Vietnam currently grants e-visas to citizens of all countries and territories. The entire process, from submitting applications and paying fees to receiving visa approvals, is completed online.
The country issued more than four million e-visas to foreigners in 2025, up over 30% from the previous year. In the first six months of 2026, nearly 2.5 million e-visas were approved, an increase of almost 30% year-on-year.
Open visa policies are among factors drawing more than 22.8 million international visitors to Vietnam in 2025, the highest figure on record. However, the surge in online visa applications has also led to the spread of fake websites, raising the risks of fraud and identity theft. Authorities therefore advise foreigners to use only the Vietnamese Government’s official online portals when applying for visas.
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A foreign woman completes the customs inspection procedures at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi in 2020. Photo by Read/Ba Do |
The traps behind “express visa” services
A simple search for “Vietnam e-visa” produces numerous websites and social media pages advertising “express visas”, “same-day approval” or “guaranteed visas”. However, not every website appearing in search results is an official government portal.
Before the Ministry of Public Security launched the official e-visa system on the domains evisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn, the Immigration Department had recorded many fake websites ranking prominently on search engines, causing confusion for users.
Nguyen Tien Nam, an officer from Division 5 under the Department of Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention (A05), said fraudsters often create websites that closely resemble official portals, register misleading domain names or pay for online advertisements to attract users. Many also promote services such as “instant visas”, “urgent processing” or “guaranteed approval” to gain people’s trust.
Users are advised to access only official websites with the “.gov.vn” domain and remain cautious when providing personal information or making online payments. Anyone detecting signs of fraud should immediately report the case to the police for timely assistance, Nam said.
Cybersecurity experts warn that users visiting fake websites may have their passport details, personal information or payment data stolen. With the help of artificial intelligence, fraudulent websites have become increasingly sophisticated, making them much harder to distinguish from genuine ones.
Alongside efforts to improve cybersecurity, the Immigration Department is accelerating digital transformation in the management of foreigners. Pilot programs to collect passenger information before arrival and expand the use of biometric data are expected to shorten immigration processing times while improving management efficiency.