Vietnam eVisa for South Korean Citizens: 45 Days Visa-Free, 90 Days with an eVisa

Updated 2026-07-02

South Korean citizens do not need a visa for stays in Vietnam of up to 45 days. The exemption applies to every passport type and every entry purpose, and runs until 14 March 2028 under Resolution 44/NQ-CP. For anything longer, the 90-day eVisa is the standard route — and this guide covers both, including the official fees, how to apply, and what to plan for if you're staying long-term.

Do South Korean citizens need a visa for Vietnam?

No — not for short trips. South Korean passport holders can enter Vietnam without a visa and stay up to 45 days under Resolution 44/NQ-CP. The exemption applies regardless of passport type or purpose of entry — tourism, business meetings, or visiting family — and is in force from 15 March 2025 until 14 March 2028.

South Korea is Vietnam's largest inbound travel market and has long held a place on Vietnam's visa-exemption list; the current 45-day allowance replaced the much shorter 15-day window that applied before the policy changes of 2023–2025. For any stay longer than 45 days, you will need a visa, and for most travelers that means the 90-day eVisa.

How does the 45-day visa exemption work?

There is nothing to apply for and nothing to pay. You arrive at the border, immigration checks your passport, and you are stamped in for a stay of up to 45 days. A few practical points are worth knowing before you travel:

• Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months beyond your planned stay and have blank pages for entry and exit stamps. Travel on an undamaged passport — travelers have been refused entry and exit over passport damage.
• Check the exit date on your entry stamp before you leave the immigration counter. Immigration will not change it after you have left the airport or land border.
• Use the same passport to enter and exit Vietnam.
• Back-to-back visits are allowed. The old rule requiring a 30-day gap between visa-free entries was abolished (Law 51/2019/QH14), so you can exit and re-enter without a waiting period.

When do South Koreans need a Vietnam eVisa instead?

If your stay could run past 45 days, arrange an eVisa before you fly. Vietnam's eVisa allows stays of up to 90 days and comes in single-entry and multiple-entry versions, and it is open to all nationalities, including South Korea.

The key point is timing. The 45-day exemption is granted at the border, and there is no simple way to convert it into a longer visa once you have arrived. If there is any realistic chance your trip will exceed 45 days, the safe approach is to enter on an eVisa from the start.

A multiple-entry eVisa also lets you leave and re-enter Vietnam on the same visa during its validity — useful if you are basing yourself in Vietnam and making side trips in the region, or shuttling between Seoul and Vietnam for business trips.

How much does the Vietnam eVisa cost for Korean citizens?

The official government fees are fixed and paid on the official portal, evisa.gov.vn, which is run by the Vietnam Immigration Department:

• Visa-free entry (up to 45 days): no fee, no application
• eVisa, single entry (up to 90 days): US$25 government fee
• eVisa, multiple entry (up to 90 days): US$50 government fee

How to apply for the Vietnam eVisa — and how long it takes

The government fee is non-refundable, even if the application is refused. Any service fee charged by an agent — including ours — is separate from and additional to the government fee. Officially, processing takes 3 working days; in practice, allow 3–5 working days, and longer around Vietnamese public holidays.

Since December 2025, under Resolution 389/NQ-CP, the eVisa is accepted at 83 border gates across airports, land borders, and seaports. But your eVisa is only valid at the entry and exit ports you select on the application — arriving at a different port can mean being turned away.

The application itself is straightforward:

• Go to evisa.gov.vn, the official Immigration Department portal.
• Upload a scan of your passport's bio page and a passport-style photo.
• Enter your details exactly as they appear in your passport — spelling, name order, everything.
• Choose single or multiple entry, your dates, and your entry and exit ports.
• Pay the US$25 or US$50 government fee by card.
• Wait 3–5 working days, then download and print your eVisa approval to present on arrival.
• Note: your passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond your planned stay, and applications made on emergency passports may be refused.

What are the most common mistakes to avoid?

Most eVisa problems are avoidable and happen at two moments: filling in the form, and arriving at the border. These are the ones we see most, all documented in official travel advisories:

• Typos and name mismatches. Minor differences between your application and your passport's bio page — a misspelling, a missing name component — can result in denial of entry, per the US State Department's published warning. Match your passport exactly.
• Selecting the wrong entry or exit port. The eVisa only works at the ports named on it.
• Assuming the 45 days can be stretched. Vietnam has increased overstay enforcement, with substantial fines, slow exit-visa processing, and possible entry bans. If you might stay longer, enter on an eVisa instead.
• Applying through look-alike commercial websites believing they are official. Only evisa.gov.vn (and its mirror addresses evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn) is the official system; the government fee is US$25 or US$50, nothing else.
• Traveling on a damaged passport, or entering and exiting on different passports.

Staying longer in Vietnam: urgent eVisas, work permits, and TRCs

If your departure is close, InTimeVisa's urgent service handles express and same-day eVisa processing. We review your documents before submission, catch the name and port errors that cause refusals at the border, and manage the application end to end so you can board on time.

Vietnam is also home to a large Korean business community, and many South Koreans who first arrive on the 45-day exemption end up staying far longer — for a posting, a company, or family. Neither the exemption nor the 90-day eVisa is a long-term solution: taking up employment in Vietnam generally requires a work permit, and multi-year residence runs through a temporary residence card (TRC). InTimeVisa assists with the full path — from your first eVisa to the work permit and TRC that follow — so each step is filed correctly the first time.