Phu Quoc Visa Exemption: 30 Days Visa-Free for Every Nationality

Phu Quoc is the one part of Vietnam with a visa rule of its own. Under a government decision in force since 2014, foreigners of any nationality can enter and stay on Phu Quoc island for up to 30 days without a visa.

It is a real saving for a beach holiday. It is also easy to break without meaning to.

The conditions

You qualify if all of these are true:

• You arrive on Phu Quoc from abroad. Either on an international flight or ship straight to the island, or by connecting through another Vietnamese international airport or seaport and continuing to Phu Quoc without entering the mainland.
• You stay on Phu Quoc for the whole visit.
• You leave within 30 days, and can show a ticket that proves it.
• Your passport is valid for at least six months.

How to arrive

Directly. Phu Quoc International Airport (PQC) has international flights from a number of Asian cities, and the route list changes by season. A flight that lands on Phu Quoc from another country is the simplest way to use the exemption.

Through another Vietnamese airport. If you fly into Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi and connect to Phu Quoc, the exemption can still apply - provided you stay in transit and do not enter the country at the first airport. In practice that depends on your tickets and your bags: if you have to collect luggage and check in again landside, you are entering Vietnam, and you need a visa. Confirm with your airline before relying on this.

What breaks the exemption

• Visiting the mainland. A night in Ho Chi Minh City before or after, a day trip to the Mekong Delta, an onward flight to Da Nang - any of these needs a visa.
• Staying longer than 30 days.
• Arriving on a domestic ticket after having already entered Vietnam.

If you start on the exemption and then decide to see more of the country, you cannot simply buy a visa on the island. E-visa applications are only accepted from people outside Vietnam.

Exemption or e-visa?

Your trip	What you need
Flying straight to Phu Quoc and straight home, under 30 days	Nothing - the exemption covers it
Phu Quoc plus Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi or anywhere else	An e-visa
Phu Quoc for longer than 30 days	An e-visa
Connecting via the mainland with separate tickets or re-checked bags	An e-visa, to be safe
Not sure yet	An e-visa

Most itineraries include at least a stopover on the mainland, which is why most Phu Quoc visitors travel on a single-entry e-visa anyway. It removes the question at check-in, where airline staff apply the rules strictly and are not obliged to board you on a maybe.

At check-in and on arrival

Airlines are fined for carrying passengers who are refused entry, so expect questions if you have no visa. Have ready:

• your onward or return ticket leaving Phu Quoc within 30 days
• your accommodation booking on the island
• for a connection through the mainland, proof that you are ticketed through to Phu Quoc

Frequently asked questions

Do Australians need a visa for Phu Quoc?

Not if they arrive on Phu Quoc directly, stay only on the island and leave within 30 days. Any time on the mainland needs an e-visa.

Can I fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc without a visa?

Only if you are connecting from an international flight without entering Vietnam at Ho Chi Minh City. If you leave the airport there, you need a visa.

Can I extend my stay on Phu Quoc beyond 30 days?

Plan on leaving by day 30. For a longer stay, arrive on a 90-day e-visa instead.

My passport is already visa-free for Vietnam. Does Phu Quoc matter?

Only if the island rule gives you longer than your own exemption. A 14-day visa-free passport gets 30 days on Phu Quoc under the island rule, provided the conditions above are met.