Restricted areaAsiaYourself or an operatorCheck · Sep 2026
Vietnam: border-area permits
Some districts along the China and Laos borders ask foreigners for a border-area permit or registration; rules differ district by district and have changed after the 2025 province mergers.
The permit
- Who issues it
- Provincial police and immigration offices; border guard posts
- How to get it
- Yourself or an operator. Your guesthouse registers your stay as usual; where a paper permit is still asked for, motorbike renters and hotels in Hà Giang town arrange it or send you to the office.
- Lead time
- 1 day+ · Same day or next day where required.
- Cost (check)
- Free to about ₫200,000 where a paper permit is still issued (check locally).
- Documents
- Passport with visa or exemption stamp
- Registration of stay (the host does this)
- If you skip it
- Fines and escort back out of the border zone; going right up to border markers or military posts can mean detention.
- Official site
- Vietnam Immigration Department
Worth knowing
- Ask on arrival in Hà Giang, Cao Bằng or Lai Châu whether a permit is currently checked; we could not confirm one rule for every district.
Check before you pay
Fees, quotas and closed areas change, sometimes with days of notice. These figures were last checked in Sep 2026; confirm on the official site or with a licensed operator before you book flights.