How is the 90-day Vietnam visa validity calculated — from the issue date or the start date?

If the arrival card says the visa issue date is later than the planned entry date, return to the start of the form: first enter the current date manually (it must not be after the arrival date), then select the visa type. Travelers report that the form then accepts the submission and issues a QR code, calculating the end date automatically.

The visa’s start-of-validity date controls entry: you cannot clear immigration before the start date printed on the visa. A supposed “72-hour” rule does not concern visa validity and was likely confused with the pre-arrival form.

If the form asks for the visa validity start date, use the approval date as the reference. The expiry-date field may be optional; if the system allows it, leave it blank and enter only the required end date.

When filling out the immigration form: if the visa issue date is July 29 and the end date entered is November 16, the system throws an error saying the visa can't exceed 90 days (the gap is too long).

One traveler confirmed with their own case: entered August 17 as the start date in the form, and the visa's expiry date came out as November 14 — exactly 90 days from August 17.

A traveler was advised that typically the visa issue date and the start-of-validity date are the same day, so there shouldn't be a discrepancy unless the visa hasn't been physically issued yet.

When completing step 2 (trip information) on the visa application site, the system requires you to enter the visa expiry date before letting you proceed — this is a common sticking point during self-service applications.

Travelers generally advise simply entering the visa's start-of-validity date (same as the issue date) in the form, without trying to calculate anything separately.

A traveler asked where to actually find the visa issue date — it's usually printed on the visa document/sticker itself, issued after the application is approved.