Vietnam Visa: Official Website or Private Service, How to Choose
Transparency: this comparison mentions visa-vietnam.app, a private visa application service. visa-vietnam.app is run by the same publisher as this site (vivre-au-vietnam.com). We therefore have an interest in you choosing that service. We wrote this page so that it stays useful if you don't: it starts by explaining how to do it yourself, free of charge apart from the official fees.
Short answer: the only official website for the Vietnamese e-visa is evisa.gov.vn (and its sister addresses ending in .gov.vn). Applying there costs only the official fees: 25 USD for a single entry, 50 USD for multiple entries (as of September 23, 2026). A private service adds service fees in exchange for help; it can be useful in an emergency or if you're stuck, but it's never essential.
On Google, a search for the "official Vietnam visa website" often shows sites that aren't official at the top. Some are honest services that clearly state their fees; others imitate the government portal. This page helps you recognize the official site, compare the options on verifiable criteria and decide without getting caught out.
How to Recognize the Official E-Visa Website
Since late 2024, the Immigration Department of the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security has run the e-visa portal at two addresses: evisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn. The old address, evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn, is still active (Embassy of Vietnam in Japan). These three addresses have one thing in common: they end in .gov.vn, an extension reserved for the Vietnamese government.
Vietnamese authorities give the same advice: only use ".gov.vn" websites and be careful when entering your personal information or paying (VietnamPlus, July 26, 2026).
The Thirty-Second Check
- Read the full address in the browser bar, not the page title or the logo. It must end in ".gov.vn/" just before the first slash.
- Watch out for variants: a domain that contains "gov" somewhere else ("vietnam-gov-visa.com", "evisa-vietnam.gov-online.org") isn't a government site. Only the ending counts.
- Ignore sponsored links: the Vietnamese government doesn't buy ads on Google. A result marked "Sponsored" is a private website.
- Look at the price: the official portal charges 25 USD or 50 USD for an e-visa of up to 90 days (Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC, in force since April 1, 2026). Any higher amount includes service fees.
Signs of a Site Imitating the Portal
The authorities describe websites that closely resemble the official portals, use misleading domain names or buy advertising, and promise an "instant visa", "urgent processing" or "guaranteed approval" (VietnamPlus, July 26, 2026). Add to that:
- a flag, emblem or official colors with no clear "private service" notice;
- a price shown as a "visa fee" with no separation between official fees and service fees;
- no company address, no registration number, no refund terms;
- requests for information an e-visa doesn't need (full bank details, a password, a social security number).
A website that presents itself as private, shows its fees separately and gives its company details isn't a scam: it's an intermediary. The question then is whether it's useful to you.
Applying Yourself: Pros and Limits
For most travelers, the official portal is enough. The full step-by-step is in our guide on how to apply for a Vietnam visa.
The pros:
- The lowest cost: you only pay the official fees, 25 or 50 USD.
- No intermediary: your passport data only goes through the Vietnamese administration.
- A processing time set by law: 3 working days after receipt of a complete application and the fees (Law 51/2019/QH14, Art. 16a).
The limits:
- No proofreading: a mistake in your name, passport number or port of entry isn't corrected by the portal. Fees aren't refunded in case of an error or refusal.
- No express option: the portal doesn't sell faster processing. If you're leaving in two days, it can't help you.
- Payment can get stuck: some cards refuse dollar payments on a Vietnamese website. This is common with Moroccan cards that haven't been enabled for international use (see our guide for Moroccans).
- Limited support: official support answers by email (foreigners@immigration.gov.vn) and by phone from Hanoi, in English or Vietnamese, during Vietnamese business hours.
Using a Private Service: The Three Families
Private services fall into three broad families. We describe them by category rather than by name, because their prices, processing times and terms change often and we can't verify them independently over time.
1. Licensed Local Agencies in Vietnam
These are travel or paperwork agencies based in Vietnam. To organize trips for foreigners, a Vietnamese agency must hold an international tour operator license issued by the national tourism administration, with a number you can ask them for. Their strength: knowledge of the ground and the ability to handle complex cases (approval letter for a visa on arrival, business visa, extension). Their limit: a website often in English only, customer service on Vietnamese hours, and very variable quality from one agency to the next.
2. International Paperwork Platforms
Companies based in Europe, the United States or elsewhere process visas for many countries on a single platform. Their strength: a polished interface, often available in French, payment in your own currency, reachable customer service. Their limit: service fees that can far exceed the official fees, and a less detailed knowledge of Vietnam for cases beyond the tourist e-visa.
3. Sites That Imitate the Official Portal
These aren't services in the honest sense of the word. They copy the look of the government website, display a "visa price" without saying it includes service fees, and count on the confusion. Some do forward your application to the official portal while charging several times the price; others deliver nothing. These are the sites the Vietnamese authorities are warning against.
Where visa-vietnam.app Fits In
visa-vietnam.app is a private service; visa-vietnam.app is run by the same publisher as this site (vivre-au-vietnam.com). It submits the visa application on your behalf. It isn't a government website and doesn't present itself as one. Its fees come on top of the official fees of 25 or 50 USD, which you can also pay yourself on evisa.gov.vn. We don't publish its prices or processing times here: check them directly on its website, and compare them with the other options using the criteria below, as you would for any service.
The Comparison in One Table
| Criterion | Official portal (.gov.vn) | Licensed local agency | International platform | Imitation site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Official fees only (25 / 50 USD) | Official fees + service fees | Official fees + service fees, often higher | Inflated price, fees poorly detailed or not at all |
| Application review | No | Usually yes | Usually yes | Rarely |
| Urgent option | No | Often, depending on the agency | Often | Promised, with no real guarantee |
| Language | English, Vietnamese | Mostly English | Often French | Varies |
| Complex cases (business, extension) | No (e-visa only) | Yes | Sometimes | No |
| Transparency about its status | Complete | To be checked (license) | To be checked (legal notice) | Low; that's the problem |
Which Option to Choose for Your Situation
- You're leaving in more than two weeks, with a card that pays internationally: do it yourself on evisa.gov.vn. It's the cheapest option, and the legal processing time of 3 working days leaves you a margin.
- You're French and leaving for less than 45 days: you don't need a visa at all, until March 14, 2028, according to France Diplomatie. Don't pay anyone for a document you don't need.
- You're leaving in a few days, or your payment is declined: a private service may make sense. Insist on fees separated from the official fees, written refund terms and a verifiable company identity.
- Your plans go beyond the tourist e-visa (more than 90 days, work, business): you need a sponsor or an embassy. See business visa and work visa.
- You're Canadian: our guide for Canadians explains the passport rules specific to Canada.
Before Paying for a Service, Five Questions to Ask
- What are your service fees, separate from the official fees? A vague answer is a bad sign.
- Who are you? Company name, country of registration, address, license number for a Vietnamese agency.
- What happens if the application is refused? Official fees are never refunded by the administration; what about the service fees?
- What do you do with my data? A passport scan is sensitive data: how long it's kept and how it's deleted should be in writing.
- Do you promise guaranteed approval? If so, move on: no company decides in place of Vietnamese immigration.
Sources Consulted on September 23, 2026
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Jérémie Chiari
Author, based in Da Nang
A French entrepreneur living in Da Nang, Jérémie writes these guides from first-hand experience and official sources, cited and dated.
About the author
