Vietnam's Digital Arrival Card Just Expanded to 5 Airports — Here's Whether Yours Is Covered
- 7 days ago
- 7 min read
As of August 2026, Vietnam's Digital Arrival Card is mandatory at five international airports: Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), Phu Quoc (PQC), Noi Bai in Hanoi (HAN), Da Nang (DAD), and Cam Ranh near Nha Trang (CXR). If you're flying into any of those five, you need to submit the free online form at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn within 72 hours of landing. If you're arriving somewhere else — a smaller regional airport, or by land or sea — it isn't required yet, though that's changing fast. The system rolled out one airport at a time between April and June 2026, and a lot of guides written even a few weeks ago are already out of date.
This matters more than it sounds like it should, because the rollout has been genuinely confusing. Some articles published as recently as this summer still say the card only applies at Tan Son Nhat, full stop — that was true in April, but it hasn't been true since June. If you're planning a Da Nang or Hoi An trip and read an outdated guide, you could show up at immigration without a QR code you now actually need.
What Actually Changed, and When
The Pre-Arrival Information (PAI) system launched at Tan Son Nhat on April 15, 2026 as a pilot. It expanded to Phu Quoc on June 1, then to Noi Bai in Hanoi on June 8, Da Nang on June 15, and Cam Ranh (serving Nha Trang) later that same month. That's five airports added in a little over two months — a genuinely fast rollout by immigration-system standards, and one that's outpaced a lot of the guides written to cover it.
The pattern so far suggests the government isn't done. The official portal already has form fields built out for land border crossings and seaports, which is a strong signal the next phase covers those too, even though no specific date has been announced. If your trip includes a land border crossing from Cambodia or Laos, or you're arriving at a smaller regional airport like Cat Bi in Hai Phong, the declaration isn't required yet — but check the portal again close to your travel date, because that could change with as little notice as the last five expansions did.
The 5 Airports Where the Digital Arrival Card Is Now Mandatory
Every foreign national clearing immigration at one of these five airports needs a completed declaration and QR code, regardless of nationality or visa status: Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc International Airport (PQC), Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) in Hanoi, Da Nang International Airport (DAD), and Cam Ranh International Airport (CXR), which serves Nha Trang and Ninh Van Bay. If your itinerary routes you through any of these five on your way into the country, this isn't optional.
It doesn't matter if your passport lets you enter Vietnam visa-free, or if you're on a business e-visa, or a visa on arrival — the arrival card is a separate requirement layered on top of whichever entry document you already need. Being exempt from a visa does not exempt you from this form.
What the Digital Arrival Card Is Not
Zensseys Tip: The single most common mix-up: this form is not a visa, and it doesn't replace one. It's a data declaration — passport, flight, and accommodation details — that generates a QR code for immigration officers to scan. If your nationality requires an e-visa or visa on arrival to enter Vietnam, you still need that separately, on top of the arrival card, exactly the same way Thailand's TDAC doesn't replace a Thai visa.
It's also not the same as the NA1 form. The NA1 is the older paper-based entry/exit declaration still used for visa-on-arrival applicants and at land or sea border crossings where the digital system hasn't been rolled out. If you're using VOA at one of the five covered airports, you'll likely need both the digital arrival card and the NA1 with your approval letter. It's worth double-checking your passport still meets Vietnam's blank-page entry requirement at the same time, since that's a separate rule the arrival card doesn't touch.
What Happens If You're Flying Into an Airport That Isn't Covered Yet
If your flight lands somewhere outside the five covered airports, you don't need to complete the Pre-Arrival Information form for that entry. You'll go through the standard process for your visa type instead — an e-visa gets scanned and stamped, a visa-on-arrival applicant fills out the NA1 at the counter. The catch is connecting itineraries: if you fly into one of the five covered airports and then connect onward domestically to somewhere not yet covered, you still needed the declaration for your actual point of international entry, not your final domestic destination.
