Most travelers need two separate visas: a Vietnam eVisa, unless their passport is exempt, and a Cambodian tourist visa, which costs $30 as an eVisa or can be bought on arrival. There's no single visa for Vietnam and Cambodia, and Cambodia waives visas only for passports from nine ASEAN countries, the Maldives and Seychelles, so Americans, Australians, Canadians and Europeans all need one for the Cambodian leg.
The second decision is on the Vietnam side. If your route goes into Vietnam, out to Cambodia and back again, buy a multiple-entry eVisa, because a single-entry one won't get you back in. The rules below are as of October 2026.
Your Passport Decides: Vietnam and Cambodia Side by Side
The two countries keep separate exemption lists, and they barely overlap. Vietnam waives visas for 45 days for citizens of 24 countries, most of them in Europe (12 under Resolution 44/NQ-CP and 12 under Resolution 229/NQ-CP), and has bilateral visa-free deals with 15 more. A British traveler can enter Vietnam on a passport stamp and still need a visa for Cambodia; an American needs one on both sides.
"Visa needed" on the Cambodian side means the tourist eVisa or a visa on arrival.
| Passport | Vietnam | Cambodia |
|---|---|---|
| United States | eVisa (Vietnam visa requirements for US citizens) | Visa needed |
| Australia | eVisa (Vietnam visa requirements for Australians) | Visa needed |
| Canada | eVisa | Visa needed |
| United Kingdom | 45 days visa-free, any purpose | Visa needed |
| Germany, France, Italy, Spain | 45 days visa-free, any purpose | Visa needed |
| Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland | 45 days visa-free, tourism only | Visa needed |
| Thailand | 30 days visa-free | 14 days visa-free |
| Laos | 30 days visa-free | 30 days visa-free |
| Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia | 30 days visa-free | 30 days visa-free |
| Philippines | 21 days visa-free | 30 days visa-free |
| Cambodia | 30 days visa-free (Vietnam visa rules for Cambodian citizens) | Home country |
Two rows hide conditions. The 45-day exemption for the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and nine other European countries covers tourism only, so a business trip from Amsterdam needs an eVisa. Thai passports get 30 days in Vietnam but only 14 in Cambodia, which a slow Angkor itinerary can outrun.
Vietnam's Side: One eVisa, Open to Every Nationality
Citizens of every country and territory can apply for a Vietnam eVisa. That's been the rule since August 15, 2023. An eVisa can be valid for up to 90 days, single or multiple entry, and it's issued only to people outside Vietnam, so apply before you fly. Vietnam Immigration charges $25 for single entry and $50 for multiple entry if you apply yourself on the government's own eVisa site, evisa.gov.vn. Through Vietnam Visa by BDA, prices start at $54 per applicant for a 1-month single-entry eVisa, with the Vietnam Immigration stamp fee included.
Some passports skip the eVisa. Under Resolution 44/NQ-CP, citizens of the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland get 45 days for any purpose until March 14, 2028. Under Resolution 229/NQ-CP, 12 more European countries get 45 days for tourism only, until August 14, 2028. Visa-free visitors get 45 days, and staying longer means applying for a visa or an extension through a sponsor in Vietnam.
Americans and Australians have no general exemption. One exception covers every nationality: you can visit Phu Quoc island visa-free for up to 30 days if you fly or sail in from abroad, including through another Vietnamese international airport as long as you stay in the transit area. Going on to the mainland without a visa breaks the rules and can bring a fine of VND 3 to 5 million.
Vietnam accepts eVisa holders at 83 border crossings: 17 airports, 27 land border gates and 39 seaports. Use one of them to enter and leave, and pick the gate you actually plan to use when you apply. Our full Vietnam visa guide covers the rest.
Cambodia's Side: A 30-Day Tourist Visa for Most Passports
Cambodia's exemptions cover ordinary passports from Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, plus the Maldives and Seychelles. US, UK, Australian, Canadian and EU passports aren't on it. So a German who walks into Vietnam without a visa still has to sort one before reaching Phnom Penh.
The usual choice is the tourist visa (T). It's single entry, valid for 3 months from issue, and gives you 30 days from the day you enter; you can extend it once inside Cambodia, and processing takes 3 working days. According to KPMG Cambodia's summary of the government announcement, the tourist eVisa fee fell from $36 to $30 on January 1, 2025. Since October 3, 2026, Cambodia no longer puts visa stickers in passports, so visas issued from then on are digital.
Skip the eVisa and you can still get a visa on arrival, which Cambodia issues at all its international airports and land border checkpoints. The UK government advises applying for the eVisa at least 4 days ahead, and says visa-on-arrival applicants need a photo and US dollars. Because the tourist visa is single entry, a route that goes into Cambodia twice needs two Cambodian visas.
The Entry-Point Trap: Where Cambodia's eVisa Works
Cambodia's eVisa is accepted for entry at only one checkpoint on its border with Vietnam: Bavet, opposite Vietnam's Moc Bai. Kaam Samnor on the Mekong doesn't accept it, and neither do Phnom Den, Prek Chak on the coast road from Ha Tien, or the other Vietnam-border posts. By air it works at Techo International in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap Angkor International and Sihanoukville, plus Trapaing Kreal on the Laos border.
So match Cambodia's visa to the way you'll arrive. Flying in, or riding the bus from Ho Chi Minh City through Moc Bai and Bavet, the eVisa works. Coming up the Mekong by boat, or along the coast from Ha Tien to Kampot, plan on the visa on arrival. Leaving is simpler: you can exit Cambodia through any official checkpoint.
