Vietnam Business Visa for Trade Fairs 2026–2027: E-Visa, Exemptions and DN Visa

Last updated: 22 October 2026 · By Maximillien Quân Phạm, Wisematch Vietnam

This page is for one traveller: someone from a foreign company who is flying in to exhibit at, or walk, a trade fair in Vietnam. It might be a sales director at Vietnam Expo in Hanoi, a buyer sourcing at Vietfood & Beverage – ProPack in Ho Chi Minh City, or an engineer staffing a machinery stand at the Vietnam Exhibition Center. Every rule below comes from a government resolution, the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security, a Vietnamese or foreign embassy, or the state press, and each is listed under Sources. Immigration rules change, so treat this as a working map, check the official portal before you buy a ticket, and do not read it as legal advice.

Vietnam business visa or e-visa? Entry rules for trade fairs

Searches for “vietnam business visa” and for “work visa vietnam” each run at 1,000–10,000 a month worldwide (Google Keyword Planner, October 2025 – September 2026). Most of the people behind those searches are planning a short business trip, and for a trip like a three-day fair the classic sponsored business visa is rarely the simplest answer. These are the four realistic routes.

Sources: Embassy of Vietnam in the USA (Oct 2023); Embassy of Vietnam in Denmark (Mar 2025); Vietnam News (14 Aug 2025); KPMG Vietnam (Dec 2019, Aug 2025). Bilateral waivers, including those with ASEAN neighbours, are separate from these lists and carry their own stay lengths. We found no 2026 resolution adding countries to either 45-day list as of 22 October 2026.

The direction of policy is clear. The National Statistics Office counted nearly 21.2 million international arrivals in 2025, up 20.4%, and credited “increasingly open visa policies” in part (VNA, 8 January 2026). In the first nine months of 2026 Vietnam received more than 17.7 million international visitors, up 14.5% year on year, and 83.2% arrived by air (Vietnam National Authority of Tourism via VNA, 4 October 2026). Arrivals from Poland rose 49%, the Czech Republic 26.6% and Switzerland 25.7% — three of the countries added to the visa-free list in August 2025. For fair travellers this means lighter paperwork than five years ago, but paperwork that still has to be exactly right on the day you land.

Vietnam business visa application: the e-visa, step by step

An e-visa is a visa issued online by the Immigration Department. According to the department’s national portal, it is “valid for maximum of 90 days, single or multiple entry”, and foreigners outside Vietnam can apply themselves or through an inviting organisation. The conditions are short: be outside Vietnam, hold a valid passport and not fall into a category barred from entry under Article 21 of the immigration law. For most people searching “vietnam business visa application”, this is the application they actually need.

Where to apply

Since 08:00 on 11 November 2024 the e-visa portal has run on two official domains, evisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn (Immigration Department notice on immigration.gov.vn). Some embassy pages still link to the older evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn address. All three end in .gov.vn. Anything else, however official it looks, is a reseller adding a service fee to the government fee. Resellers are legal, but if they type your passport number wrongly, the error is still yours at the border.

The application in five steps

1. Prepare two images: the passport data page and a portrait photo. The portal for inviting organisations asks for a straight-looking photo without glasses; use the same standard for an individual application.
2. Choose single or multiple entry and the validity dates. A multiple-entry e-visa matters if you will fly out to Bangkok, Singapore or Hong Kong between two fairs and come back.
3. Choose entry and exit ports. You must enter through a port approved for e-visa holders. Resolution 127/NQ-CP listed 42 ports in 2023 (13 airports, 16 land border gates, 13 seaports), including Noi Bai in Hanoi and Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City. Resolution 389/NQ-CP of 2 December 2025 added 41 more, among them Vinh and Chu Lai airports, plus Long Thanh and Gia Binh airports once they open (Tạp chí Công Thương, 7 December 2025).
4. Pay online. The fee goes through the portal’s payment gateway and, in the department’s words, “will not be refunded if the application is refused”.
5. Wait for the result and print it. The Immigration Department said it replies “within three working days” after receiving complete information and the fee (Bac Ninh Newspaper citing VnExpress, 20 August 2023). You print the e-visa yourself; there is nothing to collect at an embassy.

