Blog
Starting July 1, 2026, Vietnam requires every traveler entering, leaving, or transiting through the country to complete a mandatory health declaration. The new rule comes from Decree 165/2026/ND-CP, issued under the Law on Disease Prevention.
This is one extra form to deal with. But the real impact for most travelers is what it does to immigration processing times at airports that are already busy.
Here is everything you need to know, kept short and practical.
Vietnam’s government passed Decree 165, which takes effect on July 1, 2026. It introduces a compulsory health declaration for anyone crossing a Vietnamese border gate. The decree implements provisions of the new Law on Disease Prevention, which also kicks in on the same date.
The rule at a glance:
| Detail | What to know |
| Effective date | July 1, 2026 |
| Who | All inbound, outbound, and transit travelers |
| Where | All airports, land borders, and seaports |
| Form language | Vietnamese and English (more languages possible during outbreaks) |
| Deadline | Complete within 7 days before travel |
| Legal basis | Decree 165/2026/ND-CP, Law on Disease Prevention |
Everyone. The rule applies regardless of nationality, visa type, or airline. If you are crossing a Vietnamese border gate, you need a health declaration.
| Traveler type | Required? |
| Foreign tourists arriving in Vietnam | Yes |
| Vietnamese citizens departing | Yes |
| Transit passengers | Yes |
| Travelers at land borders and seaports | Yes |
There are two ways to submit: electronically or on paper. Both follow a standardised template issued by the Ministry of Health (Appendix V of Decree 165).
| Electronic | Paper | |
| When to use | Before you travel | At the border gate |
| Format | Online form (details TBC by Ministry of Health) | Printed template from Appendix V |
| Best for | Most travelers (faster, easier to verify) | Backup if electronic is unavailable |
| Deadline | Within 7 days before entry, exit, or transit | Within 7 days before entry, exit, or transit |
Key rule: your health declaration must be completed within 7 days before you enter, leave, or transit through Vietnam. Do not leave it to the last minute.
Authorities may also ask for proof of vaccination or evidence of disease prevention measures, so keep those documents accessible.
Health quarantine officers will be stationed at border gates. Their job is to check declarations and monitor travelers as they pass through.
What to expect:
| Step | What happens |
| Health declaration check | Officers verify your submitted form (electronic or paper) |
| Temperature and health monitoring | Body temperature screening via medical surveillance equipment |
| If flagged | On-site inspection: document check, travel history review, symptoms interview (max 2 hours) |
| During outbreaks | Ministry of Health may add extra screening or declaration requirements |
The bottom line: this adds a new processing step at immigration. Queues at airports like Tan Son Nhat (SGN), Noi Bai (HAN), Da Nang (DAD), and Phu Quoc (PQC) are already long during peak season. This will make them longer.
Source: VnExpress
Likely, yes. Any extra checkpoint adds time. During summer and Lunar New Year, when multiple international flights land within the same hour, immigration halls at Vietnam’s major airports already stretch to 60-minute waits or longer.
With health declarations now being verified at the gate, travelers should plan for additional delays, especially on busy arrival days.
For travelers who want to cut through the extra processing time, Fast Track Vietnam’s airport assistance service assigns a dedicated agent who meets you at the immigration hall and guides you through priority lanes. It is already used by over 10,000 travelers a month at SGN, HAN, and DAD. With the added health declaration step, the time savings become even more valuable.
Use this as a pre-flight reference:
| Date | Event |
| May 21, 2026 | Decree 165/2026/ND-CP issued by the Vietnamese government |
| July 1, 2026 | Law on Disease Prevention takes effect |
| July 1, 2026 | Mandatory health declarations enforced at all border gates |
The form itself is straightforward. Fill it in, keep a copy, and move on. The bigger question for most travelers is how much extra time this adds at immigration, particularly at Tan Son Nhat and Noi Bai where queues during peak periods already test your patience.
With a new health screening step layered onto the existing immigration process, clearing the airport is going to take longer. Fast Track Vietnam’s airport assistance service puts a professional agent by your side from the moment you land. They guide you through priority immigration lanes, help with your bags, and get you out of the airport and into your trip faster.
Book your Fast Track service here.