Saigon Visa Run FAQ
Everything You Need to Know

Vietnam does not allow you to extend most tourist e-visas or visa-exemption stamps while you are inside the country, so when your stay is close to expiring you must exit and re-enter to receive a new period of stay. Moc Bai is the closest international land border to Saigon, about 70-80 km away, which makes a same-day Ho Chi Minh visa run the fastest and cheapest legal way to renew your stay from HCMC. One border trip gives you up to 90 more days.

The run goes to the Moc Bai International Border Gate (Cua khau Moc Bai) on National Highway QL22 in Tay Ninh province, about 70-80 km northwest of central Ho Chi Minh City. On the Cambodian side the crossing is called Bavet, and together Moc Bai–Bavet is the busiest overland border between southern Vietnam and Cambodia. Our Moc Bai border guide covers the layout of both checkpoints in detail.

Digital nomads, English teachers, expats, retirees, and long-stay tourists in HCMC whose Vietnam visa or visa-exemption stamp is about to expire. It also suits travelers waiting for a new e-visa approval, people who have already used their visa-free days, and families who want the border formalities handled by a team that crosses daily. If your stay runs out within a few weeks, a Ho Chi Minh visa run is the standard fix.

Book your run at least 24-48 hours ahead, and plan to cross before your current visa or exemption stamp expires, ideally with 2-3 days of buffer in case of delays. If you are already overstaying, message the Saigon Visa Run team on WhatsApp immediately; they can advise whether you can still exit and what fines to expect under Decree 282/2025, in force since 15 December 2025.

Expect roughly 6-8 hours door to door for the standard run. You are picked up in central HCMC around 05:00-06:00, drive about 1.5-2 hours to Moc Bai, clear both Vietnamese and Cambodian immigration in 30-60 minutes total, and return to Saigon by early evening, typically 17:00-19:00. The early start is what makes a same-day Ho Chi Minh visa run work.

Yes. Moc Bai is only about a 2-hour drive from central Saigon and the border operates daily from early morning until late evening, so the whole loop fits comfortably in a day. Our service coordinates the timing so you are back in the city the same evening, with no overnight stay in Tay Ninh needed.

Yes, visa runs are legal as long as you genuinely exit Vietnam, your passport is valid, and you have valid documents for re-entry. Border officers see hundreds of visa-run travelers at Moc Bai every day. What can get you in trouble is overstaying, so always cross before your visa expires.

A visa extension is handled by Vietnamese immigration and is only possible for certain visa types, while most tourist e-visas and visa-exemption stamps cannot be extended in-country at all. A visa run means physically leaving Vietnam and re-entering to get a brand-new entry stamp and visa. When an extension is not possible, the Moc Bai visa run is the only option.

The service is built for foreigners living in or visiting Ho Chi Minh City, including expats, teachers, remote workers, retirees, couples, and families who need to renew their Vietnam stay without flying abroad. We also handle special cases like TRC holders, travelers with damaged passports, and group bookings in private cars.

Yes — none of the new decrees ban visa runs. Decree 282/2025, in force since 15 December 2025, sets higher overstay fines; Decree 59/2026 formalizes expulsion procedures for serious violators; and Decree 286/2026 links immigration data across agencies from 15 September 2026. A lawful exit and re-entry at Moc Bai remains completely legal, and Moc Bai stays on the official e-visa port list. What changed is enforcement: overstaying — not doing the run — is what now carries real risk, so always cross before your visa expires.

Decree 59/2026/ND-CP, issued 13 February 2026 and in force from 1 April 2026, replaced Decree 142/2021 and sets the formal rules for expulsion as an administrative sanction — temporary custody, escort, and how foreigners facing expulsion are managed while procedures run. It targets serious violations such as long overstays, illegal work or criminal offences, and it changes nothing for a lawful same-day visa run from Saigon. The practical takeaway: an overstay that crosses into expulsion territory now has a faster, fully formal process behind it, so do not gamble with your stamp.

From 15 September 2026 the immigration officer at Moc Bai sees your crossing history linked in real time to work permits, residence declarations and refusal records across every port of entry — Decree 286/2026, issued 17 June 2026, replaces the old Decree 64/2015 coordination rules. The visa run itself is unchanged: same hours, same e-visa rules, same counters. What changes is that a refusal or a flagged record is now shared instantly, so hopping to another border the same day will not work. Our Decree 286/2026 explainer walks through the details.

Yes. There is no legal minimum amount of time you must have left on your visa, and runs depart from Saigon daily, so even a visa expiring in two or three days can be handled — as long as you exit before midnight of the expiry day. The real constraint is your new e-visa approval, so if it is not approved yet, message us on WhatsApp immediately to see whether your run day can still work. Never cross after expiry: that turns a simple run into an overstay fine under Decree 282/2025.

Sixteen nationalities are covered: the 13 original countries — the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Belarus, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden — plus Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland since 1 March 2025. Each re-entry at Moc Bai starts a fresh 45-day stamp, and there is no legal cap on chaining resets, which is how many expats in Ho Chi Minh City stretch their stay for months. Officers can question a purely robotic pattern of back-to-back runs, so space them sensibly — and if you want a longer cushion, apply for a 90-day e-visa instead.

No. The 45-day unilateral exemption covers the 13 original countries plus Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland, and neither the United States nor Australia is on the list. US and Australian passport holders need a visa or e-visa for Vietnam, and the standard long-stay option is the 90-day e-visa — US$25 single entry or US$50 multiple entry — which we can file as part of your run. Do not assume you get a free stamp at Moc Bai; book the Car & Visa package instead.

