Vietnam e-visa approvals face 5-day delay during April and May holidays

Vietnam’s holiday closures in late April and early May will pause visa processing for several days, but the headline is the same every year: offices close, applications wait and backlogs build.

Vietnam e-visa approvals face 5-day delay during April and May holidays

Vietnam’s Immigration Department closes during Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day, Reunification Day and International Workers’ Day, which means e-visa approvals, extensions and related services stop on non-working days. Reports based on official holiday notices point to closures from April 25-27 and again from April 30-May 3.

Standard processing resumes after the break, but approvals can slip by 3-5 working days once offices reopen. E-visas often take about 3 days in normal periods, so holiday filings can sit in the queue longer than expected.

Who feels the delay

Tourists waiting on e-visas are the most likely to get caught in the slowdown. Expats filing visa extensions or residence paperwork, plus digital nomads lining up renewals or visa runs, face the same pause.

Anyone with a tight stay window should pay attention to overstay rules and pending applications. Some travelers also need to clear separate airport paperwork in Ho Chi Minh City, where a pre-arrival digital declaration is now required at Tan Son Nhat Airport.

What to do before the shutdown

Apply 7-10 days early if possible, especially for extensions or travel plans tied to a fixed departure. The e-visa fee stays $25 for single-entry visas and $50 for multiple-entry visas of up to 90 days.

In-person extension filings should go in before the holiday window, because offices won’t process requests while they’re closed. Read our full Vietnam guide for the complete picture and check nomad news for more travel alerts.