2027 Guide to Traveling to Vietnam with Family｜Children’s Applications, Senior Companion Care, Phu Quoc Island Family Exemption & Airport Clearance Strategy

Core Family Visa Concepts: One Person, One Document, No Sharing

The Vietnamese E-Visa is an individual visa. Even if the whole family books flights together and stays at the same hotel, each traveler must independently possess a valid passport, a valid visa or exemption qualification, correct entry dates, and a designated port of entry.

Common Mistakes:

• Only applying for adults and forgetting children.

• Children’s passports having less than 6 months validity.

• Name spelling differing from the passport.

• Using selfies or old photos.

• Assuming infants and toddlers do not need a visa.

Infants and toddlers need their own E-Visa even if they don’t occupy a seat, unless they qualify for Phu Quoc exemptions, APEC, or other exceptions. Every application must have independent passport data, photos, entry info, and email addresses. It is recommended to use the same email for receiving documents to manage them centrally, but each visa PDF will be sent separately.

Special Regulations for Chinese Passport Families: Separate Visa Sheets

After Chinese mainland passport holders (especially new electronic passports starting with “E”) successfully apply for a Vietnamese E-Visa, upon arriving at a Vietnamese airport, they must still go to the “Visa on Arrival” counter to receive a separate visa sheet free of charge.

Special Family Travel Reminder: Every family member needs to collect their own separate visa sheet, including children and seniors. Please prepare two 2-inch white-background photos for each person. Exchanging is free, but the queue can be long. It is recommended that family members divide and conquer—one person queues for the visa exchange while others look after luggage and children.

The separate visa sheet is an independent A4 paper. You must hold the original visa page for entry and exit, and never paste it into your passport. It is recommended to use a transparent document folder to uniformly store the passports and separate visa sheets of the entire family to avoid panic and loss during airport rushes.

Phu Quoc Island Family Exemption—The Top Choice for Family Resort Getaways

Phu Quoc Island is currently the only region in Vietnam that offers visa exemption for ordinary Chinese passport holders, with a maximum stay of 30 days. For families with children, Phu Quoc Island offers beaches, resorts, safari parks, and more, making it a very popular choice.

Must Meet All of the Following Conditions Simultaneously:

• Passport validity of at least 6 months.

• Hold a confirmed return ticket or onward ticket to a third destination.

• Fly directly to Phu Quoc International Airport (PQC).

• Itinerary is restricted entirely within Phu Quoc Island.

Family Travel Note: If your itinerary includes Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, or other mainland cities, you must apply for a visa in advance. Transiting from the mainland to Phu Quoc usually requires a visa as well.

Khanh Hoa Province Group Tour Exemption—An Option for Family Group Tours

Vietnam Government Resolution No. 325/NQ-CP stipulates that during the 2026-2027 China-Vietnam tourism cooperation year (until December 31, 2027), ordinary passport holders from China traveling in groups (2 or more people) to Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, are exempt from visas.

Must Meet Simultaneously: Organized group tour by a Vietnamese international travel agency, port of entry and exit limited to Cam Ranh International Airport (CXR), destination limited to Khanh Hoa Province, direct flight from Chinese mainland to Cam Ranh International Airport, length of stay not exceeding 30 days.

Family Travel Reminder: This policy is favorable for family group tours, but if you are traveling independently or your itinerary is not limited to Khanh Hoa Province, you still need to apply for a visa.

Application Materials for Children and Seniors

Please prepare the following documents for each family member:

If seniors find mobile devices inconvenient, family members can fill forms out on their behalf, but the data must be completely accurate. Children’s photos must also meet specifications; casual lifestyle photos cannot be used.

Name Entry: The most common mistake made by Chinese applicants is reversing the order of surname and given name. Fill in your family name in the Last Name field (e.g., ZHANG, LI, WANG) and your given name in the First Name field (e.g., WEI, XIAO MING), entirely in uppercase English letters, matching your passport’s machine-readable zone precisely.

Seven Steps to the Application Process

• Step 1: Visit the Official Application Website. Go to the official electronic visa website of the Vietnam Immigration Department or apply through a professional agency website. 🌐 Apply online via agency website: https://www.vietnam-visa.hk/apply-vietnam-visa/

• Step 2: Read Instructions and Begin Application.

