Vietnam's visa on arrival is not a visa you can simply buy at the airport. It requires an approval letter issued in advance by the Immigration Department, at the request of a sponsor in Vietnam, usually a company, organisation or licensed travel firm. You fly in with the letter, a passport photo and your passport, collect the visa at the landing visa counter of an international airport after paying a stamping fee, and then join the normal immigration queue. Since the 2023 e-visa reforms, most visitors find the e-visa simpler, and visa on arrival is now used mainly for sponsored business travel and special cases.
The phrase "visa on arrival" causes confusion because in some countries it means a visa issued to anyone who turns up. In Vietnam it describes the place where the visa is stamped, not the absence of advance approval. This guide explains how the approval letter works, who can lawfully sponsor one, what happens at the counter, and why many long-term residents now avoid this route unless an employer arranges it for them. Procedures differ between airports and change over time; confirm the details with the Immigration Department or your sponsor.
How the approval letter works
The approval letter is an official document from the Immigration Department under the Ministry of Public Security. A sponsor in Vietnam files a request naming the traveller, passport details, purpose of the visit, dates, type of entry and the airport where the visa will be collected. If the request is accepted, the department issues a letter listing the approved travellers and sends a notice to the border gate.
When you arrive, the officers at the landing visa counter check your name against the list, take your passport, photo and form, collect the stamping fee and paste the visa into the passport. The letter is therefore not the visa itself; it is the instruction that allows the visa to be issued at the border. Without a matching entry in the system, there is nothing for the counter to issue.
Because the sponsor files the request, the visa code reflects the sponsor's purpose. A company inviting you to business meetings will normally request a DN visa; a travel firm will request a DL tourist visa. The sponsor also carries the legal responsibility for your stay. That is the heart of the system and the reason why approval letters bought from strangers online can be risky.
Visa on arrival or e-visa?
For travellers who can choose, the comparison below explains why the e-visa has become the default for most visitors.
| Visa on arrival | E-visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Who applies | A sponsor in Vietnam, on your behalf | You, online, or sometimes a sponsor |
| Advance document you carry | Approval letter from the Immigration Department | The e-visa itself |
| Where you can use it | Only at international airports with landing visa counters | At border gates on the e-visa list, including some land crossings |
| Extra step on arrival | Queue at the landing visa counter before immigration | None; go straight to immigration |
| Typical use today | Sponsored business visits, urgent trips arranged by employers, special cases | Tourism, family visits, exploratory stays, many business trips |
| Main risk | Unreliable sponsors, long queues at peak hours | Mistakes in the online form |
The advantage of visa on arrival is that the sponsor can sometimes request specific codes and lengths that an ordinary e-visa does not offer, and the arrangement is visible to the employer from the start. The disadvantage for individual travellers is dependence on a sponsor and an extra queue at the end of a long flight.
What happens at the landing visa counter
If you do arrive on an approval letter, the process at a large airport usually runs like this.
- Before you leave home, print the approval letter, check that your name, passport number and nationality are correct, and bring two recent passport photos. Airlines may ask to see the letter before boarding.
- On arrival, follow the airport's directions to the visa on arrival or landing visa counter, which is located before the immigration booths. Do not join the immigration queue first.
- Fill in the entry and visa application form if one is required at the counter, and hand it in with your passport, photo and a copy of the letter.
- Pay the stamping fee, usually in cash. Bringing the exact amount in the accepted currency avoids delays; check the current fee and accepted currencies with your sponsor beforehand.
- Wait for your name to be called. At busy times this can take a while, particularly when several flights land together.
- Collect your passport, check the visa sticker carefully and then proceed to immigration, where your entry stamp is added.
Keep the approval letter with your documents even after you enter. If you later need to extend or convert the visa, the immigration office may ask about the original sponsor and the letter's reference.
Who can lawfully sponsor an approval letter
Your employer or a company you work with. A Vietnamese enterprise, branch or representative office can sponsor a business or work-related visa for people it has a genuine relationship with. This is the cleanest form of sponsorship, because the company knows you and can support later steps such as a work permit.
A school, university or research institution. Institutions can sponsor visas for students, interns, lecturers and visiting researchers they have admitted or invited.
A licensed international travel firm. Licensed tour operators can sponsor tourist visas for customers on their tours. This route is meant for travellers using the firm's services, not as a general visa shop.
A relative in Vietnam. Vietnamese citizens and foreigners holding certain statuses can sponsor visas for close family members through the procedures for visiting relatives or family stays.
What these sponsors have in common. Each has a real reason to know who you are and why you are coming, and each can be held to account if the visa is misused. When you weigh an offer of sponsorship, ask which of these categories the sponsor belongs to and what your relationship with it will be after you land.