What the e-visa does not cover

Holders of diplomatic and official passports, and certain categories listed in Article 8 of the immigration law, cannot use the portal; they apply through their inviting agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And an e-visa is not a work authorisation. If you plan to stay and work after the fair, read the work-permit section below.

Visa-free entry for a fair: which nationalities, for what purpose

The 12 countries with a 45-day exemption for any purpose

Under Resolution 44/NQ-CP of 7 March 2025, citizens of Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland are exempt from visas for up to 45 days, “regardless of passport type and purpose of entry”, provided they meet the normal entry conditions. The resolution runs from 15 March 2025 to 14 March 2028 (Embassy of Vietnam in Denmark). For a German food exporter at Vietfood, a Japanese machinery maker at Vietnam Expo or a Korean cosmetics brand in Ho Chi Minh City, this is the simplest route to any 2027 fair: no application, no fee.

The 12 countries added in August 2025, and the tourism question

Resolution 229/NQ-CP added Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland, again for 45 days, from 15 August 2025 to 14 August 2028. Vietnam News reported that the exemption sits “under the Tourism Promotion and Development Programme”. KPMG Vietnam’s August 2025 alert goes further: “Resolution No.229 allows entry for tourism only; combining work and tourism is prohibited. Therefore, short-term work should consider other appropriate visas for entering Vietnam for business purposes.”

Our advice follows from that. If you hold one of these 12 passports and you are exhibiting, staffing a stand or negotiating contracts, apply for an e-visa. It is quick, the fee is small, and it removes any discussion about purpose at the border. A Dutch buyer simply walking the aisles is a closer call, but the e-visa is still the cleaner choice.

Bilateral exemptions, overseas Vietnamese and the special card

The 24 unilateral exemptions are separate from bilateral agreements. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said in August 2025 that Vietnam “has unilaterally waived visa requirements for travellers from 24 countries for tourism purposes” (Vietnam News); bilateral waivers, such as those with ASEAN neighbours, have their own durations. Overseas Vietnamese, and the foreign spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens, can apply for a visa exemption certificate valid for up to five years (Embassy of Vietnam in the USA). Decree 221/2025/ND-CP, in force since 15 August 2025, created a special exemption card for priority categories such as high-level investors and heads of large groups: multiple entry for up to five years, 90 days per stay, on the formal request of a competent Vietnamese body (KPMG Vietnam, August 2025). The Prime Minister’s Decision 161/QĐ-TTg of 23 January 2026 set out how it is implemented. It suits a group chairman who visits several times a year, not a sales team coming for one fair.

Vietnam business visa requirements: the DN visa and its sponsor

Law 51/2019/QH14 (in force 1 July 2020) split the business visa into two symbols. DN1 is for foreigners who come to work with Vietnamese enterprises and other organisations with legal status. DN2 is for those who come to offer services, set up a commercial presence or carry out other activities under treaties Vietnam has signed. Both can be issued for up to 12 months (KPMG Vietnam, December 2019).

The answer for anyone searching “vietnam business visa without sponsor” is in the design of the visa: a DN visa cannot be obtained without one. The inviting organisation first registers with the Immigration Department, then files an official request (form NA2) through the Immigration Portal with an electronic signature. Published processing times are no more than five working days if the visa will be collected at a Vietnamese embassy abroad, and no more than three working days for collection at an international border gate in the cases the law allows (Ministry of Public Security, public service portal, procedure 2.002351).

When a DN visa makes sense for a trade fair company

• You are opening a representative office or a trading company and will be in and out of Vietnam for months.
• Your Vietnamese distributor or joint-venture partner is ready to sponsor you, and you need more than 90 days.
• Your nationality’s exemption is framed as tourism only, and you want a visa whose purpose matches a long business programme.

For a single fair, the DN route adds paperwork without adding anything you need. The e-visa or an exemption covers the trip.