A clean history of legal exit-and-re-entry stamps is a normal pattern for expats, teachers and remote workers in Saigon, and it does not block new e-visas, TRCs or work permits. What hurts applications is the opposite: unpaid or long overstays, expulsion orders or blacklists, all of which become instantly visible to every agency once Decree 286/2026 links the databases on 15 September 2026. Keep every run legal and keep your receipts, and your history works for you, not against you.

No — a visa run does not clear a blacklist. If you have been banned from entering Vietnam, exiting to Cambodia at Moc Bai and turning straight around will not remove the ban; the immigration system flags you the moment you try to re-enter. Clearing a ban means following the official process, usually a written request through the immigration authority or your embassy explaining the violation and why it should be lifted. WhatsApp us about your specific case before you spend a day on the road.

"Ghost entry" is the expat term for a second e-visa application filed while the first visa is still live, with an intended entry date that falls inside your current stay. The portal can read the two as overlapping permissions and reject the new one with a duplicate application detected flag — and 2026 reports say both visas can end up suspended. The rule is simple: set the new application's intended entry date to your run day, never inside the period your current visa covers. Our ghost entry guide explains the overlap rule in detail.

Before 15 September 2026 some travelers gambled on a second border gate the same day, but it rarely worked and usually made things worse. Once Decree 286/2026 data sharing is live, a refusal at Moc Bai is transmitted in real time to every other crossing, so Xa Mat or Tinh Bien have essentially no chance of success. The proper path is to sort the issue from the Cambodian side — often through the Vietnamese embassy in Phnom Penh — before attempting re-entry.

Not in the near term. Long Thanh (code LTH) targets commercial operations for 1 December 2026, but short-haul routes like Bangkok and Phnom Penh stay at Tan Son Nhat (SGN) through the phased 2026-2027 transfer, so fly-out visa runs keep using SGN for now. Long-haul flights to Europe, North America, Australia and the Middle East are the ones moving to LTH. Check the airport code on your ticket rather than the city name, and remember your e-visa only admits you at the ports listed on the approval — see our Long Thanh guide for the details.

Yes. The same-day schedule is the standard Saigon visa run, but staying a night in Bavet is a legitimate option if you want a slower pace or a short break in Cambodia. Your Cambodia visa on arrival is valid for 30 days, so an overnight stay needs no extra paperwork — just make sure your new Vietnam e-visa's intended entry date is set to the day you actually re-enter. Tell us when booking and we will time the application and the return pickup around your plan.

Moc Bai is approximately 70-80 km from central HCMC, about a 1.5-2 hour drive each way on the well-paved National Highway QL22. The short distance is exactly why Moc Bai is the standard choice for same-day visa runs from Saigon, since you can comfortably go and return in a single day.

The Moc Bai border is open daily from 06:00 to 22:00, including weekends and public holidays, and it does not close for a midday break. Both the Vietnamese and Cambodian counters operate within this window. For a same-day run we recommend arriving between 07:00 and 08:00, and our Moc Bai border guide explains how the two checkpoints line up.

Clearing both sides typically takes 30-60 minutes total: Vietnam exit stamp (3-5 minutes), Cambodia visa-on-arrival processing, then Vietnamese re-entry. Our local coordinators pre-fill forms and queue your passport at each counter, which keeps the whole process to about half an hour to an hour even when the border is busy.

Pickup is between 05:00 and 06:00 in the morning, usually from District 1 or your central HCMC hotel or apartment. The early start ensures you reach Moc Bai around 07:00-08:00, clear both borders before the busiest hours, and get back to Saigon by early evening.

Yes. Moc Bai operates daily from 06:00 to 22:00 including Saturdays, Sundays, and Vietnamese public holidays, so same-day runs run seven days a week. Note that during Tet (Lunar New Year) and other major holidays the border can be busier, so book ahead and confirm your slot.

Pickup is 05:00-06:00 in central Saigon, arrival at Moc Bai around 07:00-08:00, border formalities on both sides 08:00-09:00, and the return drive gets you back to HCMC between 17:00 and 19:00. The full trip is roughly 6-8 hours door to door, with flexibility for a breakfast or lunch stop.

Any day works because Moc Bai is open 06:00–22:00 year-round, but the dry season from November to April is the most comfortable for the drive and the border queues. Avoid the week around Tet (Lunar New Year, late January or February), when the border is at its busiest, and note that Cambodian New Year in mid-April can also slow the Bavet counters. Weekday mornings are the quietest window, and we aim to arrive at Moc Bai around 07:00–08:00.

Moc Bai and Bavet stay open 06:00-22:00 daily including holidays, so runs still operate — but around Khmer New Year (mid-April) and other major Cambodian holidays the border gets noticeably busier as Cambodians travel home, and the visa-on-arrival line can double. Book a few days ahead, take an earlier pickup, and expect 30-60 extra minutes at the crossing. Vietnamese holidays such as Tet can also slow the highway from Saigon, so check with us before those weeks.

Transportation only, by private car round trip to Moc Bai, is 2,000,000 VND. The Car & Visa package, car plus a new 90-day Vietnam e-visa, is 4,400,000 VND, and the Complete Package covering car, e-visa, and Cambodia visa fee management is 5,300,000 VND (about $213 USD). The Cambodia visa-on-arrival fee of about $43 USD / 1,100,000 VND is paid directly at the border unless you book the Complete Package.