A worked example: an engineer's first two trips
Consider a hypothetical engineer from Canada who is hired by a Vietnamese manufacturer in Bac Ninh to commission a production line. The first trip is a two-week visit to inspect the site and meet the team. Because the dates are fixed and the purpose is business with a known company, the manufacturer's HR team requests an approval letter for a DN visa, single entry, to be collected at Noi Bai airport. The engineer prints the letter, lands, collects the visa at the counter and goes to work meetings the next morning.
The second trip is longer and the role has become employment: the engineer will manage the line for two years. Now the company first applies for a work permit with the labour authority of the province, then sponsors an LD2 visa and a temporary residence card. The approval letter route may be used again for the entry itself, but the important documents are the work permit and the card, not the letter. For a third party watching, the lesson is that visa on arrival is a delivery mechanism; what matters is the code and the sponsor behind it.
Had the engineer instead arrived on a self-applied tourist e-visa and simply started working on the line, both the engineer and the company would have been exposed to penalties, and the later work permit application would have had an awkward history to explain. The extra step of a proper business entry costs a little time and avoids that problem entirely.
What a sponsor's request normally contains
If your employer or partner company is preparing an approval letter for you, they will usually ask for the following. Having it ready shortens the process.
- A clear scan of your passport data page, with at least six months of validity remaining.
- Your full name exactly as in the passport, date of birth, nationality and gender.
- The intended date of arrival, the length of stay requested and whether you need single or multiple entry.
- The international airport where you will collect the visa, since the notice is sent to that border gate.
- The purpose of the visit in the sponsor's own terms, such as meetings, project work or training, which determines the visa code.
- Where relevant, details of accompanying family members, each with their own passport scan.
The sponsor files the request; you do not deal with the Immigration Department directly at this stage. Ask the sponsor to send you the issued letter as soon as it arrives and check every detail before you book flights.
Why some approval letters cause trouble later
For years, online agents sold approval letters to anyone who paid, using companies willing to put their names on large lists of travellers. Many of these letters worked at the airport, which made the practice look harmless. The trouble tends to come later. A visa whose sponsor does not know the holder cannot be extended or converted on a solid basis, because the sponsor has no real reason to support it. If the sponsoring company is investigated or closed, the visas linked to it may be questioned. And a pattern of visas sponsored by unrelated companies can count against someone who later applies for a residence card.
There is also a simple fraud risk. Fake approval letters, or letters for which no request was actually lodged, are sold to travellers who discover the problem only at the counter. If you need a letter, ask the sponsor to show you the official reference, use a company you actually have dealings with, and be suspicious of any offer that promises a visa code unrelated to what you will do in Vietnam.
For most people moving to Vietnam on their own, the honest and simple route is an e-visa for the first stay, followed by whatever long-term status fits their purpose, sponsored by the employer, school, investee company or family member that genuinely stands behind them.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Can I get a Vietnam visa on arrival without an approval letter?
No. Vietnam's visa on arrival requires a pre-approval from the Immigration Department, requested by a sponsor in Vietnam. Without a matching record, the landing visa counter cannot issue a visa and the airline may not let you board. If you do not have a sponsor, apply for an e-visa instead.
Is visa on arrival available at land borders?
Visa on arrival in the usual sense is handled at international airports with landing visa counters. Travellers crossing by land should rely on an e-visa valid for their chosen crossing, a visa obtained in advance, or a visa exemption. Check the specific gate before you plan an overland route.
How long does it take to get an approval letter?
The time depends on the type of visa, the sponsor and the workload of the Immigration Department. Routine requests are often processed within a few working days, but no one can promise a fixed time. Ask your sponsor to file early, and avoid booking non-refundable travel until the letter is issued.
Is it legal to use an online agent for a visa on arrival?
Using an agent is not illegal in itself, but the visa will rest on whichever company sponsors it. If that company has no real connection with you, the visa may not support later extensions, conversions or residence applications. A sponsor you genuinely work or study with is the safer choice.
Do I still need to pay a fee at the airport with an approval letter?
Yes. The approval letter itself does not include the stamping fee for the visa, which is paid at the landing visa counter. Fees and accepted currencies change, so ask your sponsor for the current amount and bring cash in case card payments are unavailable.
Should my employer use visa on arrival or an e-visa for my first trip?
Either can work. Many employers now prefer the e-visa for a first visit and then handle the work permit, LD visa and residence card once you are in the country. If the employer needs a specific visa code from day one, a sponsored visa through an approval letter may be the better fit.