Thailand Visa for Vietnamese Citizens
Vietnam passport holders · Updated 2026-07-05
No — Vietnamese citizens do not need a visa for short trips to Thailand. Under a bilateral agreement you get 30 days visa-free on arrival, extendable once by 30 days (1,900 THB). This agreement is separate from the exemption scheme Thailand revised in May 2026, so those changes do not affect you. For longer stays, you need an actual visa — the options below.
Vietnamese passport holders enter Thailand visa-free for 30 days under a bilateral agreement between the two countries, and that deal is unaffected by the overhaul the Thai cabinet approved in May 2026. Whatever happens to the 93-country exemption scheme, the Hanoi-Bangkok arrangement stands on its own terms.
Cheap, frequent flights from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang have made Thailand one of the most accessible international trips for Vietnamese travelers, whether for shopping weekends in Bangkok or island holidays in the south. Below: how the 30 days work, how to extend them, and the legal routes for those who come to work or study.
Entry rules for Vietnamese citizens at a glance
| Entry rule | Visa-free entry (bilateral agreement) |
|---|---|
| Visa-free stay | 30 days |
| Extension | +30 days at immigration (1,900 THB) |
| Max without a visa | 60 days |
| Passport validity | 6+ months on arrival |
| Arrival card | TDAC (Thailand Digital Arrival Card) — required for all arrivals since Feb 2026 |
| Last verified | 2026-07-05 |
Thailand visa options for Vietnamese citizens
| Visa | Best for | Stay | Key requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tourist Visa (SETV / METV) | Trips of 2-9 months | 60 days per entry (+30 ext.) | Funds: 20,000 THB (SETV) / 200,000 THB bank (METV) |
| Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) | Remote workers & digital nomads | 180 days per entry, 5-year visa | 500,000 THB funds + remote income proof |
| Retirement Visa | Age 50+ settling in Thailand | Up to 1 year, renewable | 800,000 THB bank or 65,000 THB/month income |
| Marriage Visa (Non-O) | Spouses of Thai nationals | 90 days → 1-year extensions | 400,000 THB bank or 40,000 THB/month income |
| Education Visa (ED) | Students & language learners | 90 days + extensions while enrolled | Enrollment at an approved Thai school |
| Non-Immigrant B (Work) | Employees of Thai companies | 90 days → 1-year extensions | Thai job offer + work permit |
| Long-Term Resident (LTR) | High earners, wealthy pensioners | 10 years, annual reporting only | USD 80,000/yr income (category-dependent) |
| Thailand Privilege (Elite) | Convenience seekers with budget | 1 year per entry, 5-20 year membership | 650,000-5,000,000 THB membership fee |
A bilateral deal the 2026 overhaul does not touch
Thailand’s May 2026 restructuring cuts the 60-day exemption to 30 days for 54 countries, pending Royal Gazette publication. Vietnam is not in that scheme at all: its citizens enter under a standalone bilateral treaty granting 30 days, so there is no pending change to track and no uncertainty about what you will receive at the border.
Need longer than a month? A single extension of 30 days costs 1,900 THB at any immigration office, giving 60 days total. For a planned two-month stay, the single-entry tourist e-visa is the alternative: 60 days on entry, extendable by another 30, applied for online before travel.
Working or studying in Thailand legally
Employment requires a Non-B visa built on a Thai job offer, with your employer arranging the work permit. It begins with a 90-day entry and rolls into one-year extensions once the permit is active. Taking cash work on visa-free status is illegal and carries real consequences for the worker, not only the business.
Students enrolled at Thai universities or language schools use the ED visa, which starts at 90 days and extends alongside the course. Attendance is monitored, and schools report it to immigration, so the ED route only works for people genuinely studying. Between semesters or short courses, the 30-day exemption remains available for ordinary visits.
Boarding and border: what to have ready
File the Thailand Digital Arrival Card online within 72 hours before your flight; it is free and has been compulsory for every arrival since February 2026. Budget carriers on the Vietnam-Thailand routes are strict at check-in, and staff commonly ask for an onward or return booking before issuing a boarding pass.
At immigration, keep evidence that you can access 20,000 THB per person, whether as cash, cards, or banking apps. Checks are occasional rather than routine, but travelers arriving on one-way tickets with thin funds are exactly who gets pulled aside. A confirmed return flight within 30 days answers most questions before they are asked.
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Frequently asked questions
Do Vietnamese citizens need a visa to visit Thailand?
Not for short visits. Vietnamese citizens get 30 days visa-free on arrival. A visa is only needed for longer stays or purposes like work, retirement or study.
How long can Vietnamese citizens stay in Thailand without leaving?
30 days visa-free plus one 30-day extension (1,900 THB) — 60 days total without a visa. Beyond that you need a visa such as the DTV (180 days per entry) or a long-stay visa.
What is special about the rules for Vietnamese citizens?
Vietnam holds a bilateral visa-exemption agreement with Thailand (30 days), separate from the scheme revised in May 2026.
What is the TDAC and do I need it?
The Thailand Digital Arrival Card replaced the paper TM6 form in February 2026. Every traveller must complete it online (tdac.immigration.go.th) within 3 days before arrival — it is free and takes a few minutes. Airlines increasingly check it at the gate.
Can Vietnamese citizens work in Thailand on the 30-day visa exemption?
No. Any employment, formal or informal, requires the Non-B visa and a work permit sponsored by a Thai employer. Working without them risks arrest, fines, deportation, and a record that blocks future entries. If you have a genuine job offer, the employer handles most of the permit process; if an arrangement asks you to work on a tourist entry, that is the warning sign.
What happens if I stay past my 30 days in Thailand?
The overstay fine is 500 THB per day up to a maximum of 20,000 THB, settled at departure. Long overstays bring bans from returning, which is a heavy price given how cheap and frequent flights between Vietnam and Thailand are. If plans stretch, the 1,900 THB extension at an immigration office is quick and removes the problem.
Can I do repeated back-to-back trips to Thailand from Vietnam?
Occasional repeat visits are normal and unremarkable. What draws scrutiny is a passport showing continuous maximum stays with same-day turnarounds, a pattern immigration reads as unofficial residence or unauthorized work. Officers can refuse entry on that basis. If Thailand has become somewhere you effectively live, switch to a visa category that matches, whether ED, Non-B, or a tourist e-visa for a defined longer stay.
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Last verified 2026-07-05. Immigration rules change — we update these pages as official announcements land, and our Thailand visa news tracks changes daily. This page is general information, not legal advice.