Vietnam Visa Types: The Symbols List, NG1 to UĐ2, and What Each One Is For

Vietnam's entry law names each visa symbol, from NG1 for top-level state guests to UĐ2 for a UĐ1 holder's spouse or child under 18. Each symbol has its own purpose and its own maximum validity. A visa's purpose cannot be converted except in specific cases, and holders of some symbols are eligible for a temporary residence card.

Vietnam’s Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners lists each visa symbol in one place: Điều 8. The consolidated text opens that list like this:

NG1 - Cấp cho thành viên đoàn khách mời của Tổng Bí thư Ban Chấp hành Trung ương Đảng Cộng sản Việt Nam, Chủ tịch nước, Chủ tịch Quốc hội, Thủ tướng Chính phủ.

NG1 is issued to members of a delegation invited by the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee or the State President. It’s also issued for a delegation invited by the National Assembly Chairman or the Prime Minister. The sections below cover each symbol currently in force, its maximum validity, which symbols lead to a temporary residence card, the e-visa, and the one-purpose rule.

Diplomatic and state-guest visas: NG1–NG4

NG1 is issued to members of a delegation invited by the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee or the State President. It’s also issued for a delegation invited by the National Assembly Chairman or the Prime Minister.

NG2 is issued to members of a delegation invited by any of the following:

• the Standing Member of the Party Secretariat, the Vice President, a Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, or a Deputy Prime Minister
• the Chairman of the Fatherland Front Central Committee, the Chief Justice, the Prosecutor General or the State Auditor General
• ministers and equivalents, provincial and city Party secretaries, or chairs of provincial People’s Councils and People’s Committees, for same-level delegations

NG3 is issued to members of diplomatic missions, consular offices, and representative offices of UN international organisations and inter-governmental organisations. It’s also issued to their spouse, children under 18, and domestic staff accompanying them for the term.

NG4 is issued to people who come to work with those same diplomatic missions and organisations, with an accompanying spouse and children under 18. It’s also issued to people who come to visit members of such offices.

NG1 through NG4 fall in the same validity group as several other symbols below: a maximum of 1 year.

Working with state and Party bodies: LV1, LV2

LV1 is issued to people who come to work with Communist Party central bodies, the National Assembly, the Government, the Fatherland Front, the courts, the procuracy or the State Audit. It’s also issued for people who come to work with ministries and ministerial-level agencies, or with provincial Party, People’s Council or People’s Committee bodies.

LV2 is issued to people who come to work with socio-political organisations, social organisations, or the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Both LV1 and LV2 are capped at 1 year.

Foreign lawyers: LS

LS is issued to foreign lawyers practising in Vietnam. It sits in the longer-validity group: LS, along with ĐT1, ĐT2, UĐ1 and UĐ2, is valid for a maximum of 5 years.

Investors: ĐT1–ĐT4

The four investor symbols split by how much capital the investor, or the representative of a foreign organisation investing in Vietnam, has contributed:

• ĐT1 — capital worth 100 billion VND or more, or investment in a sector or area the Government designates for investment incentives. Valid up to 5 years.
• ĐT2 — capital worth 50 billion to under 100 billion VND, or investment in a sector the Government designates for encouraged development. Also valid up to 5 years.
• ĐT3 — capital worth 3 billion to under 50 billion VND. Valid up to 3 years.
• ĐT4 — capital worth under 3 billion VND. Valid up to 1 year, the same group as NG1–NG4 above.

Business and NGO visas: DN1, DN2, NN1–NN3

DN1 is issued to a foreigner who works with an enterprise or other organisation that has legal-entity status under Vietnamese law. DN2 is issued to a foreigner who comes to offer services, set up a commercial presence, or carry out other activities under an international treaty Vietnam is party to. For how the two are told apart, see Vietnam Business Visa DN1 vs DN2.

NN1 is issued to the head of a representative office or project office of an international organisation or foreign NGO in Vietnam. NN2 is issued to the head of a representative office or branch of a foreign trader. It’s also issued to the head of a representative office of a foreign economic, cultural or other professional organisation in Vietnam.

