Vietnam Visa for Korean Citizens 2026: 45 Days Visa-Free & When You Still Need an E-Visa
Do Korean Citizens Need a Visa for Vietnam?
No — not for a normal holiday. South Korea sits on Vietnam’s unilateral visa exemption list, alongside Japan, Russia, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the four Nordic countries. Korean passport holders can arrive at any Vietnamese international airport or land border, show their passport, and receive an entry stamp permitting a stay of up to 45 days.
There is no form to submit in advance for the exemption itself, no fee, and no approval letter. The immigration officer checks your passport, checks your onward ticket if they feel like it, and stamps you in.
How Long Can Koreans Stay in Vietnam?
Forty-five consecutive days per entry. Day one is your arrival date. The clock does not pause if you take a side trip, and it cannot be extended from inside Vietnam.
This is where most Korean travellers get it wrong. The 45 days is not a monthly or yearly allowance — it’s per entry. Each time you enter Vietnam, a fresh 45-day window starts. There is no formal cooling-off period written into the resolution, so in principle you can exit to Bangkok, come back three days later, and get another 45 days.
When Korean Citizens Still Need an E-Visa
Four situations where the 45-day exemption isn’t enough:
| Your Situation | What to Get | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday under 45 days, single visit | Nothing — use the exemption | Free |
| Staying 46–90 days straight | E-visa, single entry | USD 25 |
| Vietnam → Cambodia/Laos → Vietnam | E-visa, multiple entry | USD 50 |
| Business meetings, contract signing | Business visa (DN) via sponsor | Varies |
| Working remotely for months | Talk to us — exemption is the wrong tool | — |
The e-visa is valid for a maximum of 90 days and, importantly, cannot be extended either. The 90 days counts from the visa’s stated start date, not from the day you actually land — so if you request a start date of September 1 and arrive September 10, you’ve burned nine days.
How to Apply for a Vietnam E-Visa from Korea
Go to evisa.gov.vn
The Vietnam Immigration Department’s official portal. It’s the only site that issues e-visas. Bookmark it — search results are crowded with imitators.
Choose single or multiple entry
Single (USD 25) covers one arrival. Multiple (USD 50) is worth it the moment your itinerary includes Angkor Wat, Luang Prabang, or a Bangkok stopover with a return leg through Vietnam.
Enter your details exactly as printed in your passport
Korean passports show the romanised name in the machine-readable zone — copy that spelling character for character. A mismatch between “KIM MINJUN” and “KIM MIN JUN” is one of the most common rejection reasons.
Upload two images
A clear scan of your passport data page, and a 4×6cm portrait photo on a white background, taken within the last 6 months. No glasses, no hat, full face visible.
Pay and wait 3–5 working days
Card payment in USD. The approved e-visa arrives as a PDF by email. Save it to your phone and print a copy — some airline check-in desks still ask for paper.
Not sure whether the 45-day exemption covers your trip? Our team reviews your itinerary and tells you exactly what you need — usually within a few hours.
Get Expert HelpThe Pre-Arrival Declaration: Mandatory for Every Korean Traveller
This is the newest rule and the one catching people out. Since 2026, every foreign passenger arriving at a Vietnamese international airport must complete an online Pre-Arrival Information Declaration before immigration. Visa-free status makes no difference — the exemption covers your visa, not this form.
It takes about five minutes at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn, it is completely free, and it produces a QR code you show at the counter. You can submit it up to three days before arrival. One submission can cover a whole family.
- Full name exactly as printed in your passport
- Passport number and nationality
- Your entry basis — for Koreans, the visa exemption
- Flight number and arrival date
- Hotel name and full address in Vietnam
- Planned departure date and contact email
Overstaying: What It Costs Korean Travellers
Vietnam fines overstays by bracket, not per day — so being one day over and being fifteen days over carry the same penalty band. Fines are set under Decree 144/2021/ND-CP:
| Days Overstayed | Fine | Additional Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Under 16 days | ~USD 20–80 | Paid at the airport, flight usually still catchable |
| 16–29 days | ~USD 120–200 | Deportation possible |
| 30–59 days | ~USD 200–400 | Entry ban of 1–5 years possible |
| 60–89 days | ~USD 400–600 | Entry ban likely |
| 90+ days | ~USD 600–800 | Entry ban, possible criminal exposure |
The practical problem isn’t the money — it’s the time. Overstay processing at the airport is done at an immigration office, not the counter, and it is not fast. Travellers routinely miss flights over a two-day overstay. If you realise you’re going to run past 45 days, deal with it before departure day, not at check-in.
