Ho Chi Minh City, 13 August 2025
Recent update on significant developments in Vietnam’s visa exemption policy.
From 15 August 2025 to 14 August 2028, Vietnam will expand its visa exemption policy to cover a total of 24 countries.
On 08 August 2025, the Government of Vietnam issued Resolution No. 229/NQ-CP (“Resolution 229”) under the Tourism Development Stimulus Program, granting visa exemptions to citizens of the following 12 countries: Kingdom of Belgium, Republic of Bulgaria, Republic of Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Republic of Poland, Romania, Republic of Slovakia, Republic of Slovenia, and the Swiss Confederation. Under Resolution 229, eligible nationals may enter Vietnam without a visa for tourism purposes and stay for up to 45 days from the date of entry, regardless of passport type, provided that they meet all entry conditions prescribed by Vietnamese law.
This development follows Resolution No. 44/NQ-CP dated 07 March 2025 of the Government, which expanded the visa exemption policy to 12 other countries, bringing the total number of visa-exempt countries to 24.
In addition to Resolution 229, Decree No. 221/2025/ND-CP, which also take effects on 15 August 2025, introduces a special visa exemption card for specific categories of foreigners entering Vietnam on a temporary basis for socio-economic development purposes (“Decree 221”). Under Decree 221, the following individuals are eligible to apply for this special visa exemption card:
- Guests of senior leaders or heads of provinces and cities;
- Scholars, experts, scientists, professors at universities and research institutes; chief engineers; high-quality digital technology industry human resources;
- Investors, corporate executives, leaders of large enterprises;
- Individuals working in culture, arts, sports, and tourism who have a positive public influence;
- Honorary Consuls of Vietnam abroad;
- Guests of approved research institutes, universities, colleges, and large enterprises, as determined by the Government based on proposal from relevant ministries and agencies; and
- Other cases deemed necessary for foreign affairs or socio-economic development purposes, as decided by the Minister of Public Security.
Holders of special visa exemption cards may enter Vietnam multiple times during the special visa exemption card’s validity period. The visa exemption period may not exceed 05 years and must be at least 30 days shorter than the remaining validity of the passport.
Should you need further information or assistance regarding Vietnam’s visa policies, please do not hesitate to contact us.