⚠️ Don't buy Cambodia's eVisa for a Mekong boat trip. The river crossing at Kaam Samnor won't take it for entry, so you'd hold a visa the border post refuses and need a visa on arrival anyway. Heading the other way, into Vietnam by river, the Vietnamese gate is Vinh Xuong, so name it on your Vietnam eVisa.
Trip Order Decides Single or Multiple Entry
Your route decides which Vietnam eVisa to buy. Vietnam, then Cambodia, then home from Phnom Penh: single entry covers it. Cambodia first, then Vietnam: single entry again. Vietnam, Cambodia, then back to fly home from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City: you need multiple entry, or a second eVisa.
Through us, multiple entry costs $84 instead of $54 for a 1-month eVisa, or $104 instead of $94 for 3 months (see our single and multiple-entry eVisa prices). That's $30 more on a one-month visa and $10 more on a three-month visa. Whichever you choose, you can stay until the end date on the eVisa, and those dates keep running while you're in Cambodia. If your first arrival in Vietnam and your final departure are more than 30 days apart, you need the 3-month version.
⚠️ A single-entry eVisa is spent the moment you cross into Cambodia. If plans change and you want to come back, you'll need a new eVisa, applied for from Phnom Penh or Siem Reap and approved on Vietnam Immigration's timeline, not yours. The extra $30 for multiple entry costs less than a second $54 eVisa.
Exempt passports make the loop simpler. Coming back from Cambodia counts as a new entry, and current Vietnamese law sets no minimum gap between visa-free visits. If the second Vietnam leg will run past 45 days, use the Cambodia trip to switch. To move from visa-free entry to an eVisa, you have to leave Vietnam and re-enter on the eVisa, so apply while you're in Cambodia and set it to start on the day you cross back.
Applying for Both: Two Systems, Two Clocks
You'll file two applications on two unconnected systems. For Vietnam, our guide on how to apply for your Vietnam eVisa online walks through the form. On this trip the fields that matter are your entry date, the entry type and the border gate. We review, correct, submit and follow up, and the clock starts when your application reaches Vietnam Immigration, normally within 2 business hours of payment, not at checkout. We don't handle Cambodia's eVisa.
Processing times are set by Vietnam Immigration. We can file, chase and correct; we can't move an approval up the line. Three working days is the statutory standard. In practice, expect 3 to 5 working days, longer around Tet and public holidays. Our Normal tier is 5 to 10 business days, Urgent is 2 business days for $45 more, and Super Urgent is 1 business day for $85 more. Give yourself one to two weeks and the speed tiers stop mattering.
Tet is the holiday to plan around. Lunar New Year's Day falls on February 6, 2027, and Vietnam's public-sector Tet break runs 7 days from February 4. Arriving in February 2027? File in January, before the break begins.
Paperwork Travelers Miss on a Two-Country Trip
Cambodia wants a passport valid for at least six months from the day you arrive, undamaged and with no missing pages. Vietnam's rule depends on how you enter. Visa-free visitors need at least six months left on the passport. For eVisa holders, Vietnamese law requires your visa to end at least 30 days before your passport expires; the UK and Canada advise at least 6 months' validity, and airlines often apply that rule. Six months left on the day you fly home clears every test.
The UK government says anyone flying into Phnom Penh, Siem Reap or Sihanoukville must file Cambodia's free e-Arrival card within 7 days before arrival. Canada's advice doesn't limit it to air arrivals, so check before a land crossing too. Use the right airport code as well: Techo International (KTI) opened on September 9, 2025 as Phnom Penh's airport, and Cambodia asks visa applicants to select KTI, not the old PNH.
Dual nationals have one more rule to follow: Vietnam requires visitors to enter and leave on the same passport. Whichever passport you show at the Vietnamese border on the way in is the one you leave on, and your eVisa carries that passport's details.
⚠️ A lost or replaced passport takes your Vietnam visa with it. Vietnam Immigration's eVisa site doesn't issue visas for emergency or temporary passports, and if you get a new passport mid-trip, the visa has to be transferred to the new one.
Vietnam's new pre-arrival form is optional. Pre-arrival Information (PAI) can be filed up to 3 days before you arrive and gives you a QR code to show on arrival. It isn't a visa, and fake PAI sites exist, so use only prearrival.immigration.gov.vn.
Getting Between Them: Air, Road or River
Travelers cross by air, by bus through Moc Bai and Bavet, or by boat on the Mekong through Vinh Xuong. Several airlines connect Vietnam and Cambodia, and a flight into Vietnam uses an airport gate on your eVisa rather than a land gate.
Each route means a different gate on the Vietnam eVisa. Fly into Ho Chi Minh City and it's Tan Son Nhat; take the bus and it's Moc Bai; come down the Mekong and it's Vinh Xuong. And don't plan on sorting Vietnam's visa at the border. Visa on arrival exists only in specific cases, with a pre-approval letter from Vietnam Immigration arranged by a sponsor in Vietnam, so have the eVisa or your exemption before you reach the gate.
⚠️ Starting in Bangkok means flying. UK travel advice updated October 12, 2026, says land borders and crossings between Thailand and Cambodia remain suspended, so the old overland route from Bangkok to Siem Reap is off.
A Few Parting Notes
Vietnam Visa by BDA is a private company. We're not affiliated with the Vietnamese government. We prepare, check and file your Vietnam application, Vietnam Immigration issues the eVisa, and an airline or border officer can still refuse boarding or entry. Cambodia's visa is between you and Cambodia.
If we spot a problem before we submit, such as a passport that won't last the trip, you get a full refund. Once the eVisa is issued it's non-refundable and any amendment is charged separately, so settle single or multiple entry before you pay. If you're flying within 24 hours, phone +84 832 320 320 before paying so we can tell you whether it's doable.