Vietnam's immigration authority announced on August 5, 2026 that it is stepping up measures against fake websites as e-visa use surges. Only two official government portals, carrying the ".gov.vn" domain, are authorized to process applications. Any other site that looks just like them is either an agent charging two to four times the real price for the same visa, or a scam site harvesting personal information. This is a practical rundown for Japanese travelers and business visitors entering Vietnam, aimed at avoiding wasted money and leaked data.
The only official portals are evisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn
What the Vietnamese government recognizes as official e-visa application channels isevisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn — two sites in total. Both end in the government-only domain ".gov.vn." Immigration department head Pham Dang Khoa is urging people not to use any site other than one ending in ".gov.vn."
The tricky part is that scam groups build sites indistinguishable in design from the official portal, register confusingly similar domain names, and pay for search ads to push themselves to the top of search results. Nguyen Tien Nam of the Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department (Division 5) points to the same tactics. Sites with ".com," ".net," or ".org" domains containing words like "vietnam" or "evisa" are not government channels, no matter how official they look.
Over 4 million issued in 2025 — fake sites swarm as e-visa use surges
Behind the rise in fake sites is the growth of e-visa use itself. Vietnam issued more than 4 million e-visas in 2025, up about 30% year on year. In the first half of 2026 alone, about 2.5 million were approved, again a pace of roughly 30% year on year. Vietnam recorded 22.8 million foreign visitors in 2025, an all-time high.
The infrastructure for accepting travelers has also expanded. E-visa holders can now enter and exit through 83 international checkpoints nationwide, with a recent expansion adding 41 new checkpoints — 4 airports, 11 land border gates, and 26 seaports. E-visas are currently issued to citizens of every country and region, and Japanese nationals are of course included. As more people use the system, the fake sites feeding off that traffic increase too.
Official fees are $25 single-entry / $50 multiple-entry; fake sites charge $50–100
The fee for a 90-day e-visa through the official portal is$25 for single entry and $50 for multiple entry. The fee is a fixed amount set under a circular from Vietnam's Ministry of Finance (28/2026/TT-BTC, effective April 1, 2026), and standard processing takes roughly three business days. At 150 yen to the dollar, that's about 3,750 yen for single entry and about 7,500 yen for multiple entry.
Meanwhile, there are reports of agent sites posing as official channels, or outright scam sites, charging $50–100 for the same visa. That extra few thousand yen isn't "expedited approval" or a "special service" — it's simply a markup. Since immigration doesn't offer any guaranteed approval or paid priority processing, a site claiming "guaranteed approval" or "express issuance" can be judged as unofficial on that basis alone. A guide to fees and the conditions for the 45-day exemption is also covered inour explainer on Vietnam travel visa requirements, the 45-day exemption, and e-visasas well.
When Japanese travelers actually need an e-visa
As a baseline, Japanese passport holders don't need a visa for tourism stays of up to 45 days (under the exemption in effect from March 15, 2025 to March 14, 2028). In other words, most short business trips and vacations don't require an e-visa application in the first place. Even so, some people search "Vietnam visa," land on a fake site, and end up paying fees they never needed to pay.
An e-visa is genuinely needed for long business trips or relocation prep exceeding 45 days, for travel purposes not covered by the exemption, or when you want your residency status made clear at entry. If you're staying on a 90-day visa, switching to a local driver's license may also come into view (switching to a local license on a 90-day visa, and how it applies to business travelersfor reference). Some places, like Phu Quoc, have a separate exemption scheme of their own, so the conditions for each destination are worth checking inthe conditions for Phu Quoc's 30-day visa exemption. Settling your length of stay and purpose first means you won't have to wonder whether you even need to apply.
Three checks to rule out fake sites
Before hitting "apply," these three checks alone will rule out almost every fake site.
- The domain ending: Does the address bar end in ".gov.vn"? Use nothing but evisa.gov.vn or thithucdientu.gov.vn. Don't click links from ads — typing the domain in by hand is the safe way.
- The fee amount: Suspect a markup if it's anything other than $25 single-entry or $50 multiple-entry. A site charging a separate "service fee" or "agent fee" is, by that fact alone, not official.
- The information requested: An e-visa application only needs passport details and a photo of your face and passport. Close the tab immediately if a site asks for your bank account details or your Japanese My Number/social security number.
Summary: the only two sites worth bookmarking are the ".gov.vn" ones
Officially, Vietnam's 90-day e-visa costs $25 single-entry or $50 multiple-entry, and the only channels are evisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn. Usage has grown enough that 2.5 million were approved in the first half of 2026 alone, and fake sites chasing that traffic keep slipping into the top of search ads. Rather than searching in a panic right before a trip, bookmark these two addresses ahead of time. And remember that short stays under 45 days are exempt for Japanese nationals — keeping that in mind is enough to avoid paying a fake site for something you never needed to apply for.
Sources
- Vietnam Plus, "Vietnam steps up e-visa rollout to protect citizens, international visitors" (August 5, 2026)
- Vietnamese Government's official e-visa portal, evisa.gov.vn
- Vietnamese Ministry of Finance Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC (e-visa fees, effective April 1, 2026)