Vietnam business visa cost and processing time

Government visa fees are set by the Ministry of Finance. Circular 62/2023/TT-BTC, in force since 3 October 2023, sets these rates (as published by Báo Quốc tế, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs newspaper):

Source: Circular 62/2023/TT-BTC via baoquocte.vn. The e-visa is charged at the visa rates. Reseller sites add their own service charge. Visa-exempt entries carry no visa fee.

Processing time. Three working days for an e-visa once the application and fee are complete (Immigration Department, 2023). Three to five working days for an Immigration Department approval of a sponsored visa, plus the embassy’s own issuing time. Working days exclude weekends, public holidays and Lunar New Year. Our rule of thumb, which is advice and not regulation: apply for an e-visa at least three weeks before you fly, so a rejected photo or a typing error can be fixed without moving your flight.

Why the right entry route matters for your fair trip

The visa is the smallest line in a trade fair budget and the one that can cancel all the others. These are the reasons we check it with every client before we confirm a booth.

1. Exhibiting is business, and some exemptions are written for tourism

Twelve of the 24 visa-free nationalities enter under a programme the government itself frames as tourism promotion, and KPMG reads it as tourism only. A Swiss or Polish team that sets up a stand, quotes prices and signs distributor agreements is doing business. An e-visa costs US$25 for one entry and removes the question entirely. Don’t go to trade shows to hope — go to control probability, and that starts at the immigration desk.

2. Vietnam’s fair calendar clusters, so one entry can cover several shows

VINEXAD’s 2027 calendar groups its fairs into tight blocks. Nine editions run at SECC in Ho Chi Minh City between 5 and 21 August 2027: Vietnam Medipharm Expo, VIREC, VILOG, Viet ColdChain and ROBOTEX on 5–7 August; Vietfood & Beverage – ProPack on 12–14 August; and the Vietnam Sport Show, Vietnam Cycle Expo and Zhejiang Export Fair on 19–21 August. A buyer who covers food, cold chain and logistics can do it on one single-entry e-visa or one 45-day exemption.

3. A 90-day e-visa will not stretch across two seasons

Arriving on 11 May 2027 for Vietnam Expo Hanoi (13–15 May) and leaving on 22 August, after the last August show, is 103 days. Arriving on 3 August and leaving after Vietfood Hanoi (3–6 November) is 96 days. Both exceed the 90-day maximum. Plan two separate e-visas, each timed to its own trip, rather than one long one that runs out halfway.

4. The November–December run fits inside 45 days

From 1 November to 5 December 2027 is 34 days. That covers Vietfood & Beverage – ProPack Hanoi (3–6 November), the IBTE, IEAE and IGHE block at VEC Hanoi (18–21 November) and Vietnam Expo HCMC (2–4 December), with a domestic flight between the two cities. An exempt national, or anyone on one e-visa, can do all three in one stay.

5. Arrival now has a digital step at all major airports

Since April 2026, foreigners entering through Tan Son Nhat — the airport for every SECC fair — have been asked to complete a pre-arrival declaration at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn and show the confirmation QR code (Consulate-General of Singapore in HCMC, 20 April 2026). By 25 June 2026 the Singapore Embassy in Hanoi reported the declaration in place at Noi Bai, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc as well, to be completed on arrival or no more than three days before. It does not replace a visa. Skipping it means a longer queue, which matters when your stand build-up starts the same afternoon.

The 2027 fair blocks against your entry dates

We assume you arrive two days before opening and leave the day after closing. The “apply by” date is our three-week buffer, not an official deadline.

Dates: VINEXAD 2027 calendar and official show sites, checked October 2026. Venue guides: SECC events and VEC Hanoi events.

Which route fits you: a quick decision table

Vietnam business visa for US citizens

The United States is on neither 45-day list, so US citizens need a visa. For a trade fair, the practical choice is the e-visa: the Embassy of Vietnam in Washington says e-visas “are processed directly by the Immigration Department in Ha Noi, not by the Embassy”. US citizens who prefer an embassy-issued visa can apply through the embassy’s consular portal. The embassy asks for a passport valid at least six months beyond the intended departure date, two photos, an application form and, for employment, study or conference visas, an approval letter from the Immigration Department or the Consular Department. That visa is a loose-leaf document mailed to the applicant. For most American exhibitors it is more steps for the same result. US arrivals reached about 764,000 in the first nine months of 2026, the fifth-largest source market (VNAT via VNA), so expect the e-visa portal to be busy in peak months and apply early.

