Do I need a Vietnam visa for a transit or layover?

No, Alan. You do not need a Vietnam visa for a layover in Hanoi if you stay in the international transit area until your flight to Dubai. Article 25 of Law 47/2014/QH13 exempts air transit passengers from a visa as long as they remain in that area.

The law sets no 24-hour limit, despite what many websites say. To transit without a visa, Article 23 asks for three things: a valid passport, a ticket for your onward trip and a visa for your destination if you need one. Your airline checks these when you check in at Vientiane.

When you need a Vietnam visa for a layover

You need a visa whenever you must pass through immigration. That happens in three cases:

• Separate tickets: Your bags are not checked through, so you collect them and check in again for the connecting flight.
• A domestic flight next: You clear immigration at your first Vietnamese airport.
• Leaving the airport: A hotel night or a few hours in the city counts as entering Vietnam.

In any of these cases, apply for your Vietnam e-visa online before you fly, unless your passport is visa-exempt.

Ask your airline to confirm that your bags go straight to Dubai, and our Vietnam transit and layover guide covers longer stopovers. VietnamVisa.com is a private visa agency, not a government website, and you can also apply yourself at evisa.gov.vn.