Extensions in Ho Chi Minh City exist only for sponsored visas and carry a $10 state fee, so tourists on an e‑visa or a 45-day exemption end up making a one-day run to Cambodia through Moc Bai, about 70 km from Saigon, for $50-100 in total.
Can tourists extend a Vietnam visa in Ho Chi Minh City?
No. The Immigration Department in Ho Chi Minh City extends only visas backed by a sponsor, such as business, work, investor and family visas, and it does not take extension requests for an e‑visa or the visa exemption. The state fee is $10 per extension under Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC, in force since 1 April 2026.
The office sits at 333-337 Nguyen Trai, and the sponsor files the NA5 form. Decisions take 5-10 working days, usually 5-7, and the passport stays with the office or the agent while the file is open, so apply 7-10 days before the visa ends. The official immigration portal lists the current fee schedule.
Some agencies offer to extend a regular tourist visa with the DL code. Agency markups on top of the $10 fee differ by several times between providers, so ask for a written quote that shows what goes to the state and what stays with the agent. The full list of cases is in my guide to extending a Vietnam visa without leaving.
How much does the Moc Bai border run from Saigon cost?
A return trip from Saigon to the Moc Bai crossing costs $50-100 in total and fits into one day. The border is about 70 km from the city, the bus takes 2.5-3 hours each way, and border processing takes 30-60 minutes in each direction. The sum covers transport, the Cambodian visa and food.
The cheapest transport is city bus 703 from the Ben Thanh area for a few dollars, which is slower and follows a timetable. A Grab car to the border costs $35-45 one way, and a direct bus from Saigon to Phnom Penh costs $9-12. On my own run I prefer the bus and keep the Grab for a day with a tight return deadline, because the car buys flexibility rather than savings. Moc Bai is on the government’s list of land crossings open to e‑visa holders, so a new e‑visa can be used there on the way back.
Prices of bus tickets, taxi fares and agent packages move with the season, so treat these numbers as a range for planning. The route, the timing and the queues are covered step by step in the Ho Chi Minh City visa run guide.
Do you need a Cambodian visa for a day trip?
Yes. Russian citizens and most other passport holders need a Cambodian visa even for a few hours across the border. The tourist e‑visa takes three working days to process, and a visa on arrival at the land crossing is paid in cash US dollars and gives 30 days. Both cost the same.
The e‑visa was cut from $36 to $30 on 1 January 2025, so older guides quoting $36 are out of date. When I pay on arrival, I carry cash dollars with a small reserve, since a card is not something to count on at that booth.
What goes wrong when you come back to Vietnam?
The costly mistakes are made before you leave: an e‑visa with the wrong entry point in the application, a single-entry e‑visa that was already used up, a start date that has not arrived yet, or a typo in the passport number. Any of them can mean a refusal at the booth and a lost day in Bavet. The entry point is the field I would check twice, because nobody at the booth can correct it for you. We run this one start to finish — details on our Da Nang visa run page.
Overstaying while you decide is more expensive. Fines under Decree 282/2025/ND-CP, in force since 15 December 2025, reach $1,500 (40 million VND), and deportation becomes possible from 16 days of overstay. The overstay fine guide shows the scale by day.
The government fee on the e‑visa portal is $25 for a single entry and $50 for multiple entries, and the official e‑visa portal rejects many foreign cards at the payment step. The official review time is three working days, and in practice it is 3-5, so file the application a week before the stay ends.
Best Bus runs visa runs on a timetable from Da Nang and Nha Trang, where it has offices, and arranges Ho Chi Minh City departures on request. A Saigon run covers the e‑visa application, a check of the entry point and passport data, payment of the government fee by card, and the ride to the Moc Bai crossing and back. The whole thing fits into one day, and a refused e‑visa application is resubmitted free. To start, write to me on WhatsApp with your departure city and the dates.
Which option should you pick?
Take the extension only if you hold a sponsored visa and can wait 5-10 working days for the decision. Otherwise the legal way to keep staying is to leave and come back: Russian citizens return on the 45-day exemption, and everyone else applies for a new e‑visa before the exit and crosses at Moc Bai.
For Russian citizens the exemption is 45 days under Resolution 44/NQ-CP, valid from 15 March 2025 to 14 March 2028, and each new entry opens a fresh period if the officer at the booth admits you. A new e‑visa is worth the fee when you want 90 days instead of 45.
| Option | Who it works for | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extension through a sponsor | Business, work, investor and family visas | $10 state fee | 5-10 working days |
| New e‑visa and border run | Anyone who is not exempt or wants 90 days | $25 or $50 fee, plus $50-100 trip | One day |
| Exit and re-entry on the exemption | Russian citizens | $50-100 trip | One day |
| Staying past the date | Not a legal option | Fine up to $1,500 | Deportation possible from 16 days |
The application takes one evening on the portal, and bus 703 gets you to the border for a few dollars. The part that costs people a day is the entry point and the order of exit, new visa and re-entry, and I can take that over. Send me your visa expiry date and I will tell you which day still works.
Frequently asked questions
What documents do I take to the border?
Take a passport valid for at least six months, the printed e‑visa, a Cambodian visa or cash dollars for the visa on arrival, and the address of your accommodation in Vietnam.
Can I return to Vietnam on the same day?
Same-day returns are common on this route, and Vietnamese law sets no minimum time abroad between exit and re-entry. Some travellers stay one night in Bavet to avoid questions from the officer.
Is there a limit on how many border runs I can do in a row?
No formal cap on the number of runs appears in the rules, but officers look closer at repeated entries. Keep a return ticket, a rental address and proof of income ready for questions about the purpose of your stay.
What if fewer than three days are left on my stay?
A Russian citizen can still leave and return on the 45-day exemption the same day, because no visa has to be issued. A new e‑visa needs a three-day official review, and only paid urgent processing shortens it, so plan that wait before the exit.