The Transportation Only package at 2,000,000 VND includes door-to-door private car transport from your Saigon location to Moc Bai and back, with fuel, road tolls, driver, and border wait time covered. You handle your own Vietnam e-visa and pay the Cambodia visa fee of about $43 USD in cash at the border. It is the right choice if you already have a valid e-visa.

The Complete Package at 5,300,000 VND is fully hands-off: private car round trip, a new 90-day Vietnam e-visa filed for you, Cambodia visa-on-arrival fee management, and border guidance throughout. You just bring your passport and passport photos, and the team handles everything from pickup to re-entry.

Our 90-day Vietnam e-visa add-on is 2,400,000 VND (about $99 USD), which covers the filing service and document preparation. The Vietnamese government's own e-visa fee is separate and paid to the government when the application is submitted, USD 25 for single entry or USD 50 for multiple entry. We send the exact breakdown when you book so there are no surprises.

Plan on roughly 3.5–5.3 million VND depending on how you split it: transport-only is 2,000,000 VND, the Cambodia visa on arrival adds about 1,100,000 VND, and the 90-day e-visa is US$25 single entry if you file it yourself on the government portal. The Complete Package at 5,300,000 VND (about US$213) covers the car, the new e-visa and Cambodia visa fee management, so nothing extra is collected at the border. Add a small buffer for food, drinks and tips — around 200,000 VND is plenty for the day.

The Car & Visa package at 4,400,000 VND bundles your private car round trip with a new 90-day Vietnam e-visa filed by our team, so you leave Saigon knowing your re-entry visa will be ready. You only pay the Cambodia visa fee of about $43 USD in cash at the border. It is the most popular option for first-time runners.

Bring your original passport with at least 6 months of validity, your current Vietnam visa, about 1,100,000 VND or $43 USD in cash for the Cambodia visa-on-arrival (cards are not accepted), one passport photo (4x6 cm, white background), and a phone with WhatsApp for real-time updates with your driver and coordinator.

Most nationalities can get a Cambodia tourist visa on arrival at the Bavet border for about $43 USD (30 days, single entry), which is what we recommend for a same-day run. Some nationalities pay a different rate, and you can alternatively apply for a Cambodia e-visa online beforehand, about $37 total, but visa on arrival is faster and simpler for a one-day trip.

Yes. The Cambodia visa-on-arrival fee at Moc Bai can be paid in USD, VND, Thai Baht, or sometimes EUR. Paying in USD is usually the smoothest, with crisp $43 bills and no tears or marks. If you pay in VND the rate is typically set slightly above market, so USD generally works out best.

Travel insurance is not required for a visa run, but it is recommended, since it covers medical issues, lost passports, and trip disruptions that can happen on any border trip. What you definitely need is your passport, a passport photo, and cash for the Cambodia visa fee. Water and snacks for the drive are a good idea too.

Bring your original passport (6+ months validity), a 4x6 cm passport photo with white background, around $43 USD or 1,100,000 VND in cash for the Cambodia visa, your phone with WhatsApp, and a light daypack. Photocopies are not accepted at immigration, so keep the originals accessible, and bring water and a snack for the drive.

Yes, one passport-size photo (4x6 cm, white background, no glasses) is required for the Cambodia visa on arrival. If you forget, vendors near the border sell photos for a small fee, but bringing your own saves time. Keep a digital copy on your phone as a backup.

Yes. Officers at the land gates generally want a physical paper copy of the e-visa approval and frequently refuse phone screens. Print two copies before you leave Saigon — one for the Cambodian side and one for re-entry into Vietnam — and keep them with your passport rather than in your bag.

The Digital Arrival Card is a free online pre-arrival declaration introduced by Vietnam's Immigration Department: since 15 April 2026 most foreign travelers flying into Tan Son Nhat (SGN) must file it and show the resulting QR code at immigration. Land crossings like Moc Bai do not ask for it, so a standard same-day visa run needs nothing extra — but if you fly back into SGN after a fly-out run, file a fresh declaration within 72 hours of that arrival at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn. See our Digital Arrival Card guide for the full rules.

First you exit Vietnam: your coordinator pre-fills the exit card and you get a Vietnam exit stamp in 3-5 minutes. Then you walk into Bavet, Cambodia, where you submit a passport photo and pay the visa-on-arrival fee of about $43 USD for a 30-day Cambodia tourist visa. Finally you turn around and re-enter Vietnam with your new e-visa or exemption stamp, and the whole loop takes 30-60 minutes; our Moc Bai border guide walks through each counter.

Yes, a visa run only counts if you genuinely leave Vietnam and enter the neighboring country. At Moc Bai you cross into Bavet, clear Cambodian immigration, and receive an entry stamp. You do not need to travel deep into Cambodia; exiting Vietnam and entering Cambodia at the border is enough to reset your Vietnam stay.

Yes, with a private car the schedule is flexible, and many runners grab lunch in Tay Ninh, famous for its pork rolls, or stretch their legs in Bavet. Just keep an eye on the clock: the border closes at 22:00 and you need time for the 2-hour drive back to Saigon.

Moc Bai is open 06:00-22:00 daily and rarely closes, but on the rare occasion of a closure or heavy holiday congestion our coordinators will know first and contact you immediately. Depending on the situation, we can reroute to another crossing or reschedule your run. Your WhatsApp support line stays active through the whole trip.

Bavet is a busy crossing and you will see touts offering currency exchange, "fast-track" service or help with forms — ignore anyone who wants to hold your passport or walk you to a side office. The official Cambodian visa counter is inside the immigration building and the visa-on-arrival fee is paid there directly. Our coordinator stays with the group through both checkpoints, so you skip the confusion entirely.

