How to fill out Vietnam e-visa: which entry city to select and how long does processing take?

For the e-visa entry point, use the place where you first cross Vietnam’s border. If the stated entry date is earlier than your actual arrival, the unused visa days are lost; if it is later, entry will be processed under the 45-day visa exemption.

A self-submitted e-visa application may take 2–6 days to process; using an agent may be faster.

Vietnam has a five-day National Day holiday from 29 August through 2 September 2026, when immigration offices do not operate normally. Submit an e-visa application and resolve other visa matters before this period.

One commenter suggests entering the date you are filling out the e-visa form (not the planned entry date) in the date field. Your allowed stay in Vietnam is determined either by the visa validity period or by the entry stamp, with the departure date counted from the arrival date.

The e-visa application must be submitted from outside Vietnam. If you apply while still in the country, the form will be repeatedly returned for editing and the submission date will not reset. Processing can then stretch to a week or more instead of the standard 3 business days.

The date field on the Vietnam e-visa application asks for your intended entry window — an approximate range of dates when you plan to arrive, not a fixed single date.

If your international flight lands in Hanoi first and you then take a domestic connection to Da Nang, you must list Hanoi as your port of entry on the e-visa application.

Standard Vietnam e-visa processing takes 5 business days. Approval sometimes comes sooner, so apply at least a week before your departure to be safe.