A Vietnam visa extension is rarely an option for tourists on an e-visa. The e-visa allows up to 90 days, and extending a stay requires a Vietnamese sponsor to apply for you. Most travelers who want more time leave Vietnam and come back on a new e-visa, a visa run. Below are the extension rules, the visa run, overstay fines and other options.
The cheapest way to avoid the problem is to choose enough time at the start. A 3-month e-visa costs the same as a 1-month one, so if your plans might grow, pick 3 months when you apply for your Vietnam e-visa online. This guide is part of our Vietnam e-visa guide.
Vietnam overstay fines at a glance (Decree 282/2025/ND-CP, in force since 15 December 2025):
| Overstay | Fine (VND) |
|---|---|
| Under 16 days | 500,000 to 2,000,000 |
| 16 to under 30 days | 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 |
| 30 to under 60 days | 10,000,000 to 15,000,000 |
| 60 to under 90 days | 15,000,000 to 20,000,000 |
| 90 to under 180 days | 20,000,000 to 25,000,000 |
| 180 days to under 1 year | 25,000,000 to 30,000,000 |
| 1 year or more | 30,000,000 to 40,000,000 |
Vietnam visa extension: can an e-visa be extended?
For most tourists, no. Under Law 23/2023/QH15 the e-visa allows a stay of up to 90 days. Vietnam's law on foreigners' residence, as amended by Law 51/2019/QH14, has the inviting or sponsoring organization or person request any extension.
That sponsor can be a Vietnamese company, an organization or a relative who is a Vietnamese citizen. A tourist who applied alone has no sponsor on file, so there is no form to extend an e-visa yourself. Some agencies advertise extensions for tourists, but the result depends on a sponsor they arrange and on the Vietnam Immigration Department, and it can be refused.
VietnamVisa.com does not offer extensions. Our service covers new e-visas and speeding up pending applications. If your trip has grown past your e-visa, the two routes below are what we suggest.
How a visa run works
A visa run, also called a border run, means leaving Vietnam before your e-visa ends and coming back on a new one. You cross into Cambodia, Laos or another country, receive the new e-visa, then re-enter. Every entry needs a valid visa, and border officers can ask about your plans on any entry.
Timing is what keeps a visa run safe. The table works backward from the last day of your current e-visa.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 10 or more days before the end date | Pick your exit and return route, and book transport |
| Before the end date | Leave Vietnam through a gate on the e-visa list |
| Once you are outside Vietnam | Apply for the new e-visa, with your return date and port |
| While you wait | Stay outside Vietnam until the new e-visa arrives |
| Return day | Enter through the port named on the new application |
Some travelers apply for the new e-visa a few days before they leave Vietnam. Reports conflict on whether applications made from inside Vietnam go through, so the safe order is to apply after you exit. Plan the wait too: Standard processing takes 5 to 7 working days.
A faster speed shortens the time you spend outside. With our Same day speed, an order placed by 14:15 Vietnam time (GMT+7) on a working day arrives by 18:30, so a short trip to Phnom Penh or Vientiane can work. Our urgent e-visa page lists every speed and cut-off time.
Popular land routes are Moc Bai to Cambodia from Ho Chi Minh City and Lao Bao to Laos from central Vietnam. Check that your return gate is on our list of ports of entry, and check its opening hours. Flying out to a nearby airport works the same way.
Overstay fines in Vietnam
An overstay fine applies from the first day after your permitted stay ends. Decree 282/2025/ND-CP, in force since 15 December 2025, sets fines by how long you overstayed. A stay of under 16 days costs 500,000 to 2,000,000 VND, and the brackets rise to 30,000,000 to 40,000,000 VND for a year or more, as reported by Tuoi Tre News.
The fine is set per overstay, not per day, so the per-day figures quoted on some travel sites are wrong. The full table is at the top of this page. On top of the fine, the decree allows deportation, which can make it harder to return to Vietnam later.
Expect to settle an overstay before you are allowed to exit, which takes time on the day of your flight. If you realize your e-visa is about to run out, leaving one day early costs far less than staying one day late. Check the end date printed on your e-visa as soon as it arrives, and add it to your phone calendar.
Alternatives for a longer stay
There are four ways to stay longer without an extension, depending on why you are staying. Most tourists only need the first one.
- A 3-month e-visa from the start: It allows up to 90 days and costs the same as a 1-month e-visa.
- Multiple entry for side trips: Choose single vs multiple entry to match your route. Leaving and returning on the same multiple-entry e-visa does not move its end date.
- A sponsored visa: Work, investment or family ties call for a visa sponsored in Vietnam. Our guide to the Vietnam business visa explains the DN visa, and our long-term visa options guide covers temporary residence cards.
- Visa-free entry: Some nationalities can enter without a visa for a set number of days. Our list of visa-free stays shows who qualifies, and when a stay longer than the exemption needs an e-visa.
VietnamVisa.com is a private visa agency, not a government website, and you can apply yourself at evisa.gov.vn for US$25 (single entry) or US$50 (multiple entry). If you are planning a visa run or a longer trip, apply for a new Vietnam e-visa online and choose 3 months for the same price as 1.
Frequently Asked Questions
Only if a Vietnamese sponsor applies for the extension, and the Vietnam Immigration Department can refuse it. Agencies that advertise tourist extensions arrange that sponsor, and results vary. VietnamVisa.com does not offer extensions. A visa run with a new e-visa is the route most tourists take.
A Vietnam visa extension in Ho Chi Minh City follows the same national rules as in Hanoi or anywhere else in Vietnam. A sponsor must apply on your behalf, and tourists on an e-visa usually have none. If you are in the south, a visa run through Moc Bai into Cambodia is the common alternative.
A one-day overstay falls in the under-16-days bracket of Decree 282/2025/ND-CP, with a fine of 500,000 to 2,000,000 VND. You settle it with the immigration authorities before you exit, so allow extra time at the airport or border. Deportation is possible in addition to the fine.
Reports conflict. Some travelers say an application made from inside Vietnam went through, others say it was refused. The safe order is to leave Vietnam first, apply from outside, and return once the new e-visa arrives. A faster processing speed shortens the time you spend waiting abroad.
A Vietnam e-visa allows a stay of up to 90 days, single or multiple entry, under Law 23/2023/QH15. You choose 1 month or 3 months when you apply. The end date printed on the e-visa is the last day you can be in Vietnam, whatever the number of entries.