🔄 Last updated: 12 July 2026

If you hold a Russian, South Korean, Japanese, British, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian or Finnish passport — you enter Vietnam for 45 days with no visa.

You may be so used to this that it feels permanent.

It isn't.

It's a government resolution with a start date and an end date. The end date is 14 March 2028.

And the government's own wording is explicit: the policy "will be CONSIDERED for extension" in accordance with Vietnamese law.

"Considered for extension" — not "automatically extended."

This article isn't here to scare you. It's here to show you how Vietnam's visa policy actually works — by walking back six years.

📅 THE TIMELINE: 2022 → 2028

🗓️ 15 March 2022 — Resolution 32

Visa exemption: 15 days

The starting point. Just 15 days.

If you came to Vietnam before August 2023, that's what you had.

🗓️ 15 August 2023 — Resolution 128 · The biggest turning point

15 days ➜ 45 days · 13 countries

The government granted visa exemption to citizens of 13 countries — Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Republic of Belarus — with a temporary residence period of 45 days from the date of entry, regardless of passport type and purpose of entry.

Remember that number: 13 countries. Belarus included.

On the same day, an even bigger change: from 15 August 2023, the electronic visa was raised from no more than 30 days to no more than 90 days, valid for single or multiple entry — and issued to citizens of ALL countries and territories.

That is the day the 90-day E-Visa was born. And the day the visa-run industry as you know it began to make sense.

🗓️ 15 March 2025 — Resolution 44 · The line almost nobody reads

🔴 Resolutions 32 and 128 EXPIRED

This is the most important line in the article.

Resolution 32/NQ-CP of 15 March 2022 and Resolution 128/NQ-CP of 14 August 2023 CEASED TO HAVE EFFECT from 15 March 2025.

They did not renew themselves. They expired — and a new resolution replaced them.

Resolution 44/NQ-CP (issued 7 March 2025) extended the visa-exemption policy by 3 years for citizens of 12 countries.

⚠️ Count again.

Resolution 128 (2023): 13 countries. Resolution 44 (2025): 12 countries.

The list CHANGED.

Resolution 44 names 12 countries: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK and Northern Ireland, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland — with a temporary residence period of 45 days from the date of entry, regardless of passport type and purpose of entry. The policy runs from 15 March 2025 to the end of 14 March 2028 and will be considered for extension in accordance with Vietnamese law.

⚠️ On Belarus — we have to be straight with you.

Belarus appears in Resolution 128 (13 countries). Belarus does not appear in Resolution 44's list of 12.

However, some public sources still list Belarus among the countries currently enjoying unilateral visa exemption.

Public sources DISAGREE on this point. We won't speculate. If you hold a Belarusian passport, confirm directly with a Vietnamese Embassy/Consulate or your airline before travelling.

But whatever the truth is — the very existence of this discrepancy proves the article's point: the visa-exemption list is NOT fixed.

🗓️ 7 August 2025 — Decree 219

The entire work-permit framework rewritten

Fully replaces Decrees 152/2020 and 70/2023. 15 exemption categories — but most still require a Confirmation of Non-Applicability of a Work Permit.

→ Working legally in Vietnam: five routes

🗓️ 15 August 2025 — Resolution 229

12 more EU countries — but TOURISM ONLY

The government granted visa exemption to citizens of 12 countries entering Vietnam from 15 August 2025, with a stay of up to 45 days — under Resolution 229, issued on 11 August, as part of a tourism stimulus programme.

Belgium · Bulgaria · Croatia · Czechia · Hungary · Luxembourg · Netherlands · Poland · Romania · Slovakia · Slovenia · Switzerland.

🔑 A CRUCIAL DIFFERENCE: Resolution 229 applies for TOURISM purposes only.

Resolution 44 (Russia, Korea, Japan, UK, France…) applies regardless of the purpose of entry.

These are not the same group. Don't read the wrong one.

Expires: 14 August 2028.

🗓️ December 2025 — E-Visa expansion + tougher penalties

Resolution 389/NQ-CP: added 41 international checkpoints and 4 international airports where foreigners may enter and exit on an electronic visa.

Decree 282/2025 (in force 15 Dec 2025): replaced Decree 144/2021 with a new 7-band overstay fine table.

→ The 7-band overstay fine table

🗓️ 2026 — The year of digitisation

• Digital arrival card (QR) — prearrival.immigration.gov.vn, filed within 72 hours, free. Noi Bai · Da Nang · Cam Ranh · Tan Son Nhat, plus Phu Quoc from 1 June 2026
• 1 June 2026 — electronic ID accounts mandatory for organisations filing immigration procedures online
• 1 July 2026 — amended Immigration Law: new UĐ1 visa (high-level digital-technology talent) and UĐ2 (family members), up to 5 years
• 1 July 2026 — Decree 165/2026; the Ministry of Health clarified that the health declaration is not routinely required

→ 7 pieces of Vietnam visa information that are now outdated

🔔 Do you see the pattern?

Every 2–3 years, the visa-exemption policy is rewritten.

2022 → 2023 → 2025 → 2028?

And with each rewrite, three things can change: the number of days · the country list · the permitted purposes.

All three have already changed in the past four years.

👉 Turn on free visa expiry reminders with Visa Tracker — policy changes, but the stamp in your passport won't remind you itself. Free, no account needed.

⏳ TWO DATES WORTH PUTTING IN YOUR CALENDAR

🤔 So should I be worried?

The honest answer: don't panic, but do understand.

Reasons for optimism:

• The policy has been renewed continuously since 2022
• The overall trend is EXPANSION: 15 → 45 days; E-Visa 30 → 90 days; 12 more EU countries; 41 more checkpoints
• The government states the policy "will be considered for extension"
• Tourism is a clear economic priority for Vietnam

Reasons to stay alert:

• "Considered for extension" is not "automatically extended" — that's legal language, and it means something
• The list has already changed between renewals (13 → 12)
• Conditions can change too: Resolution 229 permits tourism only — a restriction Resolution 44 does not carry
• If you've built a long-term life in Vietnam resting entirely on visa exemption, you've built on a foundation with an expiry date

💡 What this means for you — by situation

🧳 You're a tourist here for a few weeks → Nothing to worry about. The policy is in force. Just remember: your entry date is DAY 1, and there's no in-country extension.

🔁 You live in Vietnam by doing a border run every 45 days → Read this part carefully. Your entire way of living rests on a resolution with an expiry date. It may well be renewed — but that is not in your control. → Look into a more stable route: The TRC — five conditions

💼 You work or run a business in Vietnam → Visa exemption is not the right foundation for you. You need the correct visa category + a work permit (or exemption confirmation) + a TRC. → Working legally in Vietnam

🇧🇾 You hold a Belarusian passport → Confirm directly with the authorities before you travel. Public sources conflict.

⚠️ Common misconceptions

❌ "Visa exemption is a right my country's citizens have." → FALSE. This is UNILATERAL visa exemption — Vietnam decides on its own, requires no reciprocity, and can change it.

❌ "The policy will automatically renew in 2028." → NOTHING GUARANTEES THAT. The text says it "will be considered for extension." History shows it usually is renewed — and also shows the list can change.

❌ "Russia and Belgium both get 45 days, so it's the same thing." → NOT THE SAME. Russia falls under Resolution 44 — any purpose of entry. Belgium falls under Resolution 229 — tourism only.

❌ "The 13-country list I read online is still correct." → CHECK THE PUBLICATION DATE. The 13-country list belongs to Resolution 128 — which EXPIRED on 15 March 2025. The current resolution names 12.

❌ "I'm visa-exempt, so I can live in Vietnam indefinitely by doing border runs." → RISKY. Each entry gives you 45 days — but entry is not a right; the decision rests with the officer at the checkpoint. And the whole model rests on a policy with an expiry date.

❌ "The 90-day E-Visa has always existed." → ONLY SINCE 15 AUGUST 2023. Before that, the cap was 30 days. It's a policy change, not a constant.

Sources

• Resolution 32/NQ-CP (15 Mar 2022) — 15-day visa exemption (expired 15 Mar 2025)
• Resolution 128/NQ-CP (in force 15 Aug 2023) — raised to 45 days, 13 countries (expired 15 Mar 2025)
• Resolution 44/NQ-CP (7 Mar 2025) — 12 countries, 45 days, any purpose; 15 Mar 2025 → end of 14 Mar 2028, to be considered for extension — Government e-Newspaper; Embassy of Vietnam in France
• Resolution 229/NQ-CP (11 Aug 2025, in force 15 Aug 2025) — 12 EU countries, 45 days, tourism only; → 14 Aug 2028
• Law amending the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners (in force 15 Aug 2023) — e-visa raised from 30 to 90 days, issued to citizens of all countries
• Resolution 127/2023/NQ-CP and Resolution 389/NQ-CP — checkpoints permitting entry on an electronic visa (+41 checkpoints, +4 airports)
• Decree 219/2025/NĐ-CP (7 Aug 2025) — work permits
• Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP (in force 15 Dec 2025) — administrative penalties, Article 21
• Law amending ten laws in the security and public-order field (in force early July 2026) — UĐ1, UĐ2 visas
• Vietnam Immigration Department — Ministry of Public Security: evisa.gov.vn

Note: This article compiles publicly available legal instruments as of the update date and is not legal advice. Visa-exemption policy can change at any time, including before the expiry dates above. On Belarus, public sources disagree — confirm directly with a Vietnamese Embassy/Consulate or the Immigration Department before travelling. Admission in every case rests with the competent authority at the checkpoint. ViEntry is a technology platform connecting users with independent service operators; ViEntry is not an immigration authority and does not guarantee visa outcomes. All prices are for reference.

Not sure which resolution covers your nationality, or what it permits? Telegram @vientry_support · WhatsApp +84 963 091 001 · Hotline 0963 091 001