Visa run from Vietnam in 2026: routes, costs, tips

What is a visa run, and why do you need one?

A visa run is a short trip out of Vietnam into a neighbouring country for a few hours or days, followed by a return. The goal is to reset your permitted stay. You need one when:

• Your visa-exemption days have run out (45 days for many nationalities, others vary).
• Your 90-day e-visa is expiring and usually cannot be extended in-country.
• You want another couple of months without applying for a long-term visa.

The key point in 2026: neither the visa exemption nor the e-visa can be reliably extended inside Vietnam. The law allows an extension through a sponsoring party, but that is up to the immigration service, not a tourist's right. The DL tourist visa used to be extendable through an agent, but these days those extensions are issued far less often. The one reliable path is to cross the border.

Most long-stayers run from Ho Chi Minh City (close to the Cambodian border) or from Da Nang and Hue (near Laos). From Hanoi people usually fly to Bangkok or Kunming.

Is it legal in 2026?

Yes. A visa run is a legal procedure: you officially exit the country through passport control and re-enter. No grey schemes. But there are caveats.

Long-stayers report that border officers look harder at "perpetual tourists." If your passport shows several back-to-back runs, an officer at Tan Son Nhat may ask follow-up questions: purpose of travel, return ticket, hotel booking, income. There is no wave of refusals for any particular nationality, but the risk grows with each run.

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Cambodia — the cheapest route

Mộc Bài → Bavet (overland from Ho Chi Minh City)

The most popular run from southern Vietnam. The border sits 70 km from Ho Chi Minh City, about 2.5 hours by bus.

How to get there:

• Bus (Sapaco, Mekong Express, The Sinh Tourist): $9-12 one way, a direct Ho Chi Minh City → Phnom Penh service that stops at the border.
• Public bus 703 from Bến Thành: 40,000 VND (~$1.60) to the border itself, then a moto-taxi to the Cambodian side for $2-3.
• Grab taxi: $35-45 one way, handy for two people.

Don't let your passport out of your sight! Even if your tour guide takes it, watch him like a hawk and follow him into the building!caryslc, Carys Lauren, 2017

At the border:

• Cambodia visa on arrival (VOA): about $30, check the current fee before you go. Plus an unofficial "tip" of a few dollars. Cash US dollars only, crisp notes without tears.
• Processing time: 30-60 minutes each way.
• You can return the same day.

Total cost: $50-100 (bus + VOA + lunch + snacks).

Phnom Penh — by air from Ho Chi Minh City

If time is worth more than money, fly Vietjet or Cambodia Angkor Air. It is a one-hour flight, with the return the next day after a night in the Cambodian capital.

• One-way ticket: $50-100 on low-cost carriers, $120-180 on Vietnam Airlines.
• Hotel in Phnom Penh: $20-60 a night (Riverside area).
• VOA at the airport border: $30 + cash.

Total: $150-300 with an overnight.

Hà Tiên → Prek Chak (overland from the Mekong / Phu Quoc)

An alternative land crossing in the south of the Mekong Delta. Convenient if you are on Phu Quoc or in Can Tho.

• Speedboat from Phu Quoc to Hà Tiên: 1.5 hours, $20-30.
• Bus to the border: $5-10.
• Cambodia VOA: $30.
• On the other side you can continue to Kep or Sihanoukville.

Total: $60-120, but the logistics are trickier than via Mộc Bài.

Laos — for those in the north and centre

Vientiane — by air from Hanoi

The best option if you live in Hanoi or northern Vietnam. A one-hour flight, a night in Vientiane, then back.

• Vietnam Airlines, Lao Airlines: $100-180 one way.
• Round-trip sometimes turns up at $200-250 if you catch a deal.
• Laos visa policy depends on your passport: many nationalities get a visa on arrival, some have a visa exemption, so check yours before you fly. Fees at land crossings vary, so check them too.
• Hotel in Vientiane: $25-50 a night.

Total: $250-400 with an overnight and meals.

Lao Bảo → Dansavanh (overland from Da Nang / Hue)

The busiest Vietnam-Laos land crossing. Good if you are on the central coast.

• Sleeper bus from Hue or Da Nang → Savannakhet: 6-8 hours, $20-35.
• If your passport needs a Lao visa, Lao Bảo issues a visa on arrival on the spot. The fee depends on your nationality; at other crossings check the rules in advance.
• The round trip takes 1-2 days.

Total: $80-150 including a night in Savannakhet.

Thailand — if you want to combine it with a holiday

Bangkok is the most common pick for people who run regularly. Low-cost carriers fly from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Cam Ranh and Phu Quoc.

Round-trip ticket prices:

• Ho Chi Minh City ↔ Bangkok: $80-150 on Vietjet, AirAsia, Thai Lion Air.
• Hanoi ↔ Bangkok: $90-160.
• Da Nang ↔ Bangkok: $110-200.
• Cam Ranh / Phu Quoc ↔ Bangkok: $150-280.

What to know:

• Since 15 September 2026 the 60-day exemption is gone: US, UK, Canadian, Australian and many EU passports now get 30 days visa-free, and overland entries on it are limited to two per calendar year. Check your nationality on the Thai immigration site before you fly.
• You can turn it around in 24 hours: fly out in the morning → land in Bangkok by lunch → shopping at Pratunam → a night in Sukhumvit → morning flight back.
• Bangkok has plenty of English-speaking visa agencies that handle complex paperwork fast.

Total: $150-300 with one overnight and meals.

Routes compared: cost, time, convenience

If you live in Ho Chi Minh City or Nha Trang, pick Mộc Bài. If you are in Hanoi, fly to Bangkok or Vientiane. If you are in Da Nang, do the "bus + Laos" combo via Lao Bảo, or a low-cost flight to Bangkok.