Same-day foot crossings are normally waved through without a bag search — Vietnamese and Cambodian customs focus on commercial smuggling, not tourists with a backpack. Keep it simple: no restricted goods, stay within duty-free allowances, and declare anything unusual if asked. Walk through normally and follow the coordinator, and the whole checkpoint takes minutes.

The standard option is a 90-day Vietnam e-visa (single or multiple entry), which our service files for you as part of the Car & Visa or Complete package. Most nationalities qualify for the 90-day e-visa, and it is processed in about 3-5 working days before your run so your new visa is ready when you re-enter at Moc Bai.

Yes. Vietnam offers both single-entry and multiple-entry 90-day e-visas for eligible nationalities. If you travel in and out of Vietnam frequently, the multiple-entry option saves you from doing a visa run every time. Tell us your travel pattern when you book and we will file the right type for you.

The 90-day e-visa is available to citizens of 80+ countries, including the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, India, and most European nations. Some nationalities with visa-exemption agreements, like many EU countries, Japan, and South Korea, can instead enter visa-free for up to 45 days. We can help you decide which route is better for your situation.

Yes. If your nationality gets 45 days of visa exemption, you can exit Vietnam and re-enter to receive a fresh 45-day exemption stamp. The visa run works exactly the same way, since you cross at Moc Bai and come back with a new entry stamp. Alternatively, many exempt nationalities can apply for a 90-day e-visa to get a longer single stay.

There is no official limit on the number of visa runs you can do, and frequent runs are legal as long as you genuinely exit and re-enter with valid documents. However, doing runs back-to-back can draw extra scrutiny from border officers. Most travelers find that with a 90-day e-visa they only need a run 3-4 times a year.

You should only travel once your new Vietnam e-visa is approved, because re-entering without it means you cannot get a new entry stamp. We plan your run date around your e-visa approval. If your e-visa is delayed, we will move your transport booking to the next available day at no extra cost.

The 90-day e-visa is the maximum single stay available to most nationalities, so beyond that you must exit and re-enter, which is exactly what a visa run does. Some visa types and TRC holders have longer options. If you need to stay longer-term, message us and we will explain the best legal path for your nationality.

No. When you exit Vietnam, your current visa or exemption stamp is used up, and you re-enter with a new e-visa or a fresh exemption stamp, which is the whole point of the run. If you want to preserve a multi-entry visa, check its entry count before you travel, and we can advise whether your visa still has entries left.

Unused days on a single-entry visa or exemption stamp are lost when you exit, since the visa is stamped as used. A visa run gives you a completely new period of stay from the re-entry date, so you are not wasting anything; you are trading old remaining days for a fresh, usually longer, stay.

If you are waiting for a new e-visa or approval letter, you should not exit Vietnam until it is approved, or you may be stuck on the Cambodian side unable to re-enter. We coordinate your run date to land after your approval arrives. The Car & Visa package includes filing the e-visa so the timing is managed for you.

There is no minimum time outside Vietnam — Vietnam does not require you to spend a set number of days in Cambodia for the run to count. What matters is that you get the Vietnam exit stamp at Moc Bai and a fresh entry stamp or newly approved 90-day e-visa when you come back, which is why the same-day Ho Chi Minh visa run works: you are out of Vietnam for roughly an hour at the border and home in Saigon the same evening.

A single-entry e-visa is consumed the moment you exit Vietnam, so the visa you came in on cannot be used for re-entry. That is exactly why a visa run goes with a new 90-day e-visa: our visa desk files it so it is approved and waiting when you cross back through Moc Bai. If you hold a multiple-entry e-visa, check how many entries are left before you book — you may be able to use one of them instead of applying for a new one.

The Vietnamese government charges US$25 for a 90-day single-entry e-visa and US$50 for multiple entry, paid at evisa.gov.vn when the application is submitted, and those rates are unchanged for 2026. Our 2,400,000 VND e-visa add-on is the filing and document-handling service, separate from the government fee, and the Car & Visa and Complete packages bundle it with your transport. We send the exact government-fee breakdown when you book so there are no surprises.

Vietnamese immigration only accepts an e-visa application from applicants who are outside the country, which is why the submission is triggered by your exit stamp. On a Moc Bai run the timing fits together: you exit in the morning, our visa desk files your application immediately, and the approval usually lands within a few hours while you have lunch in Tay Ninh — so you re-enter with the new 90-day e-visa the same day.

Yes — Moc Bai is one of the official e-visa border gates, so a 90-day e-visa is valid for entry and exit there. In December 2025 the government expanded the e-visa port list to 83 international border gates under Resolution 389/NQ-CP, and Moc Bai has been an approved e-visa land gate since the scheme expanded in 2023. Xa Mat, also in Tay Ninh province, is another e-visa land gate if you ever want an alternative route.

Your 90 days run from the entry date printed on the approval — on a Moc Bai run, that is the day you re-enter Vietnam, so a same-day run gives you the full 90 days from your fresh entry stamp. You must enter Vietnam within the validity window of the approval itself, which is why we time the application to your exit day rather than filing it early. Single-entry (US$25) and multiple-entry (US$50) e-visas both work this way.

In most cases yes — e-visa refusals are usually fixable, and the most common causes are a blurry passport scan, a photo that does not meet the white-background rules, or a name that does not match your passport exactly. We review the refusal reason, correct the application and re-file it for your run day; in genuinely blocked cases we tell you honestly before you pay. Do not exit Vietnam without an approved re-entry visa, or you would be stuck on the Cambodian side.

