Vietnam Visa For Cruise Ship Passengers

Special Notes:

• Always keep the passport and visa with you when you travel on land.
• If your cruise makes more than one stop in Vietnam, you will get the entry visa from the first port and complete the departure process at the last port. At other stops in between you just need to show the passport and visa for verification purpose only.
• Your cruise may offer to arrange your entry visa and charge their own fee for this service.

How to apply

Loose-leaf visa on arrival

Cruise passengers can apply for a loose-leaf visa when arriving at a seaport in Vietnam (certain nationalities do not need a visa for Vietnam, check if you are eligible for a visa exemption here). Both the arrival and departure procedures are easy and straightforward:

• Arrival procedure: The cruise or local tour operator will hand you the application form to fill out. Upon disembarking, you can submit this form, your passport and pay the applicable fee. The border services officer will issue a loose-leaf visa document.

• Departure procedure: As you complete your excursion in Vietnam and return to your cruise, you must show both your passport and the visa to receive the confirmation of departure issued by the the border service officers. The visa shall be deemed invalid at this point.

E-visa

Another option is to apply for an e-visa on the official website (https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/trang-chu-ttdt) or apply directly on our website (https://www.myvietnamvisa.com/application.html).

Cruise ports in Vietnam that accept e-visa

• Chan May Seaport (Hue)
• Da Nang Seaport
• Duong Dong Seaport (Phu Quoc)
• Hon Gai Seaport (Halong bay)
• Hai Phong Seaport
• Nha Trang Seaport
• Quy Nhon Seaport
• Ho Chi Minh City Seaport
• Vung Tau Seaport

Disclaimers: This guide is for informational purposes only. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information in the website is accurate, there are changes/errors that we are not aware of. We strongly advise that you contact the cruise operator or the embassy in your country for confirmation and procedures on how to apply for your visa to Vietnam for entering by cruise ship.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

• Q1: I am a US citizen. Will arrive by cruise ship in Vietnam 9/03/2019 till 15/3/2019. Am I able to apply for visa by post or do I have to travel to Washington DC which is 200 miles away. Thanks. (Margaret Asher, United States)
  A: If you are living far away from the embassy, you can apply for your visa to Vietnam by post. Kindly contact the embassy of Vietnam in Washington DC for the fees and application documents.
• Q2: If I arrive Vietnam ports by cruise ship, will "visa on arrival" be workable? Or it is only good at airports? For Canadian passport holders OK ? For Hong Kong SAR passport holders OK? If I enter 2 Vietnam ports in 2 separate days all within 3 days, do I need a single or multiple entry visa? (C. Ng, from Hong Kong)
  A: You can ask the cruise operator to arrange the visa for you or you can obtain a loose-leaf visa upon landing at Vietnam seaport because visa on arrival is not available for arriving by cruise ships. For your cruise itineraries, you need a single entry visa only for cruising between different ports in Vietnam.
• Q3: We will be travelling on a cruise ship in Dec 2019, stopping in Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, and Hanoi. We want to leave the ship at the port of Hue, and travel by land from Hue to Hanoi, then join the ship again in Hanoi. What visa requirements do we need? I am a citizen of the United Sates. My friend is a citizen of Costa Rica, who also has a visa for the U.S. We will only be in Vietnam for a few days. Do we need a visa? (Gary Rose, from United States)
  A: Visas are required for US and Costa Rican passports. As you exit the cruise ship for land travel to Hanoi from Hue, it is advised that you contact the embassy of Vietnam in the US to apply for a visa before you go.
• Q4: I am planning to visit and enter Vietnam by cruise ship and travel along the coastline of Vietnam. Three stops at cruise ship ports are planned. Can I enter Vietnam with visa-on arrival that I would get at the port ? How often can I enter Vietnam while we stop along the coastline of Vietnam? (M. Horntrich, USA)
  A: Visa on arrival does not work for cruise entry,  you can apply for a loose-leaf visa at Vietnam port terminal when you arrive which will allow you to stop at as many ports as you want during your trip in Vietnam. However, it is advised that you contact your cruise operator for visa information because most cruises will offer visa arrangements for their passengers.
• Q4: We’re going to Vietnam by Princess cruise and try to apply visa online but found that all ports of entry are airport, kindly advise what should we enter. The cruise is going to Halong Bay, Da Nang, NRA Trang and Phu My, pls advise if it is treated as a single entry or multiple entries.(Loretta Lo)
  A: As the itinerary you have mentioned, you need a single entry visa only. You can either apply for a loose-leaf visa at the first port of arrival or contact Princess cruise for visa arrangements.
• Q5: We are Croatian citizens and are going to Vietnam in January 2019 by Celebrity Constellation (Singapore-Bangkok-Phu My-Chan My-Hongkong-Shanghai). Are we granted a loose-leaf visa upon arriving in the Vietnam port Phu My?.(Suncana Kukolja)
  A: Sure, you will be granted a loose-leaf visa upon arriving at Phu My Port. However, we always advise that you contact your cruise operator (Celebrity Constellation) for visa arrangement and instructions.
• Q6: I will be on a cruise and stop at Phu My one day and Nha Trang the next day. Can I get a visa before I go? How much do you charge for this for 2 US adults. Can I get the visa at the port as soon as I get off the ship or do I have to have it before I disembark?(David, USA)
  A: If you are arriving on a cruise ship, you are able to obtain a loose-leaf visa upon disembarking. However, if you want to apply for a visa before you go, we advise that you contact the embassy of Vietnam in the US for procedures.
• Q7: We will be arriving on February 22, 2019 at Nha Trang by cruise ship for one day. The next day we will arrive at Ho Chi Minh City for one day, also by a cruise ship. Do we need a one month - single entry, or a one month - multiple entry visa?(Peter Ehrlich)
  A: You can get loose-leaf visa at your first arrival port in Nha Trang and you can also use it for next entry in Ho Chi Minh city. No multiple entry is required in this case.

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