Single Entry vs Multiple Entry Vietnam Visa: Which One Do You Need?
Published 23 Oct 2026 · Updated 23 Oct 2026 · By MyVietnamVisa Team
Contents
Both Vietnam e-visas last up to 90 days. The single-entry one ends when you leave the country; the multiple-entry one lets you come back. Here is how to choose in under a minute.
Vietnam issues its e-visa in two versions. They last the same length of time, need the same documents and take the same time to process. The only difference is what happens when you leave Vietnam.
The difference in one line
- Single entry: you enter Vietnam once. When you leave, the visa is finished - even if most of its 90 days are unused.
- Multiple entry: you can leave and return as often as you like until the visa's end date.
Side by side
| Single entry | Multiple entry | |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum stay | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entries | One | Unlimited |
| Government fee | US$25 | US$50 |
| Documents | Passport scan and photo | Passport scan and photo |
| Processing | The same | The same |
| Best for | Fly in, travel, fly out | Any trip that re-enters Vietnam |
Choose single entry if
- you fly into Vietnam and fly out again, with everything in between inside the country
- you travel overland from north to south, or south to north, and leave from the other end
- your cruise visits Vietnamese ports one after another with no foreign port in between
Choose multiple entry if
- you are combining Vietnam with Cambodia or Laos and returning - the usual route is Ho Chi Minh City, then Phnom Penh and Angkor Wat, then back for the north
- your flight home leaves from Vietnam after time in Thailand, Singapore or anywhere else
- your cruise calls at a foreign port between two Vietnamese ones
- you travel for business and will be in and out
- your plans are not fixed
The mistake that costs the most
A traveller holds a single-entry visa, takes the bus to Phnom Penh for four days, and arrives back at the Vietnamese border with 70 days still showing on the visa. It is no longer valid. They are turned back.
The fix at that point is a new e-visa, applied for from Cambodia, with a few working days' wait and a second fee - against a difference of US$25 in government fees if multiple entry had been chosen at the start.
If there is any real chance you will cross a border and come back, choose multiple entry.
Things both visas share
- The dates are fixed when the visa is issued. Neither can be extended by leaving and returning.
- Neither allows work. They cover tourism, family visits and business visits.
- Neither can be changed after it is issued. Switching from single to multiple entry means a new application, made from outside Vietnam.
- Both are accepted at 83 entry points: airports, land borders and seaports.
Frequently asked questions
Is a multiple-entry visa harder to get?
No. The requirements and the processing are the same. Only the fee differs.
Can I change my single-entry visa to multiple entry at the border?
No. An issued e-visa cannot be amended. You would need a new one.
Do I need multiple entry for a day trip to Cambodia?
Yes. Any exit from Vietnam ends a single-entry visa, however short the trip.
Does a layover outside Vietnam count as leaving?
Yes. If you fly from Hanoi to Bangkok and back to Ho Chi Minh City, you have left and re-entered, and you need multiple entry.
Does transiting through Vietnam twice need multiple entry?
Not if you stay in the international transit area both times and never pass through immigration. If you enter Vietnam on either stop, it counts.