisa.gov.vn, the official portal of the Vietnam Immigration Department (the same system also runs at evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn). You complete the form, pay the government fee by card, and wait for the result — there is no need to visit an embassy or send your passport anywhere.

Official processing time is 3 working days; in practice, 3 to 5 working days is the commonly quoted range. Weekends and Vietnamese public holidays do not count as working days, so build in a buffer rather than applying the week you fly.

One detail Australians often miss: when you apply, you select your entry and exit ports, and the eVisa is valid only at the ports you selected. Since December 2025, Resolution 389/NQ-CP has expanded the eligible ports from 42 to 83 — covering airports, land borders and seaports — so most itineraries are covered, but you must name yours correctly on the form.

Is the 90-day multiple-entry eVisa worth it for a long trip?

For many Australians, yes. Flights from Australia are long enough that trips to Vietnam often run several weeks, and Vietnam is frequently one leg of a wider Southeast Asia itinerary. The multiple-entry eVisa (US$50 government fee) lets you leave Vietnam — say, for a side trip to Cambodia or Laos — and re-enter on the same visa for as long as it remains valid, without applying and paying again.

If your plans are a single stretch in Vietnam with one entry and one exit, the US$25 single-entry version is all you need. If there is any realistic chance you will cross a border and come back, the multiple-entry option usually pays for itself the first time you re-enter.

Two things to keep in mind: the 90 days is the visa's validity, and your exits and re-entries need to go through the ports listed on your eVisa. Plan the ports around your whole itinerary, not just your first arrival.

What are the most common mistakes on Australian applications?

Most eVisa problems are self-inflicted and avoidable. These are the ones with the most documented impact:

None of these are exotic risks — they are paperwork errors. A careful line-by-line check of the application against the passport's biographical page prevents almost all of them.

• Typos and missing middle names. Official US State Department guidance warns that minor differences between the application and the passport — a typo, a missing middle name — may result in denial of entry. Australian passports list middle names, so enter every name exactly as printed, in full.
• Wrong or missing port of entry. The eVisa works only at the ports you selected. If you change your arrival airport or add a land crossing after approval, the visa will not cover it.
• Paying a look-alike website believing it is the government. Only evisa.gov.vn is official. If a site charges well above US$25 for a single-entry visa without labeling itself a private service, walk away.
• Damaged or emergency passports. Travelers have been denied entry and exit over passport damage, and emergency passports may be refused for eVisas.
• Overstaying. Vietnam has recently increased overstay penalties and enforcement, including substantial fines and long processing times for the exit paperwork required to leave. Treat the visa's dates as hard limits.

How can InTimeVisa help Australian travelers?

You can apply on your own at evisa.gov.vn for the government fee alone, and for a straightforward trip with plenty of lead time, that is a perfectly good option. Where we earn our service fee is accuracy and speed.

Before anything is submitted, we check every field of the application against your passport's biographical page — names, dates, passport number, ports — so the typo and middle-name errors that get travelers turned around at the border don't happen. We also make sure your entry and exit ports actually match your itinerary, including any re-entries on a multiple-entry visa.

If your departure is close, our urgent service handles express and same-day timelines — useful when the standard 3 to 5 working days simply won't fit your booking. Our service fee is always shown separately from the US$25 or US$50 government fee, which is paid to the Vietnam Immigration Department.