Now that passport details appear in VNeID, Vietnam's smartphone ID app, some people have concluded they no longer need to carry the booklet. Since July 2026, however, the Ministry of Public Security and immigration authorities have repeatedly warned that this digital passport record is for administrative procedures and does not stand in for the physical passport at immigration checks at airports or borders. CafeF revisited a July 9, 2026 notice from the Hanoi City Police immigration division on August 5, 2026, reporting that the misunderstanding is spreading as the travel season peaks. So that business travelers from Japan and Japanese residents are not held up at the airport, here is where the app works and where paper is required.<\/p>\n
Vietnamese authorities are clear on this. The passport data integrated into VNeID \"does not replace the h\u1ed9 chi\u1ebfu b\u1ea3n gi\u1ea5y (the paper booklet),\" and travelers must carry a valid original booklet for exit and entry formalities. The same applies whether you travel by air or cross an international land gate.<\/p>\n
Authorities also named and rejected every workaround: photos, scans, copies and the data displayed in VNeID are none of them accepted at inspection. The idea that showing passport details on a phone screen will get you through does not hold on Vietnam's international routes. The Hanoi City Police immigration division limits VNeID passport data to standing in for the booklet \"only during administrative procedures,\" and states that at immigration \"presenting the paper booklet is mandatory.\"<\/p>\n
The confusion comes from the rules being completely different for domestic and international flights. After a trial from June 1 to August 1, 2023, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam allowed Level 2 VNeID accounts (accounts registered down to biometric data) to be used in place of the national ID card (CCCD) at all domestic airports from August 2, 2023. Because it works at check-in, security screening and the boarding gate, Vietnamese travelers have come to take for granted that \"you can fly with VNeID.\"<\/p>\n
Where foreign residents easily go wrong is assuming this domestic-flight rule applies to them as well. Foreigners in Vietnam have been able to open Level 2 VNeID accounts since July 1, 2025 (registration requires a valid passport, a temporary residence card or permanent residence card, and a Vietnamese mobile number in your own name, with the first application handled in person at a counter), but in practice foreign passengers are still asked for a paper passport even on domestic flights. Under 2026 practice, boarding a domestic flight on a temporary residence card (TRC) or permanent residence card (PRC) alone is not permitted, and carrying the original passport is taken as a given. VNeID can back you up, but for foreigners it is no dependable substitute for the booklet.<\/p>\n