Turkey is not on Vietnam’s visa-exemption list, so a Turkish passport holder needs a Vietnam e‑visa before flying in. The e‑visa costs $25 for single-entry or $50 for multiple-entry, covers up to 90 days, and is processed through the official evisa.gov.vn government gateway - no embassy visit required.
I’m Sergey. I’ve lived in Vietnam for 9 years and run visa-run and e‑visa services out of Da Nang since 2023, so I see the Turkish-passport case often: readers flying Istanbul-Ho Chi Minh City on the Turkish Airlines direct route, then either settling in for a long trip or needing a border run partway through.
How Much Does a Vietnam E‑Visa Cost for Turkish Citizens?
The official government fee is $25 for a single-entry e‑visa and $50 for a multiple-entry e‑visa, paid directly on evisa.gov.vn. evisa.gov.vn charges this fee electronically and does not refund it if your application is refused.
Third-party visa agencies bundle a service fee on top of the $25/$50 government rate, so their total price runs noticeably higher - the exact markup varies a lot by provider, so treat any agency quote as a starting point to compare, not a fixed market rate.
How Long Can You Stay in Vietnam on an E‑Visa?
A Vietnam e‑visa is valid for a maximum of 90 days, and you can choose single-entry or multiple-entry when you apply. This 90-day limit has applied to all eligible nationalities, Turkey included, since August 2023.
Multiple-entry costs $25 more than single-entry but lets you leave and re-enter Vietnam as many times as you like within the 90 days - useful if your trip includes a side visit to Laos, Cambodia, or Thailand.
| Entry type | Fee | Max stay | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-entry e‑visa | $25 | 90 days | One continuous stay, no border crossings |
| Multiple-entry e‑visa | $50 | 90 days | Trips that include a visa run or a neighboring country |
| Overstay (unplanned) | VND 500,000-2,000,000+ fine | - | Never plan for this - see the penalties section below |
How Do You Apply for a Vietnam E‑Visa?
You apply entirely online through evisa.gov.vn, upload a passport photo page and a portrait photo, pay the fee, and wait for approval before you fly.
- Scan your passport photo page and take a passport-style photo - both need to be clear, color, and under the portal’s file-size limit.
- Fill in the application on evisa.gov.vn with your travel dates and the port of entry you plan to use.
- Pay the $25 or $50 government fee through the portal’s payment gateway - this is the step where a lot of foreign-issued cards get declined.
- Wait for your e‑visa PDF by email, then print it or save it to your phone before departure.
Official processing is stated as 3 working days from a complete application, but in practice it commonly runs 3-5 working days and can stretch to 10-15 working days during peak season or after a public holiday. Apply at least two weeks before you fly if you can, not the week before.
Vietnam expanded its e‑visa entry points to 83 approved ports as of the December 2025 update - 17 airports, 27 land border gates, and 39 seaports - and since 2026 an e‑visa is no longer tied to one fixed port, so you can enter through any of the 83.
Where Does Turkish Airlines Fly From Istanbul to Vietnam?
Turkish Airlines runs a direct flight from Istanbul Airport (IST) to Ho Chi Minh City Tan Son Nhat (SGN), with a flight time of roughly 9 hours 55 minutes to 10 hours 20 minutes on a Boeing 787.
That’s a real advantage over routing through the Gulf or Southeast Asian hubs: one flight, no layover, and no risk of a missed connection pushing your Vietnam arrival past your visa’s start date. If your final destination is Da Nang or Hanoi rather than Ho Chi Minh City, you’ll still need a connecting domestic flight after landing - build an extra half-day buffer into your itinerary for that leg, especially if your e‑visa’s clock is already running.
Which Land Borders Can You Use for a Visa Run Near Da Nang?
Lao Bao, on the Vietnam-Laos border near Hue, and Moc Bai, on the Vietnam-Cambodia border near Ho Chi Minh City, are both among Vietnam’s 27 approved e‑visa land crossings and are the two most commonly used for a Vietnam visa run.
If your e‑visa is single-entry and you need to leave and come back mid-trip - say your 90 days run out but you want more time in the country - a border run resets your entry. The catch for a Turkish passport specifically: sources disagree on whether Turkish citizens get Laos visa-on-arrival at Lao Bao or need a Laos visa arranged in advance, so confirm directly with a Lao embassy or consulate before you build a Lao Bao run into your plan - don’t assume it works the way it does for other nationalities.
This is where I usually get involved. I pay the e‑visa government fee with a card the portal actually accepts, pick the correct port of entry for your route, and if a border run turns out to be part of your plan, I drive the Lao Bao crossing myself and get you back into Vietnam the same day. Message me on WhatsApp and tell me your dates - I’ll tell you what’s realistic before you book anything.
What Happens If Your Vietnam Visa Expires While You’re Still in the Country?
Since Decree 282/2025 took effect on December 15, 2025, overstay fines run from VND 500,000-2,000,000 (roughly $19-76) for the first 1-15 days, up to a maximum of VND 40,000,000 (about $1,520) for the most serious or prolonged cases - double the previous cap under Decree 144/2021.
A separate rule, Decree 59/2026/ND-CP, in force since April 1, 2026, also allows Vietnam’s immigration authorities to move faster toward deportation review for administrative violations like overstay or working without authorization - so an expired e‑visa is no longer something you can quietly pay off at the airport and forget. Check your visa’s end date against your actual flight home the day you book it, not the week before you fly. If you’d rather not handle this yourself, our Vietnam e-visa 90 days page shows the timings and what’s included.
Passport rule that trips people up regardless of visa type: your passport needs at least 6 months of validity left, counted from your arrival date in Vietnam, not your application date - renew before you apply if you’re close to that line.
Turkish E‑Visa in 2026: What to Decide Before You Book
If your trip is one continuous stay under 90 days with no border crossings, a single-entry e‑visa at $25 covers you. If there’s any chance you’ll dip into Laos, Cambodia, or Thailand and come back, pay the extra $25 upfront for multiple-entry - re-applying mid-trip costs more time than money saved.
Book your Istanbul-Ho Chi Minh City flight once your e‑visa is approved, not before, and give the portal’s processing window at least two weeks of buffer. If the visa-run route from Da Nang looks like it’ll be part of your plan, the Turkish-passport question on Laos visa-on-arrival is the one detail worth confirming before you commit to a border-run itinerary. Applying yourself through evisa.gov.vn is entirely doable if you’re comfortable navigating a government portal in English and have a card it will accept. Send me your travel dates on WhatsApp and I’ll tell you which entry type and port of entry actually fit your route.
If you’re flying in to explore rather than to settle in for work or long-stay logistics, my colleagues at Vietnam Samurai (@vietnam_samurai on Telegram) put together guided trips once your visa side is sorted.
