Do you need a return ticket to enter Vietnam — will they check at the airport?

For visa-free entry of up to 45 days, an onward ticket is usually not requested, but spot checks can happen; having a ticket or reservation is advisable as a precaution.

On a recent arrival about two weeks earlier, no return ticket was requested. As a precaution, an onward-ticket reservation can be arranged for around 1,500 RUB.

Several recent departures from Sheremetyevo (a 20-year-old traveler, and a family flying on August 14) went through with no questions at all about a return ticket — nothing was checked, aside from being asked to discard nail scissors.

A traveler reports flying to Hanoi, Nha Trang, and Danang over the past two months without a return ticket — never asked at any of them. Hotel booking has also never been requested over years of trips, though this time they booked the first night's stay at the airport just in case.

Since July there's an electronic arrival card that may be requested, especially mentioned for Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi (not asked for in Nha Trang so far). Advice is to fill it out online in advance, three days before departure, which is faster than completing it on arrival.

One traveler entered in late June without a return ticket but with an e-visa — on the entry form they indicated an estimated departure date. No one asked for the actual return ticket.

Clarification on e-visas: a return ticket is usually not requested, but there may be an exception for the 45-day e-visa entry — and even then not always.

If you already have a visa (e.g. e-visa) sorted, the airline doesn't require a return ticket at check-in — having the visa is enough for them.

Travellers flying from Tyumen to Cam Ranh on 18 June were worried about not having a return ticket, but neither Russian border control on departure nor Vietnamese immigration on arrival asked about it.

If Russian border control on departure requires proof of onward travel, refundable tickets or unpaid reservations via booking services are a workaround — ask in the community for specific airlines and routes that work.

According to available information, not having a return ticket may slow down passport control on arrival, but does not necessarily result in denial of entry. This is unconfirmed.

A flight arriving around 10am (the only plane at that time) cleared immigration in about 10 minutes. No one asked for a return ticket, and no fast-track service was needed.

Recent arrivals report that immigration officers did not ask for proof of onward travel. Buying a return ticket after arrival appears to be fine in practice.

Arriving in Nha Trang without a return ticket caused no issues. If your stay is flexible (1–2 weeks), you can buy the return ticket after arrival — it's not checked at immigration.