Vietnamese passports (, Standard Vietnamese ) are issued to citizens of Vietnam to facilitate international travel. They enable the bearer to exit and re-enter Vietnam freely; to travel to and from other countries in accordance with visa requirements, and secure assistance from Vietnamese consular officials when abroad, if necessary.
All Vietnamese passports are issued by the Department of Immigration (Cục Quản lý Xuất nhập cảnh) on behalf of the Ministry of Public Security. Only Vietnamese citizens are eligible for this passport. The passport is valid for ten years. By law, a valid unexpired Vietnamese passport is conclusive proof of Vietnamese citizenship, and therefore can be used in lieu of a National ID card for identification (such as flying within Vietnam) domestically.
Vietnamese passport booklets conform with the recommended standards (i.e. size, composition, layout, technology) of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). There are three types of passport booklets. Vietnamese passports are property of the government of Vietnam and must be returned to the Vietnamese government upon demand.
Vietnam started issuing biometric passports to citizens in March 2023.
History
North Vietnam (1954–1975) Passports were first issued in North Vietnam in 1959 when the first legislation regulating passport and went into effect. Under the legislation, the validity of passport was 3 years and can be extended, but for no more than 5 years since the original issuance date; and only those who were 18 and older were eligible for a passport.
In 1966, the North Vietnamese government passed a new law restricting the eligibility for passport. Effectively, the only people eligible for regular passport were those who traveled aboard "for official purposes", which includes:
Specialists and experts Journalists working for Vietnamese News Agency Students studying overseas.
State of Vietnam (1947–1954) and South Vietnam (1954–1975) A passport with the name "Vietnam" was first issued under the State of Vietnam, which had a red cover at the time. The Republic of Vietnam also issued its own passports.
Application Since 1 July 2022, there have been two methods of applying for a Vietnamese passport: fully online & hybrid (online & offline). Before that, the passport application in Vietnam was performed entirely offline; citizens came to the immigration office and submitted documents. Regardless of the method used, an application form is required for the issuance of a passport.
Forms There are 2 types of passport application form: +FormEligibilityTK-01For Vietnamese citizens applying for a passport inside Vietnam, and meet at least one of the following requirements:
The applicant has never been issued a Vietnamese passport before The applicant's most recent Vietnamese passport is expired, damaged or stolen The applicant is over age 16 The applicant was under age 16 when upon the issuance of the applicant's previous passportTK-02For Vietnamese citizens applying for a passport outside of Vietnam.
Fees The Vietnamese passport is one of the cheapest in the world in terms of processing fees. As of 2022, the cost for a first-time passport or renewal (if applicant's most recent passport is undamaged and can be submitted with the application) is ; approximately , and ; approximately if applicant's most recent passport is damaged or stolen. On 30 June 2025, the Ministry of Finance of Vietnam issued Circular No. 64/2025/TT-BTC effective from 1 July 2025 to 31 December 2026, regulating collection levels and exemptions of a number of fees and charges to support businesses and people to recover after the pandemic and promote socio-economic development. Accordingly, in the field of immigration, the following fees will be reduced by 50% compared to the collection rates prescribed in Section I of the Collection Rate Schedule issued with Circular No. 25/2021/TT-BTC. Thus, the fee for a new passport is only VNĐ100,000; approximately and the one for reissuing a passport due to damage or loss is VNĐ200,000; approximately .
Visa requirements
As of 2026, Vietnamese citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 48 countries and territories, ranking the Vietnamese passport 85th in the world according to the Henley Passport Index.
Vietnamese passport allows its bearer to stay up to 30 days visa-free, mostly in ASEAN countries. Otherwise, Vietnamese passport holders need to apply for a visa in advance to gain entry to most other developed nations.
Passport design
Front cover Vietnamese passports are purple-blue in colour, with the words "SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM" and "CỘNG HÒA XÃ HỘI CHỦ NGHĨA VIỆT NAM" inscribed at the top of the front cover, and the emblem of Vietnam emblazoned in the centre of the front cover, whilst the words "HỘ CHIẾU" and "PASSPORT" are respectively inscribed below.
A current Vietnamese passport contains 48 pages and 2 purple blue cover pages. Text on the cover is described in Vietnamese and English, respectively, making the Vietnamese passport the only passport which does not use French within the former French Indochina states while Laotian and Cambodian passports both include French description on their covers.
Request page On the back of the front cover, there is a note from Vietnamese Government addressed to the authorities of all other states:
This passport is the property of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and is issued to a Vietnamese citizen only.
This passport is valid for all countries unless otherwise endorsed.
The Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam requests all competent authorities concerned to allow the bearer of this passport to pass freely and to afford him/her such assistance and protection as may be necessary.