Overland or by air: which to choose

Overland is 2-3x cheaper, but slower and physically more tiring. It suits you if:

• Budget is the priority.
• You are in Ho Chi Minh City or the south.
• You want to see border towns on the way — Bavet, Sihanoukville, Poipet.

Flying is faster but pricier. It makes sense when:

• You are on Phu Quoc, in Cam Ranh or Da Nang — overland is awkward.
• Time is worth more than money.
• You want to fold the run into a weekend trip to Bangkok.

Documents and the step-by-step

What to gather

1. Passport — valid for at least 6 months from your return date into Vietnam. For visa-free entry this is the legal rule. For an e-visa the law asks for 30 days beyond the visa, and the 6 months come from airlines.
2. Blank pages — there is no official minimum, but keep 3-4 spare: a Cambodian VOA takes a whole page.
3. A fresh Vietnam e-visa — apply in advance at evisa.gov.vn. Single entry $25, multiple entry $50, for 90 days. Submit 5-10 days before you leave. If you would rather not deal with the form and the payment, we can file it — see our visa services.
4. Photos 4×6 cm — white background, front-facing, for the Lao/Cambodian VOA and the e-visa itself.
5. US dollars in cash — Cambodia VOA about $30; a Lao visa, if you need one, at the rate for your passport. Crisp notes, no tears.
6. Return ticket — for immigration on the way back.
7. Hotel booking in Vietnam — in case of questions at the border.

Step-by-step

1. 10 days before departure — submit a fresh Vietnam e-visa at evisa.gov.vn.
2. 7 days before — wait for approval (status "Granted"), download the PDF, print two copies.
3. 3 days before — buy bus/plane tickets, book a hotel.
4. Day X (departure) — leave early, carry documents and cash.
5. At the Vietnam border — you get an exit stamp. The officer may ask where you are flying and why.
6. At the neighbouring border — get the VOA (Cambodia, Laos) or enter visa-free (Thailand, if eligible).
7. Return — at the Vietnam border show the fresh e-visa, or your passport if you are re-entering on a visa exemption.
8. Get the stamp — 90 days on the e-visa, or your exemption period on return.

…we got the first bus out at 6am because we wanted to get it done early, and we got back to HCMC around 1.30pm so this is a good way not to waste a whole day!Love Two Wander, 2018

Risks and pitfalls

Refusal at entry

No wave of refusals was recorded in 2025-2026, but the risks exist:

• Several runs in a row — an officer may ask to see a return ticket, hotel booking, source of income.
• "Multiple entries denied" stamp — very rare, usually on suspicion of illegal work.
• A past overstay — even a one-day overstay stays in the database and can surface on re-entry.
• Name typo — the automatic match against the passport MRZ is strict, and any error means denied boarding. Check your e-visa data the moment it is approved.

Decree 282/2025 — what changed

Since 15 December 2025, Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP is in force. Overstay fines have doubled:

• 1-15 days — 500,000 to 2,000,000 VND (~$20-80).
• 16-29 days — 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 VND (~$190-380).
• 30-59 days — 10,000,000 to 15,000,000 VND (~$380-580).
• Over 1 year — 30,000,000 to 40,000,000 VND (~$1,150-1,550). Entry bans are set not by the decree but by Law 47/2014/QH13: six months after a forced exit, three years after deportation.

An overstay of 16 days or more can mean deportation. This is not a scare tactic — it is the official text of the decree.

Passport wear

Each Cambodian VOA takes up a whole page in your passport. After 3-4 Cambodia runs the pages run out. If your passport is nearly full and you plan a long stay, get a new one with more pages before your trip — doing it from within Vietnam is slow and expensive.

The border "tip"

At land crossings (especially Mộc Bài and Lao Bảo) officers often ask for a few unofficial dollars to stamp you through. It is not a fine and not mandatory, but if you refuse they may "slow-walk" the process for an hour. Most people just pay and move on.

…But if it's a border run... I personally didn't risk it: what if the officer slaps me with 2 weeks instead of 45 days, say? Better to part with 2 dollarsZa 7 Gorami, 2024, translated by VietnamSpot

Alternatives to a visa run

If you run more than once every three months, you probably need a different visa category rather than another e-visa.

Extending a DL visa through an agent

The DL tourist visa can formally be extended by 30 days through agencies in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Nha Trang. Price: $80-200. These days such extensions are granted less often and not to everyone. It does not work for the e-visa or the visa exemption.

Changing your visa status

The most reliable path for long-stayers:

• DT (investor) — open a company in Vietnam and get a 1-5 year visa. Costs $1,500-3,000 with business registration.
• LD (work) — via an employer with a Work Permit. For 1-2 years.
• TT (family) — if your spouse is Vietnamese or you hold a Work Permit. Up to 1 year, renewable.

Temporary Residence Card (TRC)

A Temporary Residence Card is issued for up to 10 years, depending on the underlying visa. You obtain it through DT, LD or TT. It lets you enter and exit freely without a visa. There is no retirement visa among these routes — how retirees manage long stays is covered in our guide to retiring in Vietnam.

FAQ

Key takeaways

1. A visa run is legal, but not endless. If you keep running back and forth, think about changing your status.
2. The cheapest route — Mộc Bài from Ho Chi Minh City: $50-100.
3. The most convenient — Bangkok on low-cost flights: $150-300 + a bonus holiday.
4. Documents: passport valid 6+ months, spare blank pages, a fresh Vietnam e-visa, 4×6 photos.
5. Decree 282/2025 — overstay fines have doubled, do not risk it.
6. Apply for the e-visa 7-10 days ahead, not at the last minute.