Vietnam's New Digital Arrival Card

Vietnam Has a New Digital Arrival Card. Here's What to Do:

Vietnam hit 21.2 million international arrivals in 2025, a new record, and up 20% on the year before. This is more than double than 2023. The fastest-growing major tourism destination in Southeast Asia isn't slowing down.

With this kind of growth comes the kind of immigration queues that Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City has become known for. We're talking 500-person lines, two-hour waits on a bad evening. The government knows it's a problem. A fix? From April 2026, it is now mandatory to complete a digital arrival card.

This Is Happening Everywhere.

Vietnam isn't the first. Southeast Asia has been quietly rolling out pre-arrival systems for the past year.

Thailand launched its Digital Arrival Card in April 2025. Indonesia followed in September 2025. Taiwan in October 2025. Singapore has had its version for a while. The whole region is moving this direction, paperless border processing, data collected before you land, queues (in theory) moving faster.

If you're doing a multi-country trip through Southeast Asia, each country's form is separate. Submitting one doesn't carry over to the next. Add it to your pre-departure checklist.

What Is the Vietnam Digital Arrival Card?

It's a free online declaration introduced by the Vietnam Immigration Department. It replaces the paper arrival card and collects the same information; passport details, flight number, accommodation address, purpose of visit.

Once submitted, the system generates a QR code. Show it to the immigration officer when you land. They scan it, your information is already in the system, and you're through.

It is not a visa. If you need a Vietnamese e-visa, you still need to sort that separately. The arrival card and the e-visa are two different things.

Who Needs It?

Almost everyone entering Vietnam who isn't a Vietnamese citizen on a Vietnamese passport. That includes:

• Visa-free visitors
• E-visa holders
• Overseas Vietnamese entering on a visa

If you're transiting airside and not clearing immigration, you don't need it. If you're clearing immigration, even for a domestic connection you do.

Which Airports?

Right now, it's mandatory at Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City) only.

Hanoi's Noi Bai and Da Nang are not yet covered. But the official portal already includes fields for land and sea entry points and other provinces, which strongly suggests a nationwide rollout is coming. Check the portal before you travel, especially if you're flying into Hanoi or Da Nang.

How to Do It:

1. Go to the official portal: prearrival.immigration.gov.vn
2. Click "Create & Submit Pre-arrival Information"
3. Upload your passport bio page, it auto-fills most fields
4. Select your visa type. If you're visa-exempt, choose "Default Visa Exemption by Country"
5. Enter your flight number and first night's accommodation address
6. Verify with the OTP sent to your email
7. Save your QR code, screenshot it and keep it offline in case of no signal

The form only opens 72 hours before your scheduled arrival. You can't submit it a week in advance. Do it in the two or three days before you fly.

Do it before you board, not after you land. The airport has QR codes linking to the form if you forget, but doing it in the immigration queue after a long flight is not the vibe.

Common Mistakes!

• Typos in passport details. Enter your name and passport number exactly as they appear. Small errors cause delays.
• Waiting until you land. Wi-Fi in the arrivals area at SGN isn't reliable for new arrivals without a local SIM. Sort it before you board.
• Thinking it's a visa. It's not. If you need a visa, sort that separately first.
• Not saving the QR code offline. Dead battery or no signal at the worst moment. Screenshot it.
• Each entry needs a new form. If you leave Vietnam and come back, you need to submit again.

Does It Actually Speed Things Up?

Honestly, we'll see. The queues at Tan Son Nhat are famously bad and that's not entirely a paperwork problem. It's also a staffing and infrastructure problem. Even with the QR form sorted, recent traveller reports suggest 40+ minute waits are still common during peak arrival times.

What it does do is remove one variable from the delay. And if you're running on fumes after a long flight, not having to fill in a form at the counter while trying to remember your hotel address is a small but real win.

Vietnam is on a run. 21 million visitors last year. A target of 25 million for 2026. Growing UK visitor numbers year on year. It's genuinely one of the best-value countries on the planet right now, and this arrival card is a five-minute job that costs nothing. Sort it before you board.

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