Data page
The second page provides data of the passport bearer (visual inspection zone) and a machine-readable zone:
Type [of document, which is "P" for "personal", "D" for "diplomatic", "F" for "official"] Code [of the issuing country, which is "VNM" for "Vietnam"] Passport N° [Start with a letter, followed by 8 numbers] Surname Given Names Nationality (VIỆT NAM/VIETNAMESE) Date of birth Sex (M or F) Place of birth ID N° Date of issue Date of expiry Machine-readable zone
Prior to 1 July 2022, all Vietnamese passports had the "Place of birth" filed, which showed the province of birth of the holder (or the country of birth, if born overseas). The new passport design initially removed this field, which caused problem for immigration authorities, particularly in Europe (see below). The place of birth field was restored for passports issued since 1 January 2023. Signature and authority page The signature page (which is located on the third page) has a blank section for the signature of a passport holder. A passport is not valid until it is signed by the passport holder in black or blue ink. If a holder is unable to sign his passport, it is to be signed by a person who has legal authority to sign on the holder's behalf.
The issuing authority is also printed on this page. If a passport is issued inside Vietnam, the issuing authority will be Cục Quản lý Xuất nhập cảnh/ Vietnam Immigration Department. If a passport is issued outside of Vietnam the issuing authority will be Đại sứ quán Việt Nam tại (quốc gia)/ Embassy of Vietnam in (country's name)
Background illustrations Starting with the new design, the motifs of the Đông Sơn drum are integrated into almost all inner pages as a foundational background pattern. Superimposed on this base layer are selected nature hotspots and famous sights of Vietnam, including:
National Assembly Building of Vietnam (page 1) Temple of Literature (page 4–5) Lacquer painting "Bình Ngô Đại Cáo" (page 6–7) Lũng Cú Flag Tower (page 8–9) Fansipan summit marker (page 10) Sa Pa (page 11) Đồng Văn Stone Plateau (page 12–13) Hạ Long Bay (page 14–15) Hùng Temple (page 16–17) Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long (page 18–19) Đường Lâm Ancient Village (page 22–23) Tràng An (page 24–25) Citadel of the Hồ Dynasty (page 26–27) Imperial City of Huế (page 28–29) Hội An's Old Quarter (page 30–31) Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary (page 32–33) Tò Vò Gate – Lý Sơn Island (page 34–35) Dray Sap Waterfall (page 36–37) Dragon House (page 38–39) Bạch Hổ Oil Rig (page 40–41) Idyllic countryside motif with bamboo, kite flying, and a flute-playing buffalo rider (page 42–43) Rice paddies and bending rice stalks (page 44–45) Hanoi Opera House (page 46–47)
Controversies The new passport redesign from July 2022 removed the "Place of birth" field on the passport. While place of birth is not required in ICAO's passport standard , most countries include it in their passport (except South Korean passport, Swiss passport and Canadian passport - the latter only at request). As a result, some countries in the Schengen Area have refused to issue a visa and/or refuse admission to holder of new Vietnamese passport.
States' concerns and denials of admission
Germany On 28 July 2022, the German embassy in Hanoi released a press release saying it cannot grant visa to holders of Vietnam's new passports as they lack information of one's place of birth, making it difficult for verification. Vietnam's new passports, which began issuance since 1 July, have not been recognized in Germany yet and their holders cannot apply for visa as the passports lack information regarding places of birth.
The press release further explained that: "German authorities cannot find information regarding places of birth based solely on a person's personal identification numbers as shown on their passports, it added. It means German authorities would need to verify one's identity manually with a 7-page list provided by the Vietnamese authorities, and not everyone has the list." As a result, holders of Vietnam's new passports, with dark blue cover instead of the traditional green ones, would not be able to apply for a C or D visa to enter Germany, and holders of the new passports who have already been granted a valid German visa could be denied entry at the border.
In response, the Vietnamese embassy in Germany will issue a certificate confirming the birthplace of holders of Vietnam's new passports. The embassy added that the two countries are "actively discussing" how to resolve the problems related to Germany's refusal to recognize the new Vietnamese passport on the grounds that it lacks information about the holder's place of birth.
Spain On 1 August 2022, the Spanish embassy in Hanoi released an announcement saying that they could not issue new visas to holders of the new Vietnamese passport, due to the lack of place of birth. The announcement said in detail that: "Place of birth is an important information to identify passport holder, and is required for the issuance of a Schengen visa. Therefore, we cannot issue new visa to holder of new Vietnamese passport. As a result, Spanish authorities and authorities of other nations in Schengen bloc, are currently discussing ways to resolve this issue."
Czech Republic In a statement released in the morning of 2 August 2022, which in part read: "Vietnam's new passport issued on July 1 does not meet the technical standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Therefore, the Czech Republic agrees with other member countries of the European Union (EU) to stop recognizing it." The statement however did not specify whether the Czech Republic will stop issuing visas for the new Vietnamese passports.
Finland