Short answer: no. Vietnam does not extend e-visas, and no amount of paperwork at an immigration office in Ho Chi Minh City will change that. If you are on a tourist e-visa and your stay is running out, the visa itself is spent when it expires. There is no in-country renewal for it.
That surprises a lot of people, because the word "extension" floats around every expat forum in Saigon. Some of it is confusion with older visa rules. Some of it is people talking about visa runs as if they were extensions. And some of it is agencies selling "extensions" that turn out to be something else entirely, usually an exit and re-entry they do for you.
What actually works is simple: you leave Vietnam and come back in on a new visa. For anyone based in Saigon that means a same-day border run to Moc Bai, about 80 to 85 kilometers up National Highway QL22, where you stamp out of Vietnam, cross to the Cambodian side, and come back in with a fresh entry. Thousands of travelers do this every month, and it is fully legal.
This page explains why the e-visa cannot be extended, what your real options are when the clock is running down, and what each path costs in 2026. If you only take one thing from it, take this: do not wait until your visa expires to figure out the answer, because the day after expiry you are overstaying, and the fines stack up fast.
The one-sentence version: an e-visa cannot be extended inside Vietnam. You get a new stay by exiting and re-entering with a new e-visa, or by holding a Temporary Residence Card.
Why Vietnam Will Not Extend Your E-Visa
The e-visa system, which since August 2023 covers citizens of every country, was designed as a fixed-term, fixed-entry permission. You apply online, you state an intended entry date, you get up to 90 days of validity, and that is the whole deal. There is no extension clause in the rules, and the immigration portal has no button for one.
Extensions do exist in Vietnamese immigration law, but only for a narrow set of cases. Work permit holders, people with sponsors, and certain long-stay categories can apply for extensions through their sponsor or employer. A tourist e-visa is not on that list. When people say they "extended" a tourist visa, what they usually mean is one of three things: they left and re-entered on a new visa, they had a sponsor handle a different visa type, or they were misled by an agency.
The single-entry e-visa makes this even more clear-cut. It grants one entry. The moment you leave Vietnam, it is used up, so there is nothing left to extend even in theory. A multiple-entry e-visa is more flexible, but its validity is still fixed. Once the 90 days are gone, it is gone.
There is also the practical reason. Immigration wants tourists to leave eventually. Allowing endless in-country extensions would blur the line between a visit and residence, which is exactly what the Temporary Residence Card exists for. So the rules stay strict, and the workaround stays the same as it has been for years: a border run.
If your e-visa expires while you are still in Vietnam, you are overstaying. The fine is about 500,000 VND per day, capped at some point, and it is collected when you leave. One week of overstay costs more than a whole new e-visa and the transport to the border.
What Actually Works: Two Legal Paths
When your e-visa is close to expiring you have two realistic options, and both are completely legal.
Path A: Exit and Re-Enter with a New E-Visa
This is the visa run, and for Saigon it means Moc Bai. You leave Vietnam, get your exit stamp, cross to the Cambodian side, turn around, and re-enter with a new e-visa that gives you a fresh stay of up to 90 days. The whole thing can be done in a day.
The critical rule for single-entry holders: apply for the new e-visa before you leave. Your current single-entry e-visa is spent the moment you exit, so the re-entry has to be powered by a brand new visa. Apply on evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn about a week before your run, set the intended entry date to the day you plan to cross back, and carry the approval PDF with you. Processing is officially about 3 working days, so give yourself a buffer.
Multiple-entry holders have an easier time. If your multiple-entry e-visa is still valid, you can cross out and back in on the same visa, no new application needed. The stay clock restarts on re-entry, within the limits of the visa validity.
Path B: Get a Temporary Residence Card
If you plan to stay in Vietnam for a year or more, a Temporary Residence Card (TRC) is the proper long-term solution. It is a physical card, valid for 1 to 2 years, that replaces the visa entirely, and it does not require border runs at all.
The catch is eligibility. You cannot just apply for a TRC as a tourist. You need a qualifying reason: a work permit and a Vietnamese company sponsoring you, investment, study at a Vietnamese institution, or family ties such as marriage to a Vietnamese citizen. The application goes through your sponsor, and the fees run a few million VND depending on the card's duration.
If you qualify, the TRC pays for itself fast. No more e-visa fees, no more border trips, no more planning around expiry dates. If you do not qualify, Path A is your answer, and it is cheaper than it sounds.
