Vietnam E-Visa vs Visa on Arrival

For most travelers the e-visa is the better choice in the Vietnam e-visa vs visa on arrival question: it works at 79 border gates, costs one payment from $47 all-in, and lets you walk straight to immigration. Visa on arrival only works if you fly into one of four airports and you pay twice, so it suits air travelers in groups. This page compares cost, entry points, queues and papers, and ends with a recommendation. You can apply for your e-visa in about ten minutes.

eVisaVietnam.com is a private visa service operated by TK VIET NAM., JSC, not the Vietnamese government. You can apply yourself at evisa.gov.vn for US$25.

E-visa vs visa on arrival at a glance:

Vietnam e-visa vs visa on arrival: the main differences

The main differences are where each works and when you pay. An e-visa is approved before you leave, so on arrival you go straight to immigration with the PDF. Visa on arrival is an approval letter you obtain before you board; you then stop at the visa counter at the airport and pay a stamping fee in cash.

The e-visa follows Law 23/2023/QH15: up to 90 days, single or multiple entry. Our guide to visa on arrival covers how the letter works.

Which visa fits your situation

Pick the e-visa unless one of the cases below applies. The table maps the common situations.

If you are unsure, choose a service and compare the options in one place. For documents, see our e-visa requirements page.

Embassy visa vs e-visa

An embassy visa is a regular, physical visa issued by a Vietnamese embassy or consulate, while the e-visa is issued online by the Vietnam Immigration Department. The Embassy of Vietnam in Canada says on its visa page that these visas work at all airports, seaports and land borders (as of October 2026).

The embassy describes its own standard processing as about two weeks, and urgent approval as within 24 hours excluding weekends and holidays in Canada and Vietnam.

For a holiday or a short business trip, the Vietnam e-visa vs regular embassy visa comparison favors the e-visa on time. The Vietnam visa on arrival vs embassy visa choice also comes down to time: the embassy route needs your passport and weeks of lead time, the arrival letter needs only an online order. Embassy fees are set by the embassy, so we do not quote them.

E-visa vs visa: what you pay

A visa on arrival costs two payments: a service fee of $28 to $69 for the approval letter, then a stamping fee of $25 for single entry or $50 for multiple entry, paid at the airport.

An e-visa through us is one payment of $47 to $260 for single entry and $82 to $285 for multiple, depending on speed, government fee included. At Standard speed the e-visa is $47 in one payment, while the cheapest visa on arrival still adds a $25 stamping fee to a service fee of at least $28. Our full price table lists every speed.

Queues, papers and timing

With an e-visa, the PDF on your phone or in print is your visa: you show it with your passport at immigration. With visa on arrival you carry the approval letter, stop at the visa counter at the airport, pay the stamping fee there, and then go to immigration. That extra stop is the main source of queues.

The e-visa needs a passport data page, a portrait photo and trip details. A visa on arrival letter needs the passport details and your travel dates. Either way the passport must be valid for at least 6 months from your entry date, with two blank pages.

Single vs multiple entry visa, tourist vs business visa in Vietnam

Choose multiple entry if you will leave and re-enter Vietnam during the validity period. A single-entry e-visa costs $47 at Standard speed and a multiple-entry one $82. A 90-day e-visa costs no more than a 30-day one.

The e-visa covers holidays, visits to family and short business trips such as meetings or conferences. If your plan is work or a long stay, ask the embassy, because employment in Vietnam is outside what the e-visa covers.

Vietnam visa agency vs evisa.gov.vn: yourself or through a service

You can apply yourself on evisa.gov.vn for US$25 single entry. A service adds a file check, support and a delivery time backed by a full refund. We refund 100% if the e-visa is refused, unless the application had false information, or if it arrives after the delivery time shown at checkout.

Our page on the government site or a private service explains how to tell the two apart. For visa on arrival, we do not make the same refund promise on this page.

Our recommendation

Choose the e-visa if you fly in alone, as a couple or as a small family, or if you arrive by land or sea.

Choose visa on arrival if you are a group of up to 20 flying into one of the four airports and you are happy to pay the stamping fee at the airport. Choose an embassy visa for stays beyond what the e-visa allows.

If you want the e-visa checked by a person before it is submitted, apply for your e-visa with us.