Vietnam to China visa requirements

Visa required for Vietnamese ordinary passport holders. Vietnam is not on China's ordinary-passport visa-free lists; use an L visa for tourism, with only limited 24-hour transit and organized regional group exceptions. Vietnamese ordinary passport holders generally need a visa before entering mainland China. The NIA unilateral 30-day ordinary-passport visa-free list published on 2026-02-17 does not include Vietnam, and the China-Vietnam mutual exemption listed by NIA covers diplomatic passports, service passports, and passports for public affairs, not ordinary passports. For tourism, apply for an L visa through the China Visa Application Service Center in Vietnam: the embassy fee schedule lists USD 45 for single-entry, USD 68 for double-entry, USD 90 for a six-month multiple-entry visa, and USD 135 for a one-year multiple-entry visa, with visa-center service fees separate. The embassy lists regular processing as 4 business days, express as 3 business days, and emergency rush as 2 business days subject to approval. From 2025-12-22 through 2026-12-31, short-term visa applicants staying no more than 180 days are exempt from fingerprint collection at Chinese visa application service facilities; D, J1, Q1, S1, X1, and Z visa applicants still give fingerprints. Vietnamese ordinary passport holders are not on the 240-hour transit visa-free country list; 24-hour direct transit is available to foreign nationals worldwide if they remain within port limits, or they need a temporary entry permit to leave the port. Hainan's direct 30-day 59-country visa-free policy does not list Vietnam, but Vietnamese tourists may use specific organized regional group policies when all conditions are met, including ASEAN tour groups to Xishuangbanna or Guilin for up to 6 days, cruise tour groups for up to 15 days, or Hong Kong/Macao-organized group tours to Guangdong or Hainan for up to 6 days.