Vietnam Border Crossings: Can You Enter or Leave by Land?

What I tell friends who ask about crossing by land

Every few months someone sends me the same message: “Can I just walk across into Vietnam?” I understand the appeal. Vietnam is a long, narrow country with land frontiers at both ends of the map, and the idea of arriving on a bus rather than through an airport feels more honest somehow.

My answer is always the same: yes, it can be done, and no, I will not give you a rule. The conditions depend on your passport, they change, and a confident sentence from me that was true last year can leave you stranded at a barrier this year. What I can do is explain how I think about it, and where to look.

The two frontiers people ask about

China, in the north. The Chinese border runs along the northern mountains. The part I know best is the Cao Bang area, where the Ban Gioc waterfall tumbles along the frontier and the Cao Bang loop winds through karst and rice fields. Standing there, you can see the other country across the water. That is a view, not a crossing. Seeing the border from a viewpoint tells you nothing about whether foreigners can pass at that spot, and I will not name a crossing point or a schedule from memory. Read more about the area on the Cao Bang destination page.

Cambodia, in the south. Cambodia lies to the south-west. The town I associate with it is Chau Doc, on the edge of the Mekong Delta, which many travellers reach by boat or road on their way onwards. I have written a separate piece on travelling from Vietnam to Cambodia overland, and there is a longer route built around it in the Vietnam and Cambodia in three weeks itinerary.

Why I will not state a rule for your nationality

This is the part where I am deliberately unhelpful, and I think it is the most useful thing on this page.

Vietnam issues an e-visa valid for up to 90 days to a broad list of nationalities. It also grants visa exemptions of a limited number of days to some countries, including several European ones. Both can apply by land in certain cases, but whether they do for you depends on where you hold your passport, the exact entry point, and decisions that get revised. Phu Quoc has its own exemption scheme for direct arrivals, which is a separate matter from everything above.

So I send people to two places, in this order:

1. The official Vietnamese immigration portal, for the current rules and the list of permitted entry points.
2. Your own government’s travel advice, which will often flag recent changes at specific borders.

My visa guide and the visa tool help you get oriented, but they are a starting point. The portal has the final word.

What a serious preparation looks like

I will not put numbers of days on it, because it depends on your situation. But the order of magnitude is “weeks of calm admin, not an afternoon”. My own checklist:

• Passport validity. Check it against the rules of every country on the route, not just Vietnam.
• The right document for the way you enter. An e-visa or exemption that works at an airport is not automatically accepted at every land post. Confirm the entry point is listed.
• Onward travel. Some officers ask where you are going next. Have it ready.
• Insurance. Read the small print on overland travel and on motorbikes. My note on travel insurance covers what I look for.
• Cash and cards. Remote posts and small towns lean on cash, and the dong is the only sensible currency. See money in Vietnam.
• Buffer. Leave slack on both sides of the border day. A tight connection is how a calm crossing turns into a stressful one.

When flying is the honest answer

I have a soft spot for overland travel, but I also know how much of the country there is. If your time is short, a land border may cost you more than it gives you. The north and south are a domestic flight apart, and I would rather you spend your days in places than in queues. Our domestic flights guide and the notes on train travel cover moving around inside the country, and Vietnam’s airports explained is the place for arrivals by air.

If you are building a trip that stays within Vietnam, I would rather point you at something concrete. A mountain route like the [Mu Cang Chai and Ngoc Chien three-day tour](a three-day tour from Hanoi through Mu Cang Chai and Ngoc Chien) gives you the north without any border paperwork. In the south, a [five-day southern itinerary from Ho Chi Minh City](a five-day southern Vietnam tour out of Ho Chi Minh City) can be arranged without any frontier work either.

My honest advice before you go

Start with the first-time-in-Vietnam guide if you have not travelled here before, then work backwards from your border day. Check the official portal, check your government’s advice, and re-check close to departure. Rules move, and the person who asked me last spring was a good example: the plan was perfect and the paperwork was a year out of date.

Questions about land borders in Vietnam

Can I enter Vietnam by land with an e-visa?

The e-visa, valid for up to 90 days, can be used at a number of land borders as well as airports, but not necessarily at every one. Check the list of permitted entry points on the official immigration portal when you apply, and make sure the point you plan to use is on it.

Does a visa exemption work at a land border?

Exemptions of a limited number of days are granted to some nationalities, and they can apply by land in certain cases. The conditions change, so confirm yours with the official portal or your government’s advice rather than relying on a blog, including this one.

Where is the border with China?

In the far north. The Cao Bang area and the Ban Gioc waterfall sit on the Chinese frontier, but being near the border does not mean you can cross there. Find the permitted crossing points and conditions on the official portal.

Where is the border with Cambodia?

Along the south-west of the country. Chau Doc, in the Mekong Delta, is the town many travellers associate with the Cambodian frontier, usually as part of a river or road journey. See also Ho Chi Minh City as the usual starting point of that trip.

Does Phu Quoc have its own entry rules?

Phu Quoc has its own exemption scheme for direct international arrivals. It is a separate regime from the rest of the country, so read the current conditions before assuming it applies to your trip. The Phu Quoc page has the island itself.

How early should I prepare an overland crossing?

Start well before you travel. Visa checks, onward tickets and insurance should all be settled before you leave home, not at the frontier.