• Step 3: Upload Photos and Passport Scans. Photos and passports for each family member must be uploaded separately.

• Step 4: Fill Out the Online Application Form. Please select “China” for nationality, and name spelling must match passports precisely.

• Step 5: Review Information and Submit. Double-check all filled contents before submitting.

• Step 6: Online Payment. Complete payment using a credit card.

• Step 7: Wait for Review and Receive Visa. Once approved, visa PDFs will be sent via email; please print them out in color on A4 paper.

Fee Overview

The following are reference agency fees (in USD), with each family member requiring individual application and payment:

1-Month Single Entry

3-Month Multiple Entries

Official basic government fees are separate ($25 for single entry, $50 for multiple entries). For a family of four traveling together, please factor visa fees into your overall travel budget.

Electronic Arrival Card (PAI)—Everyone in the Family Must Declare

Starting in 2026, Vietnam’s major international airports fully implemented the Pre-arrival Information (PAI) electronic arrival card system. Travelers must complete an online personal data declaration prior to entry.

• Important Reminder: The electronic arrival card and E-Visa are completely separate. Even with an E-Visa, separate electronic arrival card declarations are mandatory. The order is: “Obtain electronic visa first -> get visa number -> then fill out electronic arrival card.”

Airports with Mandatory Implementation:

Ho Chi Minh City Tan Son Nhat (SGN), Phu Quoc International Airport (PQC), Hanoi Noi Bai (HAN), Da Nang (DAD), Nha Trang Cam Ranh (CXR).

Children Must Fill It Out Too: One per person, including children; parents can fill it out on their behalf. The PAI system is completely free, and the official website ends with .gov.vn. Completing it in advance shortens entry inspection time and reduces waiting queues by over 30 minutes—for families traveling with children and seniors, this 30-minute difference is massive.

Avoid Vietnamese Holidays—Family Travel Requires Extra Planning

During Vietnamese public holidays, the immigration department does not review visas, and airports and scenic spots become more crowded:

• New Year’s Day: January 1

• Lunar New Year (Tet): February 4 – February 10

• Hung Kings’ Festival: April 16

• Reunification Day & Labor Day: April 30 – May 3

• National Day: September 2 – September 3

When traveling with family, it is recommended to avoid these periods. If avoidance is impossible, make sure to process visas well in advance.

Emergency Solutions—The Final Rescue for Family Travel

Family travel’s greatest fear is someone’s visa not being processed correctly. Common emergency scenarios: discovering a family member’s visa was missed right before departure, E-Visa status stuck on “Pending,” or photo specifications failing rejection checks.

If you applied on the official website but your status is stuck on “Processing,” you can accelerate processing via our rush visa service.

Pre-Departure Final Checklist

• Visa Content Check (Verify for each family member one by one): Name ✓ Passport Number ✓ Visa Validity Date ✓ Permitted Number of Entries ✓

• Additional Confirmations for Chinese Mainland Passport Holders:

  • Prepared two 2-inch white-background photos for each family member ✓

  • Understand that upon arrival, you must proceed to the “Visa on Arrival” counter to complete the visa exchange procedure ✓

  • Separate visa sheets clipped outside passports, uniformly stored in a document folder ✓

  • Completed PAI electronic arrival card declarations for every family member (including children) ✓

  • Confirmed unified family port of entry ✓

Contact Information

📧 Email: info@vietnam-visa.hk
💬 WeChat: vietnam-visa
💬 LINE: https://line.me/ti/p/nqB711G8TX
🌐 Apply Online: https://www.vietnam-visa.hk/apply-vietnam-visa/
⚡ Rush Visa Service: https://www.vietnam-visa.hk/boost-evisa/

Taking your family to Vietnam means visas are the absolute last thing that should go wrong. Treat every family member’s passport scan, photo, and entry information as a single project to manage, centralize collection under one email address, complete PAI declarations early, and divide responsibilities upon arrival at the airport to collect separate visa sheets. Once visas are arranged properly, the things truly worth worrying about can become—should we stay an extra night in Da Nang, or leave that day for Hoi An’s ancient town?