What Each Option Costs in 2026
Prices matter, so here is the comparison in real numbers. The e-visa fees are set by the government and paid online. The transport figures are what a private car visa run from Saigon actually costs, and they match our service pricing.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| E-visa, single entry | USD 25 | Up to 90 days, one entry, paid online |
| E-visa, multiple entry | USD 50 | Up to 90 days, unlimited entries |
| Private car to Moc Bai, round trip | 2,000,000 VND | Transport only, door to door from Saigon |
| Car plus new e-visa package | 4,400,000 VND | Transport plus the 90-day e-visa handled for you |
| Complete package | 5,300,000 VND | Car, e-visa, and Cambodia visa on arrival fee |
| Cambodia visa on arrival | about 1,100,000 VND | Only if you enter Cambodia, roughly USD 43 |
| TRC, 1 year | a few million VND | Via sponsor, replaces visas entirely |
| Overstay fine | about 500,000 VND per day | Collected at exit, avoid at all costs |
Do the math for the most common case. You are on a single-entry e-visa, you want three more months, and you organize the new e-visa yourself: USD 25 for the visa plus 2,000,000 VND for a private car round trip, or less if you take a shared van or bus. That is the entire cost of "extending" your stay, and it happens in one day.
Compare that with doing nothing. A two-week overstay, at 500,000 VND per day, comes to 7,000,000 VND in fines, and you still have to leave. The border run is not just legal, it is dramatically cheaper than the alternative.
The Same-Day Moc Bai Run, Step by Step
Moc Bai is the closest international land border to Saigon, about 80 to 85 kilometers northwest on QL22, roughly two hours by car. It opens at 6:00 AM and closes at 10:00 PM daily with no lunch break, which is why the same-day run works at all.
- Apply for your new e-visa about a week before the run, if you are on a single-entry visa. Set the intended entry date to your run day and download the approval PDF.
- Leave Saigon early, around 6:30 or 7:00 AM, to beat the tour buses that pile in mid-morning.
- Exit Vietnam at the departure counter and get your exit stamp. This closes out your current visa.
- Walk to the Cambodian side. For a pure stamp run you can turn around immediately and skip Cambodia entirely, no Cambodia visa needed for a same-day turn. If you want a Cambodia entry stamp, the visa on arrival costs about USD 30 to 35 at the border.
- Re-enter Vietnam presenting your passport plus the new e-visa PDF, printed or on your phone. Officers at Moc Bai process visa runners all day, and on a quiet morning the whole crossing takes five to ten minutes.
- Drive back to Saigon with a fresh entry stamp and up to 90 days of stay.
Two things to get right. First, do the run before your visa expires, ideally two or three days early in case of traffic or long queues. Second, if you are on a single-entry e-visa, never attempt the run hoping the old visa will get you back in. It will not. The new visa is the only thing that matters on re-entry.
Most people finish the whole trip, door to door, in 8 to 12 hours. A private car with a driver who knows the border routine makes it smoother, and the driver waits while you cross.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I extend my Vietnam e-visa from inside the country?
No. Vietnam does not allow in-country extension of tourist e-visas. The only legal ways to get a fresh stay are to exit and re-enter on a new e-visa (a visa run) or to hold a Temporary Residence Card.
What happens if my e-visa expires while I am in Vietnam?
You are overstaying from the day after expiry. The fine is about 500,000 VND per day, collected at the border when you leave, and repeated or long overstays can lead to a ban from Vietnam. Do a border run before the expiry date.
Is a visa run the same as an extension?
No. An extension would change your current visa from inside Vietnam, which is not possible for e-visas. A visa run means leaving Vietnam and re-entering with a new visa, which resets your stay legally. People often call this an extension, but it is really a new entry.
Can I apply for a new e-visa while my current one is still active?
Yes. You can apply online from anywhere, including from Saigon while your current e-visa is still valid. Set the intended entry date to your border run day and apply about a week ahead, since processing takes about 3 working days and a rejection needs time for a second attempt.
How much does it cost to extend my stay by 90 days?
A new single-entry e-visa costs USD 25, plus transport to the border. A private car round trip to Moc Bai is 2,000,000 VND, or less by bus. All in, most people spend the equivalent of USD 45 to 70 for another 90 days.
Can I get a Temporary Residence Card instead of doing visa runs?
Only if you qualify: a work permit with a sponsoring company, investment, study, or family ties to a Vietnamese citizen. The TRC is applied for through your sponsor and is valid for 1 to 2 years, which removes the need for border runs entirely.
Need a New 90-Day Stay, Handled End to End?
Book a same-day private car visa run from Saigon to Moc Bai. We handle the transport, the border timing, and the new e-visa if you want it, so you get your fresh entry stamp and a clean 90-day stay without figuring out the logistics yourself.
Book Your Visa Run NowRelated Guides
E-visas, extensions, and border runs all connect. These pages fill in the rest: