Vietnam Sea Tourism: Visa For Cruise Ship Passengers

Home to thousands of islands and archipelagos with a long coastline of 3.260 kilometers, sea and island tourism has contributed 70% of Vietnam’s overall tourism outcomes. At the beginning of January 2024, Vietnam reported welcoming tens of thousands of international visitors at major seaports in Quang Ninh, Da Nang, and Phu Quoc. In this article, we equip cruise travelers to Vietnam with a comprehensive guide for the most fulfilling travel experience! 

Do you need a visa when traveling by cruise ship?

Yes, foreigners are required to obtain a Vietnam visa before or upon disembarking at entry ports either by air, by land, or by sea, except for some nationalities under Vietnam’s applicable visa exemption policy.

*Note: Our company has customized the verification tool to check your Vietnam visa eligibility. Please kindly check here with Vietnam-immi.Org.

For going ashore for sightseeing purposes, immigration officers would issue a landing slip for visitors upon arrival at a fee of US$5, according to Article 26, Law on Entry, Transit, and Residence of foreigners in Vietnam.

How to apply

There are two options for cruise passengers to get a Vietnam visa

Method 1: Loose-leaf visa on arrival arranged by cruise operators

To acquire a loose-leaf visa document at the shipping docks of Vietnam, cruise tourists must fill out the application form handed by their tour companies and pay the processing fee which normally fluctuates from US$25 to US$80.

Upon arrival, you need to submit the application form and your valid passport to collect a loose-leaf visa. Remember that the loose-leaf visa is not a usual visa stamp on your passport but a separate document issued as a piece of paper at the port.

Method 2: E-visa

As visa applications are not available at some sea carriers, your best option at the moment is applying for an E-visa. 

With E-visa, you will no longer have to visit Vietnam Embassies in person as your visa would be issued electronically by the Vietnam Immigration Department. The visa validity is up to 90 days for single or multiple entries. The processing time for E-visa is 4 working days. 

Everything is on the table for your travel itinerary. You can apply for an E-visa on the official website or using our service here 

How about the process for departure?

Departure procedure at Vietnam’s sea borders also requires you to present your passport and the e-visa/loose-leaf visa to be issued the confirmation of departure. Until then, your visa is still deemed valid at entry ports as long as it is within the validity.   

Some notes to take

• You only need a single-entry visa even if a cruise stops at several ports in Vietnam as this is considered one visit for cruise tourists. At the first port, you will get a visa and from then on, you just need to show your passport and visa at the other ports till departure.

• Ensure you have your passport and visa on hand while traveling by land.

• Before heading to Vietnam, it's crucial to familiarize yourself with the country's health information.

List of main port cities

• Hon Gai Seaport (Ha Long, Quang Ninh province)

• Cam Pha Seaport (Quang Ninh province)

• Hai Phong Seaport (Hai Phong City)

• Nghi Son Seaport (Thanh Hoa province)

• Vung An Seaport (Ha Tinh province)

• Chan May Seaport (Hue City)

• Da Nang Seaport (Da Nang City)

• Nha Trang Seaport (Khanh Hoa province)

• Quy Nhon Seaport (Binh Dinh province)

• Dung Quat Seaport (Quang Ngai province)

• Vung Tau Seaport (Ba Ria Vung Tau province)

• Ho Chi Minh Seaport (Ho Chi Minh City)

• Duong Dong Seaport (Kien Giang province)

For a FAST & HASSLE-FREE experience, contact us!

• We offer you a legitimate Visa issued with a professional, fast, and customer-oriented working process.

• We help you to check on your visa status, so you can save time and energy.

• We guarantee you with a transparent refund policy, whereas applying by yourself can be non-refundable. 

• You can get your visa processed in less than 1 working day with our emergency services.

• You will be supported 24/7 with our reliable  Customer Support team.