Direct Flights from Korea and Which Airport to Choose
Korean travellers have more direct options into Vietnam than almost any other nationality — Incheon and Busan both connect to multiple Vietnamese cities, and Da Nang and Nha Trang in particular have heavy Korean traffic.
| Destination | Airport | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Hanoi | Noi Bai (HAN) | Ha Long Bay, Sapa, northern Vietnam |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Tan Son Nhat (SGN) | Mekong Delta, business, onward to Cambodia |
| Da Nang | Da Nang (DAD) | Hoi An, Hue, beach resorts — heaviest Korean route |
| Nha Trang | Cam Ranh (CXR) | Beach holidays, large Korean-language service base |
| Phu Quoc | Phu Quoc (PQC) | Island resorts — 30-day visa-free for all nationalities |
Immigration queues at Da Nang and Cam Ranh spike hard when three or four Korean charters land within the same hour — waits of two to three hours are normal in high season. If you’re travelling with children or elderly parents, or connecting to a domestic flight, fast track service is worth considering.
Landing at Da Nang or Cam Ranh in peak season? We meet you at the aircraft door and walk you through immigration in under 10 minutes.
WhatsApp UsBefore You Fly: Korean Traveller Checklist
- Passport valid 6+ months past arrival, two blank pages
- Trip confirmed at 45 days or fewer — otherwise apply for an e-visa first
- Pre-Arrival Declaration submitted, QR code screenshotted
- Hotel address written down (immigration and the form both ask for it)
- Onward or return ticket booked — airlines check this at Incheon even when Vietnam doesn’t
- Cash over USD 5,000 declared at customs; power banks under 100Wh, maximum two, in carry-on
Frequently Asked Questions
No, not for stays up to 45 days. South Korea is on Vietnam’s unilateral visa exemption list, valid through March 14, 2028. Just arrive with a Korean passport valid for 6+ months. For stays of 46–90 days, apply for an e-visa at evisa.gov.vn.
No. The visa exemption cannot be extended from inside Vietnam, and neither can an e-visa. Your options are to exit and re-enter, or to convert to a different visa category through a sponsoring organisation before your stay expires. Plan this at least a week before your 45 days run out, not on the final day.
Technically yes — each entry starts a fresh 45-day window, and there’s no mandatory gap in the resolution. But immigration officers have discretion and repeated short-exit patterns raise flags. If your itinerary involves leaving and returning, a multiple-entry e-visa (USD 50) is cleaner and removes the risk entirely.
Yes. The Pre-Arrival Declaration applies to all foreign passport holders regardless of visa status. It’s free at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn, takes about five minutes, and gives you a QR code to show at immigration. Any website charging you for it is a third party.
The exemption is free, so no — but it’s also more limited. Pay the USD 25 only when you need more than 45 days, need multiple entries, or want a documented entry basis before you fly. For a standard two-week holiday, the exemption is strictly better.
For visa-free entry, Vietnam requires at least 6 months of passport validity from your arrival date, so 5 months is not enough — renew before you travel. With an e-visa the rule is different: your passport must stay valid at least 30 days beyond the end date of the visa, so a short e-visa can still work.
The exemption covers tourism. Working for a Vietnamese employer requires a work permit and an appropriate visa class. Remote work for a Korean employer while on a tourist entry sits in a legal grey area that Vietnam has not formally resolved — many people do it, but it isn’t an authorised purpose of stay. See our digital nomad guide for the realistic options.
Information current as of August 12, 2026. Vietnam’s visa exemption list is set by time-limited government resolution and can change — verify at evisa.gov.vn before booking.
