Phú Quốc is Vietnam’s big beach island off the south-west coast — the one with the cable car, the resorts along Long Beach and the night market in Dương Đông. It also has a visa rule no other part of Vietnam has: foreigners of any nationality can stay on the island for up to 30 days without a visa, provided they come in the right way. For a passport that normally needs a visa for Vietnam — Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Egyptian, every GCC passport — that turns a beach holiday into a no-paperwork trip. The rule has limits, though, and they catch people out. Here is what counts.
Who qualifies
Everyone. The exemption is written into Vietnam’s immigration law for “coastal economic zones” with their own international airport, and the Government applied it to Phú Quốc from 1 July 2020 (it dates back further, to a 2013 decision). It covers foreigners and overseas Vietnamese holding foreign passports, and it names no excluded nationalities. Immigration officers can always refuse entry to an individual, as anywhere, but there is no list of passports that are turned away.
The stay is 30 days, counted from the day you arrive. It cannot be extended as an exemption: if you want longer, you need a visa.
Which arrivals count
The exemption is about where you clear immigration, and that has to be Phú Quốc itself. Two ways in qualify:
- A direct international flight or ship into Phú Quốc. Scheduled flights arrive from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Seoul, Busan, Hong Kong, Taipei and a handful of Chinese and Central Asian cities. Cruise ships calling at the island count too.
- Transit through another Vietnamese airport without leaving the transit area. The law allows this explicitly: you can fly into Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or Da Nang, stay airside, and connect to Phú Quốc. You only pass immigration when you land on the island.
What does not count: clearing immigration at Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi and then taking a domestic flight to Phú Quốc. By then you have entered Vietnam, and entering Vietnam needs a visa. Book your connection as a single through-ticket to Phú Quốc so the airline can check you in all the way and you are not asked to collect bags on the mainland.
From Dubai and India: the realistic routes
As of October 2026 there is no direct flight from the Gulf to Phú Quốc, and India has had only seasonal charters (Air India flew Delhi–Phú Quốc for a few weeks over December 2025 and January 2026). So a Dubai or Indian traveller has two practical options:
- Via Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Fly to any of the three and take the direct flight to Phú Quốc. You arrive from abroad, the exemption applies, and you may be able to fit a stopover in on the way.
- Via Ho Chi Minh City in transit. Fly to Ho Chi Minh City on a through-ticket to Phú Quốc and stay inside the transit area for the connection. Check with the airline that the transfer is airside before you book — not every fare and not every terminal pairing works that way.
What to carry
The law does not list conditions beyond arriving directly, but border officers and airlines apply the usual checks, so travel with:
- A passport with at least six months’ validity — Vietnam asks for this on visas, and airlines apply it at check-in.
- A return or onward ticket leaving Vietnam within 30 days of arrival. Airlines ask for it before they let you board visa-free.
- Your hotel booking, in case you are asked where you are staying.
There is no fee for the exemption and nothing to apply for in advance.
The island is the limit
This is the rule that matters most. The exemption covers Phú Quốc only. Taking a ferry to the mainland or a domestic flight to Saigon, Hanoi or Da Nang without a visa is an offence: it carries a fine under Vietnam’s immigration penalties and can lead to deportation and trouble on future trips. The island is large and there is plenty to do for a week or two, but if your plan includes anywhere else in Vietnam, don’t rely on the exemption.
When the e-visa is the better plan
Apply for the 90-day e-visa instead if any of these apply:
- You want to see the mainland — Hanoi, Hạ Long Bay, Hội An, Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta — on the same trip.
- You plan to stay longer than 30 days.
- Your route into Vietnam lands you on the mainland first and you don’t want to depend on an airside transfer.
- You want the certainty of a visa in hand before you fly, rather than a rule applied at the border.
The e-visa takes about three working days once filed, costs USD 75 single entry or USD 100 multiple entry through us, and covers Phú Quốc as well as everywhere else. Apply no more than two to three weeks before you travel, because its 90 days are counted from the date it is issued.
Not sure which fits your dates and route? Send us your itinerary on WhatsApp and we’ll tell you whether the island rule covers you or whether to file the e-visa.