{"id":4565,"date":"2026-08-14T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/?post_type=news&p=4565"},"modified":"2026-08-14T19:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T10:00:00","slug":"evisa-scam-warning","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/news\/evisa-scam-warning\/","title":{"rendered":"E-visa applications: only \".gov.vn\" \u2014 Vietnam warns of fake-site scams"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

The only official portals are evisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn<\/h2>\n

What the Vietnamese government recognizes as official e-visa application channels isevisa.gov.vn<\/strong> and thithucdientu.gov.vn<\/strong> \u2014 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.\"<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Over 4 million issued in 2025 \u2014 fake sites swarm as e-visa use surges<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

Official fees are $25 single-entry \/ $50 multiple-entry; fake sites charge $50\u2013100<\/h2>\n

The fee for a 90-day e-visa through the official portal is$25 for single entry and $50 for multiple entry<\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, there are reports of agent sites posing as official channels, or outright scam sites, charging $50\u2013100 for the same visa. That extra few thousand yen isn't \"expedited approval\" or a \"special service\" \u2014 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-visas<\/a>as well.<\/p>\n

When Japanese travelers actually need an e-visa<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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 travelers<\/a>for 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<\/a>. Settling your length of stay and purpose first means you won't have to wonder whether you even need to apply.<\/p>\n

Three checks to rule out fake sites<\/h2>\n

Before hitting \"apply,\" these three checks alone will rule out almost every fake site.<\/p>\n