Vietnam Visas for Australian Residents - What You Need to Know

If you live in Australia and are looking for a culturally rich and exciting holiday location, consider traveling to Vietnam. The country offers attractions for every traveler, inexpensive hotels, delicious cuisine, and a welcoming culture. The high conversion rate of the Australian dollar (1 AUD = 18,298.46 VND) and the number of reasonably priced flights to Vietnam have led to an increase in Australians traveling to Vietnam in recent years. Some even say that Vietnam is now the new Thailand, as Vietnam offers a similar Southeast Asian experience as Thailand for a much lower cost.

Planning Travel from Australia to Vietnam

Australian travelers to Vietnam can choose their flights from a variety of airlines, including Air Asia, Malaysia Airlines, Scoot, Vietnam Airlines, Cathay Dragon, Singapore Airlines, and Jetstar Asia. Most visitors from Australia will fly into Ho Chi Minh City, as the city is the southernmost airport option and is usually less expensive to fly into than other cities in Vietnam. However, travelers can sometimes get convenient and inexpensive flights into Hanoi and Da Nang, too.

Vietnam Visa Requirements

Before your trip, make sure that your passport is up to date and that you have applied for your visa to Vietnam. As a citizen of Australia, you are required to get a visa before entering Vietnam.

Vietnam does grant visas for Australian citizens on arrival. However, the visa application process is much easier if the Australian passport holder applies for a Vietnam visa online.

When you are ready to apply for a visa online, please have the following information ready:

• Your name exactly as it is written on your passport: Note that the order of your first name and last time is not important.


• Your date of birth: The correct date format is DD/MM/YY.


• Your nationality: Use the nationality listed on your passport.


• Your passport number: Make sure that the number you provide matches the number in your passport exactly.


• Date of arrival: Travelers must indicate their intended date of arrival when they apply for their Vietnam visa. Note that you can choose to enter Vietnam on or later than the entry date on the official visa approval letter, but not earlier.

Also, please make sure that your passport is valid for at least six months after your arrival date and that you have a blank page left for your Vietnam visa stamp.

How much does a Vietnam visa cost a traveler?

To get your Vietnam visa, you will need to pay both an approval letter service fee and a visa stamping fee. You can pay the approval letter service fee directly to a Vietnam visa service, but you will need to pay in cash for your stamping fee when you arrive in Vietnam. Altogether, most Vietnam visas cost under $100 AUD. To learn more about pricing for each type of visa, check out our dedicated page titled, “How Much Does a Vietnam Visa Cost?”

Getting a Vietnam Visa

To apply for a Vietnam visa, you can get your visa at the Vietnam Embassy in Canberra, Australia or online, through our website. If you would like to obtain a visa online as a Vietnam Visa On Arrival, follow the simple steps outlined below.

• Submit the application form online via our secured network to receive a visa approval letter.


• Get a visa stamp when you arrive at one of Vietnam’s international airports.

For further assistance, please email us: support@vietnamvisa.govt.vn, or call our hotline: +84 12 32 320 320.