Yes. You can file the e-visa application online from inside Vietnam; the portal does not require you to be outside the country, it only cares that your intended entry date is on or after the day you exit. Apply about a week before your run, set the intended entry date to your Moc Bai run day, and you return on the fresh 90-day e-visa instead of another 45-day stamp. The government fee is US$25 for single entry or US$50 for multiple, or let us file the whole application for you in the Car & Visa package.

Yes. We use modern air-conditioned 4-seater or 7-seater vehicles, so you can sleep, work, or read during the drive. Private transport means no waiting for other passengers, no fixed bus schedule, and the driver waits for you at the border while you clear immigration.

Absolutely. A private car visa run is ideal for couples, families, and business travelers, since you get the vehicle to yourself, choose your pickup point in HCMC, and stop for meals or restroom breaks as needed. For groups of 3-4 people a private car is often cheaper per person than shuttle or bus tickets.

Yes, buses run from HCMC to Moc Bai for as little as 200,000 VND per person, but they run on fixed schedules, stop for other passengers, and will not wait if border processing runs long. A private car costs more but is door-to-door, flexible, and waits for you; for groups of 3-4 it is often cheaper per person than a high-end shuttle.

Pickup is usually from District 1 or your central HCMC hotel or apartment between 05:00 and 06:00. Drop-off is back at your original location in the evening, around 17:00-19:00. If you are staying further out, such as Thu Duc, Binh Thanh, District 7, or near the airport, message us your address and we will confirm a pickup window.

Yes. Moc Bai is a large, well-run international border used by thousands of travelers every month, and the QL22 highway is a sealed, modern road. With a private car and local coordinators who cross daily, you are never alone at the border, and our Moc Bai border guide explains the exact flow so you know what to expect at every step.

Message the team on WhatsApp as soon as you realize you will be late. If the car can wait, we will adjust; if it has already left, we can usually reschedule you for the next available run. The most important thing is not to miss your border window, and if your visa expires the same day, tell us immediately so we can prioritize.

Booking is done entirely on WhatsApp, with no forms or emails. Send the team a photo of your passport bio page, your current visa details (type and expiry), and your preferred run date, and you will get a confirmation with your pickup time, cost breakdown, and what to prepare. The number is +84 369 308 237, and a Ho Chi Minh visa run can usually be confirmed within the hour.

Book at least 2-3 days ahead if you need the 90-day e-visa filed, since it takes about 3-5 working days to process. If you already have a valid e-visa and only need transport, you can often book 24 hours ahead. For urgent cases, with a visa expiring within days, message us and we will do our best to fit you in.

Doing it yourself means coordinating your own transport, filling out Cambodian forms at the counter, queuing with the crowds, and risking one missed connection turning your day into an overnight stay. With us you get a door-to-door private car, a coordinator who pre-fills forms and queues your passport at every counter, e-visa filing, and live WhatsApp support, for as little as 2,000,000 VND for transport only.

No — booking is free and there is no deposit. You confirm your slot on WhatsApp with a photo of your passport bio page and your current visa details, and payment happens on the run day, with the e-visa fee due when the visa desk files your application. If your plans change, let us know at least 24 hours ahead and we will move your booking to another day at no extra cost.

If your visa has already expired, you are officially overstaying and will face a fine when you exit. Under Decree 282/2025 the fines scale with the overstay: about 500,000–2,000,000 VND for under 16 days, 5,000,000–10,000,000 VND for 16–29 days, and up to 40,000,000 VND for very long overstays, with deportation and a 1–3 year blacklisting possible from 16 days or more. Message us on WhatsApp immediately, and we will advise on your exact situation and whether a same-day run is still the safest option.

It depends on how long you have overstayed. Short overstays are usually settled by paying the fine at the border when you exit, after which you can re-enter with a new visa; under Decree 282/2025 longer overstays carry bigger fines — 5,000,000–10,000,000 VND for 16–29 days and up to 40,000,000 VND beyond that — and from 16 days or more you risk deportation and blacklisting. Contact us before booking so we can tell you honestly what to expect at Moc Bai.

Usually not. A valid TRC lets you stay in Vietnam without a visa, and it is automatically re-stamped on re-entry, so there is no need for a visa run for the TRC itself. However, if you need a new TRC or are waiting for one, or if you want to travel abroad and return, we can advise on whether a border exit is required.

Yes, families with babies and young children do this regularly. Every traveler, including infants, needs their own passport and a valid Vietnam visa or exemption, and the baby will need a Cambodia visa-on-arrival too. A private car is the comfortable option for families, and our coordinators help you queue with a child at the border.

A damaged passport, such as torn pages, water damage, or a broken chip, can be refused by either Vietnamese or Cambodian immigration. If your passport is visibly damaged, get a replacement before your visa run. If you are unsure, send us a photo of the damaged page on WhatsApp and we will tell you whether it will pass at Moc Bai.

Both Vietnam and Cambodia require passports valid for at least 6 months beyond your intended stay. If your passport expires sooner, you may be denied entry or exit at Moc Bai. Check your expiry date before booking, and if it is under 6 months, renew your passport first and then do the visa run.

Denied entry at the border is rare if your passport is valid, your e-visa or exemption is approved, and you have not been flagged for serious overstays. If it happens, you would need to stay on the Cambodian side, sort out the issue, or fly out. Our coordinators check your documents before departure to catch problems before you reach the border.

Yes, but the rules differ: some business visas and work permits can be extended in-country, and DN (business) visa holders may not need a border run. If you hold a business visa or are waiting for a work permit, message us with your visa type and we will confirm whether a Moc Bai run is the right move or whether an extension is possible.