NN3 is issued to a foreigner who comes to work with a foreign NGO, or with a foreign trader’s representative office or branch, in Vietnam. It’s also issued to a foreigner who comes to work with a foreign economic, cultural or other professional organisation’s representative office in Vietnam. DN1, DN2 and NN1–NN3 all fall in the 1-year group.

Study, conferences and the press: DH, HN, PV1, PV2

DH is issued to a foreigner who comes for an internship or to study, valid up to 1 year.

HN is issued to a foreigner who comes to attend a conference or seminar, valid up to 90 days — the same cap as DL and EV.

PV1 is issued to a foreign journalist or press representative permanently resident in Vietnam. PV2 is issued to a foreign journalist or press representative on a short-term assignment in Vietnam. Both are valid up to 1 year.

Work visas: LĐ1, LĐ2

LĐ1 is issued to a foreigner working in Vietnam who is confirmed as not subject to a work-permit requirement, except where an international treaty Vietnam is party to provides otherwise. LĐ2 is issued to a foreigner working in Vietnam who is subject to the work-permit requirement. Both are valid for a maximum of 2 years. See who needs a work permit and who’s exempt for that exemption itself.

Tourism: DL

DL is issued to a foreigner who comes as a tourist, valid for up to 90 days — the same cap as HN and EV.

Family visas: TT, VR

TT is issued to the spouse or a child under 18 of a foreigner holding an LV1, LV2, LS, ĐT1, ĐT2, ĐT3, NN1, NN2, DH, PV1, LĐ1 or LĐ2 visa. It’s also issued to a foreigner who is the parent, spouse or child of a Vietnamese citizen. It’s valid up to 1 year, the same group as NG1–NG4.

VR is issued to a foreigner who comes to visit relatives or for another purpose, valid up to 180 days.

A special case: SQ

SQ is issued for the cases stated in Điều 17 khoản 3 of the law. Its cap is a maximum of 30 days.

The e-visa: EV

EV is the symbol for Vietnam’s electronic visa. It’s valid for a maximum of 90 days, for single or multiple entries — the same cap as HN and DL. For eligibility and cost, see Vietnam E-Visa: Eligibility, Cost and How Long It Lasts.

Added by Law 118/2025/QH15: UĐ1, UĐ2

UĐ1 is issued to a foreigner who is high-quality digital-technology-industry workforce. It’s also issued to a foreigner who falls under other cases entitled to preferential treatment under a law, a National Assembly resolution, or a National Assembly Standing Committee resolution.

UĐ2 is issued to the spouse or a child under 18 of a foreigner holding a UĐ1 visa. Both are valid for up to 5 years, the same group as LS, ĐT1 and ĐT2.

Which symbols lead to a temporary residence card

Under the current text, these visa symbols qualify for a temporary residence card: LV1, LV2, LS, ĐT1, ĐT2, ĐT3, NN1, NN2, DH, PV1, LĐ1, LĐ2, TT, UĐ1 or UĐ2. For how to apply and what the card itself covers, see Temporary Residence Card in Vietnam: How to Get One in Da Nang.

One visa, one purpose

A visa cannot have its purpose converted, except in the cases below:

• proof you’re an investor, or a representative of a foreign organisation investing in Vietnam, under Vietnamese law
• proof you’re the parent, spouse or child of the person who invited or sponsored you
• being invited or sponsored by an agency or organisation to work, and holding a work permit or a confirmation of work-permit exemption under labour law
• having entered on an e-visa and holding a work permit or a confirmation of work-permit exemption under labour law

When a purpose is converted under one of those cases, a new visa is issued with the symbol and validity matching the new purpose.

Not confirmed: The older wording of the visa articles was read from a consolidated text on a private law-text mirror, not the official gazette. The changes made by Law 118/2025/QH15 (UĐ1, UĐ2, the longest validity group and the residence-card list) were read from a People's Police University reproduction of that law. Any later change to these articles is not covered.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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