Vietnam’s Immigration Department has announced that, from Wednesday 15 April 2026, most foreign nationals—including visitors from Hong Kong—must complete a digital pre-arrival information declaration before landing at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. Details of the new requirement were first published on 17 April by leading Vietnamese daily “Tuoi Tre”. Travellers who require a visa (including visa-on-arrival or e-visa holders) and overseas Vietnamese entering on foreign passports fall within the scope. Vietnamese citizens and transit passengers staying airside are exempt.
![Vietnam imposes mandatory pre-arrival declaration at Ho Chi Minh City airport—Hong Kong travellers urged to prepare]()
For travellers who want extra assurance, VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) can handle both the Vietnam e-visa application and the new pre-arrival declaration in one streamlined process, issuing the necessary QR confirmation and providing real-time updates so that passengers reach the gate fully compliant.
The form, accessible via the official portal (prearrival.immigration.gov.vn) or a QR code provided by airlines, captures passport data, flight details, address of stay and a health self-declaration. After submission, passengers receive a QR confirmation that must be presented—digitally or in print—at immigration counters. Airlines have been instructed to deny boarding to travellers who fail to show the QR code at check-in. Hong Kong is Vietnam’s sixth-largest source of foreign investment and a top-five origin market for MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) visitors. Corporate travel managers therefore risk costly delays if employees arrive without the declaration. Immigration consultants advise adding the QR confirmation to pre-trip document checklists alongside e-visas and proof-of-funds letters that some business travellers still carry. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) has already alerted exhibitors heading to the Vietnam International Sourcing Expo in May that “non-compliance will result in extended processing times and possible administrative fines.” Operationally, the measure mirrors Singapore’s SG Arrival Card and Thailand’s TM6 e-form, underscoring a regional trend toward data-driven border management. Vietnam says the goal is to cut individual inspection times by up to 30 seconds and ease congestion during the summer peak, when daily arrivals at Tan Son Nhat can top 48,000—well above the terminal’s design capacity. The declaration currently applies only at Ho Chi Minh City but officials hinted it could be rolled out to Hanoi’s Noi Bai and Da Nang later this year once system testing stabilises. Practical tips for Hong Kong business travellers: complete the form 24–48 hours before departure to avoid last-minute server slowdowns; print a hard copy as backup in case of phone battery or connectivity issues; and double-check passport numbers, as errors invalidate the QR code. Multinational employers should update travel-policy intranets immediately and brief travel agencies to remind staff at ticketing and online-check-in stages. Failure to comply will not lead to refusal of entry, but immigration queues for manual declaration can exceed an hour during evening arrivals, potentially causing missed onward domestic connections.
For travellers who want extra assurance, VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) can handle both the Vietnam e-visa application and the new pre-arrival declaration in one streamlined process, issuing the necessary QR confirmation and providing real-time updates so that passengers reach the gate fully compliant.
The form, accessible via the official portal (prearrival.immigration.gov.vn) or a QR code provided by airlines, captures passport data, flight details, address of stay and a health self-declaration. After submission, passengers receive a QR confirmation that must be presented—digitally or in print—at immigration counters. Airlines have been instructed to deny boarding to travellers who fail to show the QR code at check-in. Hong Kong is Vietnam’s sixth-largest source of foreign investment and a top-five origin market for MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) visitors. Corporate travel managers therefore risk costly delays if employees arrive without the declaration. Immigration consultants advise adding the QR confirmation to pre-trip document checklists alongside e-visas and proof-of-funds letters that some business travellers still carry. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) has already alerted exhibitors heading to the Vietnam International Sourcing Expo in May that “non-compliance will result in extended processing times and possible administrative fines.” Operationally, the measure mirrors Singapore’s SG Arrival Card and Thailand’s TM6 e-form, underscoring a regional trend toward data-driven border management. Vietnam says the goal is to cut individual inspection times by up to 30 seconds and ease congestion during the summer peak, when daily arrivals at Tan Son Nhat can top 48,000—well above the terminal’s design capacity. The declaration currently applies only at Ho Chi Minh City but officials hinted it could be rolled out to Hanoi’s Noi Bai and Da Nang later this year once system testing stabilises. Practical tips for Hong Kong business travellers: complete the form 24–48 hours before departure to avoid last-minute server slowdowns; print a hard copy as backup in case of phone battery or connectivity issues; and double-check passport numbers, as errors invalidate the QR code. Multinational employers should update travel-policy intranets immediately and brief travel agencies to remind staff at ticketing and online-check-in stages. Failure to comply will not lead to refusal of entry, but immigration queues for manual declaration can exceed an hour during evening arrivals, potentially causing missed onward domestic connections.