Yes — under Decree 282/2025, in force since 15 December 2025, overstays of 16 days or more can lead to deportation, and serious violations can bring a blacklisting of 1 to 3 years. Fines now scale steeply: about 500,000–2,000,000 VND for under 16 days, 5,000,000–10,000,000 VND for 16–29 days, and up to 40,000,000 VND for very long overstays. If you have already overstayed, WhatsApp us before going to the border so we can plan the exit and the expected fine.

Report the loss to the border police or local police first and get a written report — you cannot cross back into Vietnam without your passport. Contact your embassy or consulate for an emergency travel document, and message us immediately so we can hold your seat or reschedule the run for free once your documents are sorted. Keep a photocopy and a digital copy of your passport in your bag; it makes replacement paperwork much faster.

Use the passport that gives you the smoothest entry into Vietnam — usually the nationality with a 45-day visa exemption or an approved e-visa — and use the same passport for the entire run, from the Vietnam exit stamp through the Cambodia visa to the re-entry stamp. Switching passports mid-run confuses both border systems and can trigger extra questions at Moc Bai. Tell us both nationalities when you book and we will confirm the best combination before you travel.

No — a valid EX5 (the 5-year visa exemption for overseas Vietnamese and their foreign spouses and children) lets you stay up to 180 days per entry without any visa, so no border run is needed while it is valid. You do need to exit and re-enter once every 180 days of continuous stay to refresh the stamp, and a Moc Bai run is a cheap way to do that if your next trip abroad is far away. If your EX5 is close to expiring, renew it via the consulate before planning a run.

If you submitted the renewal before the old card expired, Vietnam normally lets you stay while the application is processed — you hold a procedure receipt, not an overstay, and leaving on a visa run can complicate the pending renewal. Confirm with us or your sponsor before booking a Moc Bai run; if the renewal was filed late or rejected, the options change. Never assume — a run on top of a pending TRC file can create the very overstay you are trying to avoid.

An expired TRC means you are staying without valid residence documents, which is overstay territory under Decree 282/2025, and exiting at Moc Bai will likely trigger the fine before you can leave Vietnam. We handle expired-TRC cases regularly, but you must message us before the run so we can tell you what fine to expect and whether an urgent renewal or an exit permit is the better route. Do not just show up at the border with an expired card and hope for the best.

If you paid the fine and received a legal exit stamp, that overstay is settled and will not block a future Moc Bai visa run — keep the payment receipt as proof. The exception is an overstay that escalated into an expulsion order or a blacklist, which stays on your record until formally lifted. On your next entry the border system may note the past overstay, but a settled, paid exit is normally the end of it.

Moc Bai is the best choice for most travelers: it is the closest crossing to HCMC at about 70-80 km and 1.5-2 hours, open 06:00-22:00 daily, and handles far more traffic so the process is well established. Xa Mat, also in Tay Ninh, is further and quieter. We run through Moc Bai because it makes the same-day round trip reliable for a Ho Chi Minh visa run.

The Cambodia e-visa, about $37 total including the processing fee, is applied for online before you travel and is valid for 30 days, while the visa on arrival at about $43 USD is issued at the Bavet counter on the day, also for 30 days. For a same-day visa run, visa on arrival is faster and simpler since you are already at the border, and we recommend it unless you prefer having everything pre-approved.

For a pure visa reset, the Moc Bai run is faster and far cheaper: transport-only from Saigon starts at 2,000,000 VND and you are back the same evening, while a return flight to Phnom Penh typically costs $120–200 plus airport transfers, and you still pay the Cambodia visa fee on arrival. Flying only makes sense if you want to combine the border exit with a short trip abroad. If you do fly, make sure your new Vietnam e-visa is approved before your return leg.

You exit Vietnam at the Moc Bai building on the QL22 side, walk a few hundred metres through the no-man's land walkway, and arrive at the Bavet side about 5 to 10 minutes later on foot. Most same-day clients go just far enough into Cambodia to pick up their Cambodian visa-on-arrival stamp and then turn straight around. Your driver stays parked on the Vietnamese side the entire time, which is what makes the loop work: one vehicle from your Saigon pickup to your drop-off, no taxis between the gates.

Yes. The Vietnamese side has toilets and small cafes, and Bavet's main street on the Cambodian side has restaurants, a market, convenience shops and casinos within a few minutes of the gate. A quick coffee and bottled water while the driver waits is easy, and our runs build in toilet and fuel stops on QL22. If you want a sit-down meal on the Cambodian side, tell your driver on the way: the round trip is roughly 2 hours each way and the schedule flexes around you as long as you are back through Vietnamese entry before the counters wind down.

Vietnamese networks keep reasonable 4G along QL22 and around the border complex, though signal drops inside the immigration buildings. Once you step into Bavet your Vietnamese SIM is roaming, which gets expensive fast, but a same-day Saigon visa run does not need one. Download your approved e-visa PDF and booking confirmation before you leave the city, and print two paper copies because the counter does not accept phone screens when the signal or your battery fails.

There are exchange booths on both sides of the crossing: a few VND and USD counters on the Vietnamese side, and Bavet takes USD and riel almost everywhere. The official Cambodia visa-on-arrival fee is USD 30 and most travellers pay around 1,100,000 VND in practice, payable in USD, VND, THB or EUR. Rates at the gate are poor, so change a small amount in Saigon beforehand or let the Complete Package include the Cambodia fee so you carry nothing extra.