Given how quickly this expanded from one airport to five, the safest approach for any Vietnam trip booked from mid-2026 onward is simply to check the official portal a few days before departure, regardless of what you read here or anywhere else. A rollout this fast doesn't leave much of a shelf life on any specific list of covered airports.
How to Actually Fill It Out
The form lives at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn and takes most travelers under ten minutes if their documents are ready. You can only submit within the 72-hour window before arrival — the system rejects earlier submissions — so this isn't something to knock out weeks in advance. You'll need your passport (uploading a photo of the bio page auto-fills several fields), your visa or entry-document details, flight number and arrival date, and the address where you're staying in Vietnam.
After submission, an OTP code goes to your email, which you enter to confirm the declaration and generate your QR code. Screenshot it immediately and save it offline — relying on airport Wi-Fi or a live email connection at the exact moment you need to show it to an officer is a bad plan. If your flight details change after you've submitted, resubmit with the updated information rather than trying to explain the discrepancy at the counter.
Zensseys Tip: Do this from your hotel or home Wi-Fi the night before you fly, not from the departure lounge. A dead phone battery or spotty airport internet at exactly the wrong moment is the single most common reason travelers end up filling this out manually at the immigration counter instead of walking straight through with a QR code. A small Anker portable power bank in your carry-on solves the dead-battery half of that problem, and a Royce Leather passport holder keeps your passport, e-visa printout, and any paper backups in one place instead of loose in a bag.
What Happens If You Skip It
Skipping the declaration at a covered airport isn't illegal, but it isn't free either — you'll be directed to a self-service kiosk or manual processing line in the arrivals hall and asked to complete it on the spot, which adds real time to your immigration wait. Tan Son Nhat in particular has developed a reputation for long queues since the rollout began — some travelers have reported evening peak waits stretching well past an hour even with the QR system in place, and considerably longer for anyone completing the form manually at the counter after landing.
For a family or group traveling together, that time cost compounds. A five-minute form filled out from a hotel room the night before turns into a shared inconvenience for everyone in your party if it's left until you're standing in the arrivals hall instead.
Verdict: Check the Portal, Not Just This Article
Vietnam's Digital Arrival Card went from a single-airport pilot to a five-airport requirement in about ten weeks, and the pace of that expansion is the real story here — not just which airports happen to be covered today. If your trip touches Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc, Hanoi, Da Nang, or Nha Trang/Cam Ranh, budget ten minutes the night before you fly and treat it as non-negotiable. If your entry point isn't one of the five, don't assume that stays true between now and your travel date. Planning a multi-stop Vietnam itinerary and want someone else tracking which requirements apply where? A Zensseys travel consultation folds exactly this kind of fast-moving entry-requirement research into your itinerary planning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need the Digital Arrival Card if I already have a Vietnam e-visa?
Yes. The e-visa is your entry permit; the Digital Arrival Card is a separate declaration required at the five covered airports regardless of which visa or exemption you're entering under. Most travelers to those airports now need both.
I'm flying into Hanoi in a few weeks — do the same rules from this article still apply?
Almost certainly, since Hanoi has been covered since June 8, 2026, but given how fast this system has expanded, check prearrival.immigration.gov.vn a few days before you fly rather than assuming nothing has changed since this was written.
Does the Digital Arrival Card apply to children?
Yes — every traveler needs their own declaration linked to their own passport, regardless of age. Parents or guardians complete the form on behalf of minors using the child's own passport details, not a shared family submission.
What if my flight connects through one of the five covered airports but that's not my final Vietnam destination?
If you clear immigration at a covered airport before continuing domestically, you needed the declaration for that international arrival point. Only same-day airside transit passengers who never clear immigration are exempt.
Is there any cost to submit the form?
No — the official government portal at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn is completely free. Third-party sites that charge a fee for submitting it are not the official system; use only the government portal directly.
About the Author: This guide was researched and written by the team at Zensseys, a luxury Southeast Asia travel advisory specializing in Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Learn more about William Harris, your travel agent, and browse the full Zensseys blog for more Vietnam travel guides.
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