Part of Ava Travel's Vietnam visa guide. Last updated 10 November 2026 by the Ava Travel team in Hanoi.

The short answer, from Ava Travel in Hanoi: if your Vietnam e-visa still says processing and you fly tomorrow, do not apply again yet. First check the status on evisa.gov.vn, then, on a working day, ask for urgent help on the application you already submitted. Ava Travel's urgent help is priced per application, Hanoi time, Monday to Friday: the fastest is the 1-hour package, US$200, sent between 8:00am and 4:00pm, result within 1 working hour; then US$165 for 2 hours, US$90 for 4 hours (sent 8:00am to 1:30pm, result within 4 working hours) and US$70 for 8 to 12 hours (sent before 8:00am, by 6:00pm the same day). Airlines will not board you without an approved e-visa or a visa-free passport, so if no option finishes before check-in, move the flight. Money back with the 1-hour and 2-hour packages: if we cannot take your application, or the e-visa is refused or not issued by your arrival date, you get everything you paid back. Both packages have their own page: Vietnam e-visa in 1 or 2 hours.

What to do, in order

  • 1. Check the status now on evisa.gov.vn with your registration code, the email you used and your date of birth. If it is approved, download the PDF and print a copy. You are done.
  • 2. Work out the time in Hanoi. Vietnam is GMT+7. The Immigration Department only processes on working days, so what matters is how many Hanoi working hours are left before your check-in.
  • 3. Look for a mistake on the form. A wrong passport number, name, date of birth, entry date or entry airport cannot be fixed by an urgent request; that needs a new application.
  • 4. No mistake: ask for urgent help on the existing application. Send the registration code, email, date of birth and your flight to an agency before you pay anything, and ask whether it can still work in time.
  • 5. Mistake, or not applied at all: a new application. Ava Travel's Express takes usually 4 to 8 working hours when every document reaches us before 10am Hanoi time on a working day, US$140 with the government fee.
  • 6. Still too tight: change the flight. A day's change fee is usually cheaper than a missed trip.

How much time you need, by when you contact us

You reach us (Hanoi time)1-hour package, US$2004-hour package, US$908 to 12-hour package, US$70
Working day, before 8:00amResult by 9:00amResult by 12:00 noon the same dayResult by 6:00pm the same day
Working day, 8:00am to 1:30pmWithin 1 working hourWithin 4 working hoursBy 12:00 noon the next working day
Working day, 1:30pm to 2:30pmWithin 1 working hourBy 12:00 noon the next working dayBy 12:00 noon the next working day
Working day, 2:30pm to 4:00pmWithin 1 working hourBy 12:00 noon the next working dayBy 6:00pm the next working day
Working day, after 4:00pmBy 9:00am the next working dayBy 12:00 noon the next working dayBy 6:00pm the next working day
Friday evening, weekend or public holidayBy 9:00am on the next working dayBy 12:00 noon on the next working dayBy 6:00pm on the next working day

The 2-hour package (US$165) works the same way as the 1-hour package, for applications sent between 8:00am and 2:00pm. The Immigration Department stops for lunch from 12:00 noon to 2:00pm Hanoi time, and those two hours are not counted for the 1, 2 and 4-hour packages: sent at 11:00am, the 2-hour package gives the result by 3:00pm and the 4-hour package by 5:00pm.

Your flight should leave after the time in the table. A Monday morning flight with a Friday evening request is usually too late, because nothing is processed on Saturday or Sunday; read weekend and holiday e-visas.

What not to do

  • Do not pay a second government fee for the same dates before someone has looked at the first application.
  • Do not fly on the hope of a visa on arrival. Vietnam's visa on arrival needs an approval letter arranged in advance, and airlines check documents before boarding.
  • Do not send card details, passwords or the government site login to anyone. The code, email and date of birth only let an agency read the status.

Frequently asked questions

My Vietnam e-visa is still processing and I fly tomorrow. What can I do?

Check the status on evisa.gov.vn first. If it is still processing and there is no mistake on the form, ask for urgent help on that application on a working day: Ava Travel charges US$200 for the 1-hour package (sent 8:00am to 4:00pm Hanoi time), US$165 for 2 hours, US$90 for 4 hours or US$70 for 8 to 12 hours. If no option finishes before check-in, change the flight. Money back with the 1-hour and 2-hour packages: if we cannot take your application, or the e-visa is refused or not issued by your arrival date, you get everything you paid back.

Can I get a Vietnam e-visa the same day?

On a working day, yes, in many cases. Urgent help on an application already submitted gives a result within 1 working hour with the 1-hour package (US$200, sent 8:00am to 4:00pm Hanoi time), or by 12:00 noon with the 4-hour package sent before 8:00am. A new Express application through Ava Travel usually takes 4 to 8 working hours when documents arrive before 10am. Immigration decides every application.

Will the airline let me board while my e-visa is processing?

No. Airlines need an approved e-visa PDF, a visa-free passport or a valid visa before boarding a flight to Vietnam.

Should I apply again if my flight is tomorrow?

Only if the first application has a mistake or you never applied. Otherwise urgent help on the first application is usually faster and cheaper than paying a second government fee.

Ava Travel's Vietnam visa and arrival guides

Guides

Services you can book