No. The Vietnamese counters at Moc Bai run continuously from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM, seven days a week, with no lunch break, including weekends and public holidays. The Cambodia-side visa window at Bavet is shorter, roughly 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM, so a run that needs a Cambodian visa should not start late in the day. During Tet week the crossing carries heavy Vietnamese holiday traffic, so take an early slot and allow extra time at the counter.

The border operates year-round and immigration does not change, but parts of the walk between the two gates are uncovered, so bring a light rain jacket or poncho rather than an umbrella. Highway QL22 floods in its low sections after heavy afternoon storms, which can add 20 to 30 minutes to the drive. Morning runs avoid most of that, and many clients plan a wet-season Ho Chi Minh visa run for an early slot for exactly that reason.

The walk between the Vietnamese exit and the Bavet side is a few hundred metres and there are no trolleys, so you carry your own bag. Most visa-run clients take a single daypack and leave the rest at their hotel or apartment. If you are moving countries with two suitcases, book a private car and tell us in advance so the driver can park as close to the gate as permitted and wait with the vehicle.

Enough for a routine exit and re-entry: they process visa runs from Saigon every single day and the interaction is mostly stamps, dates and gestures. Our staff brief you on what to expect before you reach the counter, and the driver stays with you through the walk. Keep your answers short and factual, for example purpose (visa run), destination (Bavet, same day) and return date.

The crush is roughly 9:00 to 11:00 AM, when tour buses and the early Saigon to Phnom Penh coaches arrive one after another, and the Bavet side peaks about half an hour later. An early run with pickup between 5:00 and 6:00 AM from your HCMC hotel puts you at the counter before that traffic and usually means a 10 to 15 minute wait. After 3:00 PM both gates empty out again, but then you are driving back into Saigon at night.

No. Photography and filming are prohibited inside the border zone and the immigration buildings on both sides, and officers will ask you to delete anything they see. Shots at the car park, along the QL22 approach and in the duty-free area are generally fine. Take your arrival photo before the gate, not inside it.

It will be refused: a land crossing requires the approved e-visa to name the exact port of entry, and officers will not amend it at the counter. For a Moc Bai border run the port must read Moc Bai Landport, or Tan Son Nhat if you are flying in. Check the port name the moment your approval arrives, because fixing it in Saigon is a same-week re-file while fixing it at the gate means staying in Cambodia until a new visa is issued. We file and double-check the port for you in the Car and Visa and Complete packages.

A good Moc Bai border guide walks the gate itself: which counter handles your exit and re-entry, where the car parks, the walk through no-man's land, the Cambodia visa-on-arrival window, exchange booths, duty-free hours and the 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM schedule. Reading one before your first run removes almost all of the uncertainty on the day. Our Moc Bai border guide covers the whole crossing step by step, and our drivers walk you through the same sequence in person.

Yes, and since 1 July 2026 this applies to foreign nationals as well as Vietnamese citizens: the tax authority managing your file can issue a notice of temporary exit suspension, reported to catch debts of 50 million VND and up (or 500 million VND in the higher band) that are 120 days or more past the statutory deadline. It is aimed at foreign business owners, investors and anyone with a Vietnamese tax code, and it blocks all exit points including land borders like Moc Bai. If you have an open tax file and a Moc Bai visa run coming up, have your accountant confirm the file is clear before booking.

Decree 283/2026/ND-CP took effect on 10 September 2026, replacing Decree 12/2022: a foreigner working without a valid work permit or exemption certificate, or with an expired one, faces fines of 15 to 25 million VND plus deportation in qualifying cases, while employers face 30 to 75 million VND per worker and up to 75 million VND for altered or falsified documents. A visa run does not help here. Exiting and re-entering on a fresh tourist e-visa clears your immigration stamp but leaves the permit violation on the record, so deal with the permit through a licensed work permit agent or the employer before you travel — see temporaryresidencecard.com for residence card and permit support.

There is no public online blacklist checker: the Immigration Department or a Vietnamese embassy is the only authority that can confirm your status, and neither will usually answer by phone for a third party. The early warning signs are a refused or suspended e-visa, an unusually long second look at the counter, or a refusal that quotes an earlier decision. A visa run cannot clear a ban, and a ban runs its full term even while you are outside Vietnam, so confirm your status before you pay for another run.

For a refused or suspended applicant that is the reliable route: the Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom Penh accepts in-person applications with your passport, photos and itinerary, and can issue a visa that you then use to re-enter at Moc Bai. Expect three to five working days and plan an overnight stay. Re-filing on the e-visa portal is faster and cheaper, but it goes through the same screening that refused you the first time, which is why most repeat refusals end up at the embassy.

A deportation carries an entry ban of up to three years, and a forced exit up to six months, under Article 21 of the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners (Law 47/2014/QH13, as amended in 2023). While that ban is on record no border works: Moc Bai re-entry is refused and the time you spend abroad does not shorten it. A Ho Chi Minh visa run is only a lawful reset when there is no ban outstanding.

Under Decree 282/2025/ND-CP the fine is recorded against your passport and departure, and Decree 286/2026 real-time record sharing means officers at the counter can pull that history. In practice what follows is questions rather than an automatic refusal, but an unpaid or disputed fine is the fastest way to lose an hour and a bus connection at the gate. Tell us the story and bring any receipts when you book, and settle anything outstanding at the immigration office before your run day.

A visa run resets a tourist stay only: it does not extend a pending Temporary Residence Card or work permit file, and the file does not give you lawful status while it sits with immigration. If your current visa is running out before the decision, ask the processing office for written guidance first, because exiting mid-file can raise questions when you re-enter. Holders of a valid TRC do not need a run at all.