How to prepare, counted back from the fair

This is the timeline we use with exhibitors. Visa steps sit inside the wider booth plan, because a visa without a confirmed stand, samples or meetings is a trip without a purpose.

1. 6–9 months before: choose the fair and confirm the booth or pavilion space with Wisematch. We send the floor plan, technical manual and build-up schedule.
2. 3–4 months before: list every person travelling with nationality and passport expiry. We confirm the route for each (exemption, e-visa or sponsored visa). Anyone whose passport expires within six months of departure renews now.
3. 2–3 months before: book flights into the airport nearest the venue: Tan Son Nhat for SECC, Noi Bai for VEC and I.C.E Hanoi. Arrange sample shipping; display goods need commercial documents and lead time through customs, and food, cosmetics and medical products may need extra paperwork.
4. 4–6 weeks before: Wisematch sends the buyer meeting list for you to approve and books the interpreter. We supply the exhibitor confirmation for each team member.
5. 3 weeks before: apply for e-visas at evisa.gov.vn. Check every field against the passport before paying, because the fee is not refunded on refusal.
6. 3 days before: complete the pre-arrival declaration for each traveller and save the QR codes.
7. On arrival: carry the printed e-visa or proof of exemption, the QR code, your exhibitor confirmation, hotel booking and a return or onward ticket inside your permitted stay.
8. After the fair: follow up within a week while buyers remember your stand. Wisematch helps arrange factory or office visits and second meetings, and can advise if a longer stay needs a different visa.

Work visa Vietnam and the work permit: where fair work ends

Searchers often mix up “business visa” and “work visa”, and “work visa vietnam requirements” is a common follow-up search. In Vietnamese law they are different. LĐ1 and LĐ2 visas are for foreigners who are actually working in Vietnam, under a work-permit exemption (LĐ1) or with a work permit (LĐ2), and can be issued for up to two years (KPMG Vietnam, December 2019). A work visa is tied to a work permit, and a work permit is tied to a Vietnamese employer or sponsor.

Standing at your own booth for three days is not employment in Vietnam. Some fair plans drift towards it, though: an engineer who stays to commission a machine sold at the show, a sales manager who stays to train a new distributor’s team. Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, in force since 7 August 2025, lists cases exempt from a work permit, including foreigners entering for under three months to provide services, and managers, executives, experts and technical workers who work in Vietnam for less than 90 days in a calendar year (Vietnam Law Magazine, December 2025). Exemptions still need paperwork from the employer, and the categories are narrower than they sound. The amended immigration law also lets someone who entered on an e-visa change their immigration purpose without leaving if they are then granted a work permit or exemption (KPMG Vietnam, December 2019). The full process is in our Vietnam work permit guide, and “work visa vietnam cost” depends on that permit route, not on the visa fee alone.

What a visa, or a booth, will not do for you

A visa gets you into the hall. It does not get you meetings, and neither does a booth on its own. What you take home from a Vietnamese fair depends on the buyers you contacted before you flew, the Vietnamese-language material on your stand and the follow-up in the week after. No organiser and no agent can honestly promise a number of buyers or orders, and Wisematch does not. Know who you want to meet, meet them, and decide quickly. Getting the entry route right simply takes one avoidable risk off the table.

For the full calendar, see Trade Shows in Vietnam 2027. Buyers planning factory visits around a fair should read sourcing in Vietnam, and food companies comparing regional shows can use our food trade shows in Asia 2027 guide.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a business visa to exhibit at a trade fair in Vietnam?

Usually not. Citizens of every country can apply for an e-visa of up to 90 days at evisa.gov.vn without a sponsor, which covers a fair trip. Citizens of Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Russia, Japan, South Korea and the four Nordic countries enter visa-free for 45 days for any purpose. The sponsored DN business visa suits longer stays, such as setting up an office.

Can I get a Vietnam business visa without a sponsor?

Not a DN business visa: DN1 and DN2 visas require a Vietnamese organisation to file a request with the Immigration Department. What you can get without a sponsor is the e-visa, which the Immigration Department says foreigners can apply for personally. It is valid for up to 90 days, single or multiple entry, and is the usual choice for exhibitors and trade visitors.

What is the Vietnam business visa processing time?

The Immigration Department says it replies to e-visa applications within three working days after receiving complete information and the fee. A sponsored visa approval takes three to five working days, plus embassy issuing time. Working days exclude weekends and public holidays, including Lunar New Year. Wisematch suggests applying at least three weeks before your flight so errors can be corrected.

How much does a Vietnam business visa cost?

Under Circular 62/2023/TT-BTC, the government fee is US$25 for a single-entry visa and US$50 for a multiple-entry visa valid up to 90 days. Longer multiple-entry visas cost US$95 (over 90 to 180 days) and US$135 (over 180 days to one year). Reseller websites charge a service fee on top. Visa-exempt entries carry no visa fee at all.

Can Dutch, Polish or Swiss citizens exhibit under the 45-day exemption?

Resolution 229/NQ-CP, which covers these and nine other European countries, is framed as a tourism programme, and KPMG Vietnam advises that it allows entry for tourism only. Exhibitors from these 12 countries should apply for an e-visa, which removes any doubt about purpose. The older Resolution 44 list, including Germany and France, covers any purpose of entry.

Do I need to fill in a pre-arrival declaration?

It is strongly advised. Vietnam’s Immigration Department launched an online pre-arrival declaration at Tan Son Nhat in April 2026, and by June 2026 the Singapore Embassy in Hanoi reported it at Noi Bai, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc too. Submit it at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn on arrival or up to three days before, and keep the QR code. It does not replace a visa.

How do I book a booth at a VINEXAD fair in Vietnam?

Through Wisematch, an official sales agent of VINEXAD. Send us your product, target buyers and preferred booth size on WhatsApp or by email. We reply the same working day in English with booth or pavilion options, the floor plan and next steps, and we check the entry route for each person on your team against the fair dates.

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Staying longer? Read starting a business in Vietnam as a foreigner and our guide to the IRC and ERC.

Sources

• Vietnam Immigration Department, national immigration portal: e-visa page and domain notice, accessed Oct 2026; e-visa for inviting organisations
• Official e-visa portal, evisa.gov.vn
• Embassy of Vietnam in the USA, “New policy on electronic visa and visa exemption”, 20 Oct 2023; visa procedures; visa exemption certificate
• Vietnam News, “Việt Nam grants e-visas to all foreign arrivals”, 15 Aug 2023
• Bac Ninh Newspaper (source: VnExpress), “All e-visa procedures handled online”, 20 Aug 2023
• Tạp chí Công Thương (MOIT), Resolution 389/NQ-CP adds 41 e-visa ports, 7 Dec 2025
• Embassy of Vietnam in Denmark, Resolution 44/NQ-CP, Mar 2025
• Vietnam News, “Visa exemptions for 12 more countries take effect tomorrow”, 14 Aug 2025
• KPMG Vietnam, alert on Resolution 229 and Decree 221, Aug 2025
• KPMG Vietnam, Amended immigration law (Law 51/2019/QH14), Dec 2019
• Decision 161/QĐ-TTg on implementing Decree 221/2025/ND-CP, 23 Jan 2026 (LuatVietnam)
• Báo Quốc tế (MOFA), visa fees under Circular 62/2023/TT-BTC
• Ministry of Public Security public service portal, entry approval procedure 2.002351
• Vietnam Law Magazine, work-permit exemptions under Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, Dec 2025
• Consulate-General of Singapore in HCMC, Tan Son Nhat pre-arrival declaration, 20 Apr 2026
• Embassy of Singapore in Hanoi, pre-arrival declaration at Noi Bai and other airports, 25 Jun 2026
• VietnamPlus (VNA), 17.7 million international visitors in January–September 2026, 4 Oct 2026
• VNA, international arrivals 2025, 8 Jan 2026; SECC, how to get here