Russian citizens can enter Vietnam visa-free for up to 45 days — no application needed, just a passport valid for at least 6 months from your entry date. This exemption runs until March 14, 2028 under Vietnam’s Resolution 44/NQ-CP. If 45 days isn’t enough for your plans, there is a lighter path than filling in the portal yourself — the options are laid out below.
I’ve been based in Da Nang for six years and have watched hundreds of Russians navigate this system — some smoothly, some not. Here’s the real decision tree. One new step for 2026: every air arrival now files a pre-arrival card, so check the PAI rules for visa-free Russians before you fly.
Russians Get 45 Free Days — But the Clock Starts on Arrival
When you land at Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, or Da Nang airport, day one begins immediately. Flew in March 1? You must leave by April 14 at the latest. Miss that by even one day and Vietnam’s Decree 282/2025 (in force since December 2025) means a fine starting at 500,000 VND (~$20) — scaling up to 40,000,000 VND plus potential deportation for longer overstays.
Requirements for visa-free entry:
- Passport valid for at least 6 months from entry date (not departure date)
- At least 2 blank pages for stamps
- A return ticket is recommended — airlines check it, border officers rarely do
Russia’s deal is notably better than neighboring CIS countries: Ukrainians have no visa-free access at all, Belarusians and Kazakhstanis get only 30 days with a 90-day-per-year cap. Russians get 45 days with no annual limit. See our guides for Belarusian e-visa rules and Kazakh passport holders for full country comparisons.
When to Choose an E-Visa Over the Free Entry
The 45-day visa-free window fits tourists perfectly. Digital nomads, remote workers, and anyone planning a 2-3 month stay need an e-visa.
Vietnam e-visa: $25 for single entry, $50 for multiple entry. Applied at evisa.gov.vn, processed in 3 business days. During peak season (December–January), add 2-4 extra days buffer. The visa is valid for 90 days — significantly longer than the free 45-day window.
Key difference: a single-entry e-visa lets you exit and re-enter once; multiple-entry lets you leave and return as many times as you want within those 90 days. For timing details, see our e-visa processing time breakdown.
Paying for the E-Visa Without a Russian Card
This is the wall most Russians hit. The evisa.gov.vn portal does not accept Russian-issued Visa or Mastercard. It’s not a bug — it’s the ongoing card processing reality since 2022.
Three working payment routes:
- Kazakh bank card — Kaspi or Halyk Bank (zero conversion loss, widely accessible via friends or relatives)
- Crypto card — Bybit or Binance Visa work on international networks
- Visa service — accepts Russian bank transfers; fee typically $45-155 all-in for the complete e-visa service
This is exactly the wall I help people over. I pay the $25 government fee — the published rate on evisa.gov.vn — with a card the portal actually accepts, and hand back your approved e-visa in 1–3 business days, no Kazakh card or crypto workaround needed. What that takes from your side is a passport scan and the date you fly.
The Visa Run Option in 2026
A visa run means leaving Vietnam to a neighboring country and coming back — your 45-day clock resets on re-entry. This is fully legal and widely used by expats. See the best visa run options from Da Nang for detailed route comparisons.
Common routes and costs:
- Cambodia (from Ho Chi Minh City): 3 hours to the Moc Bai border, total cost $50-100 including transport and Cambodia e-visa
- Laos (from Da Nang): Lao Bao crossing, 2-2.5 hours one way, total cost $80-150
- Thailand (from various cities): longer journey, mostly for those already planning a side trip
A visa run is cheaper than paying for two separate e-visas if you’re staying longer than 90 days. Budget travelers often prefer the Cambodia route for its speed.
Practical Details Before You Go
Customs: you can bring in 400 cigarettes, 1.5L of spirits above 22%, 2L of lower-alcohol beverages, and up to $3,000 in cash without declaration. Anything over $3,000 must be declared in writing on arrival. Vietnamese dong cannot be exported.
Children: a child with their own passport needs a separate e-visa ($25). If the child’s surname differs from a parent’s, carry a notarized parental consent letter.
Medical insurance: not required, but a single day in a private clinic in Da Nang runs $240-800. ERV or Tripinsurance both cover Vietnam.
Between the card workaround, the e-visa timing, and the visa-run math, I’d rather you check current e-visa fees and visa-run routes on danangvisarun.com than guess at numbers that shift every few months.