Yes. Immigration matches records on biometric data and your attached passport history, so a new passport, a married name or a second nationality does not erase an earlier refusal, suspension or ban. If any of your applications were filed under a previous passport number, declare it. Carry the old passport or the name-change document with you on run day so the counter can reconcile the two records if asked.

Up to three years for deportation and up to six months for a forced exit, decided case by case under Article 21 of Law 47/2014/QH13 as amended. Only the authority that imposed the ban can lift or shorten it, normally through a formal written request to the Immigration Department, and no agent or visa run can do it for you. If you are unsure whether a previous exit left a ban on your record, ask the Vietnamese embassy in Phnom Penh before you spend money on a run.

Since 15 September 2026, Decree 286/2026 requires real-time record sharing between agencies, replacing Decree 64/2015, so overstay history, prior refusals, exit-suspension notices and ban records surface at the counter rather than in a paper file. The practical consequence for a Saigon visa run is simple: whatever you tell the officer has to match what the screen says. Clean paperwork, an approved e-visa naming Moc Bai Landport and a truthful purpose usually keep the crossing to a routine 10 to 15 minutes.

The Saigon to Phnom Penh tourist buses run through Moc Bai and a return seat costs roughly USD 12 to 15 each way, so a DIY loop lands around USD 80 to 120 once you add the Cambodia visa fee and food. A private car round trip from us is 2,000,000 VND (about USD 79) and the driver waits for you through the whole crossing instead of leaving you to the 9:00 AM queue. DIY only wins if you want the onward trip or the adventure; you handle the paperwork, the touts and any delay yourself.

Ha Tien in Kien Giang is the southern exit, which makes it the natural choice if you are in the Mekong Delta or on Phu Quoc: a speedboat from Phu Quoc to Ha Tien takes about 1.5 hours for USD 20 to 30, and Prek Chak on the Cambodian side leads into Kep and Kampot. From Ho Chi Minh City itself it is a 7 to 8 hour drive each way, so for a same-day run Moc Bai remains the only sensible option. Our sister site phuquocvisarun.com covers the island route.

From Saigon the options are Moc Bai and Bavet in Tay Ninh at roughly 80 km, Xa Mat in the same province at roughly 120 km heading for Svay Rieng, Tinh Bien in An Giang at roughly 250 km into Takeo, and Ha Tien with Prek Chak at roughly 340 km on the Gulf coast. Only Moc Bai supports a comfortable same-day Saigon visa run, which is why nearly every booking we take goes that way. The others make sense if you are already in the Delta or heading for a specific part of Cambodia.

Budget return fares from Tan Son Nhat to Bangkok or Phnom Penh start around USD 100 to 150, but add airport transfers, a night abroad and an entry card and the total usually passes USD 200. A same-day Saigon visa run is 2,000,000 VND for transport only, or 5,300,000 VND (about USD 213) complete with the 90-day e-visa and the Cambodia fee handled. The cash is close, but the land run gets you home to your own bed that night.

Yes. QL22 to Moc Bai is a straight, mostly multi-lane road that a 150cc bike handles comfortably in about two hours each way, and you park on the Vietnamese side before walking the crossing. It is the cheapest run if you already own the bike, but you are exposed to rain and heat, gate parking is informal, and a breakdown on run day leaves you holding an expiring visa. Our motorbike visa run page covers the route, fuel stops and parking in detail.

Yes, and that is the main reason Bavet exists on the itinerary: take the run, collect your Cambodia visa on arrival, and continue to Phnom Penh, about 3.5 to 4 hours by road, instead of riding back to Saigon. You re-enter Vietnam later on your new e-visa, whose intended entry date must match your actual return day. Tell us at booking that you only want the drop at the border and we will plan the one-way leg with you.

A 5:30 AM pickup usually has you back in Saigon by early to mid afternoon, so a departure from 7:00 PM onward is normally safe, and you should still allow three hours at the airport. Keep a buffer for QL22 traffic, a slow border day or a queue at the wrong counter. If your flight leaves before 5:00 PM, take the earliest pickup we run or fly out the following morning.

The crossing works the same for every passport: the walk, the Cambodia visa on arrival and the Vietnamese re-entry counters do not change for Australians. Australia is not on Vietnam's 45-day visa exemption list, so an Australian passport normally needs an approved e-visa for each re-entry, and the 90-day e-visa add-on at 2,400,000 VND can be filed as part of your run. Bring a spare passport photo for the Cambodia visa and two printed copies of the Vietnam e-visa.

No, it is cheaper and quicker to run from where you are: Da Nang and Hoi An use the Lao Bao crossing on the Laos border, and Nha Trang has its own overnight service to Moc Bai. Our sister sites danangvisarun.vn and nhatrangvisarun.com cover those routes and prices. Flying south only makes sense if you were already coming to Ho Chi Minh City for other reasons, in which case we pick up from any HCMC hotel, District 1 through District 7, Tan Binh, Phu Nhuan and the airport-area hotels between 5:00 and 6:00 AM.

Repeat runners often go DIY because they know the sequence, and that is completely reasonable for a simple single-entry reset with everything approved in advance. Book a service when your e-visa still needs filing, when you have an overstay, refusal or TRC wrinkle in the record, or when a missed gate day would cost you an overstay fine of 500,000 VND a day under Decree 282/2025. Our runs exist to remove the failure points, not to sell you a stamp you can collect yourself. Send us a WhatsApp message if you want your situation checked before you book.