US Visa for Vietnamese: The 2026 Guide
Last verified October 9, 2026. Visa rules change often, so confirm current requirements at U.S. Department of State, Visas before applying. Your specific case may have factors not covered here.
Vietnamese citizens apply for US visas as visitors (B1/B2), as the fiancé(e) of a US citizen (K-1) and as immigrants, for example through a family relationship. This guide sets out what the regulations, the State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual, USCIS and the US Embassy and Consulate General in Vietnam say about the fees, where to apply, the interview and what a refusal means.
Wait times, fees, payment options and petition rules change, so confirm them on the pages linked under Sources before you apply.
Quick Facts: US Visa Application from Vietnam
US Visa Categories for Vietnamese Citizens
1. B1/B2 Visitor Visa
For temporary business or temporary pleasure travel, including tourism and visits to friends or relatives (22 CFR 41.31(b)). Our B1/B2 guide sets out what the law and the State Department say about who qualifies, the DS-160, the interview and the fees.
- Fee: $185 (22 CFR 22.1, item 21(a)).
- Validity: set by the State Department's visa reciprocity schedule for Vietnamese citizens, so check that schedule for the current length of a new B1/B2 visa.
- Where: the Embassy says nonimmigrant visa interviews are held at the US Embassy in Hanoi (Rose Garden Tower, 170 Ngoc Khanh Street) or the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City (4 Le Duan, Sai Gon Ward), and that you choose when you make your appointment.
- At the interview: the Embassy says the interview can be conducted in Vietnamese or English, that minors under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, that third parties are not permitted to attend, and that you may not bring electronic devices, including mobile telephones.
2. K-1 Fiancé(e) Visa
USCIS says a US citizen who wants to bring a foreign fiancé(e) to the United States to marry files Form I-129F, the first step to a K-1 visa. The couple must intend to marry within 90 days of the fiancé(e)'s admission to the United States, must both be legally free to marry (any earlier marriage ended by divorce, death or annulment), and must have met in person at least once in the 2 years before the petition is filed. USCIS lets the petitioner request a waiver of the meeting requirement if the petitioner can show that meeting would violate strict and long-established customs of the fiancé(e)'s foreign culture or social practice, or would result in extreme hardship to the petitioner. USCIS processes fiancé(e) petitions in the order it receives them and publishes current processing times.
- After USCIS approves the petition: the Vietnam appointment service says it is sent to the National Visa Center and then to the Consulate General where you apply. You can schedule an interview only after you receive the Instruction Package from the Consulate General, and you should wait for its confirmation that your DS-160 confirmation numbers were received before you schedule.
- DS-160: the service says you may not attend the K visa interview if you have not submitted the DS-160 or used an invalid DS-160 barcode, and that a submitted DS-160 cannot be corrected: you complete a new form, which has a new barcode.
- Fee: $265 for each K visa applicant (22 CFR 22.1, item 21(d)).
- Where: the Embassy says fiancé(e) and immigrant visa interviews take place at the Immigrant Visa Unit of the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City only.
3. Immigrant Visas (Family-Sponsored)
The appointment service describes an immigrant visa as one issued to a qualified person with an approved petition based on a family or work relationship who wishes to live in the United States permanently.
- Fees: the regulation lists a $325 application processing fee per person for immediate relative and family preference applications (22 CFR 22.1, item 32(a)) and a $120 affidavit of support review fee when the review is done domestically (item 34). The Embassy says each intending immigrant, regardless of age, needs a separate processing fee, paid at the National Visa Center or, if not yet paid, at the Consulate General on the interview day in US dollars or Vietnamese dong in cash, or by Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express in US dollars. It does not accept checks.
- Priority dates: the service says visa applications are processed strictly according to priority date because the number of visas is limited, and that the Embassy will not process an application until its priority date is current. The Visa Bulletin on travel.state.gov shows the dates.
- Children: the service says children of US citizens are immediate relatives and need individual petitions, while a single child under 21 of a family preference applicant can derive status from the parent's petition.
- Medical examination: the Embassy names the Consulate-designated panel physicians: Cho Ray Hospital, which accepts fees in Vietnamese dong only, and the International Organization for Migration, which accepts dong or US dollars.
- Documents at the interview: the service says a decision is delayed, and the application refused under section 221(g) with a pending letter, if you come to the interview without the required documents.
Before You Apply: Social Media Privacy
The US Embassy in Vietnam instructs everyone applying for an H-1B, H-3, H-4 (dependent of an H-1B or H-3), F, I, J, M, K-1, K-2, K-3, Q, R-1, R-2, S, T, TN, TD or U visa, among other categories it lists, to set the privacy setting on all social media accounts to public or open, to facilitate the vetting needed to establish identity and admissibility under US law.
The Visa Integrity Fee
Public Law 119-21 (section 100007) directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to require a visa integrity fee of at least $250 from any alien issued a nonimmigrant visa, which covers visitor and K-1 visas, to be paid when the visa is issued. In July 2025 DHS wrote that the fee "will be implemented in a future publication". As of 9 October 2026 we found no Federal Register rule that sets a date or an amount. DHS's notice of 1 October 2026 setting fiscal year 2027 amounts for several H.R. 1 fees (the parole, I-94, ESTA and EVUS fees) does not mention it, and the fee page of the State Department's appointment service for Vietnam lists the application fees without it. That is not proof of what you will be asked to pay, so check the State Department's fee page and the Embassy's pages before you apply.
*Item 21(a) of the State Department's schedule of fees (22 CFR 22.1), "Non-petition-based nonimmigrant visa (except E category)", lists $185 per person, and the appointment service for Vietnam lists $185 for B and F visas. The regulation's current text carries a note that it was amended, effective 1 July through 31 December 2026 (91 FR 34772). The Federal Register document, a temporary final rule, adds an optional $750 fee for an expedited B-1/B-2 interview appointment at limited posts and gives the B-1/B-2 application fee as $185.
The Application Process in Vietnam (Nonimmigrant Visas)
Step 1: DS-160 & Payment
Complete the DS-160 online at ceac.state.gov. The Embassy says the barcode on your DS-160 must match the barcode on your appointment confirmation page: if it does not, you will not be allowed in and must make a new appointment. The Embassy says it started a new system for visa services on 28 September 2024: the links on its pages to create an account or log in go to usvisascheduling.com, where at peak hours you may be placed on a waiting page before you reach the application and scheduling portal, and its button for how to apply for a nonimmigrant visa leads to the USTravelDocs site for detailed instructions. That site, the State Department's appointment service for Vietnam, lists these payment options for the application fee: a QR code scanned with a bank app or e-wallet, a VietQR code by mobile banking, cash at VNPOST/EMS locations, and a Mastercard debit or credit card in US dollars, for which additional charges apply. It says fees are listed in US dollars and that payment may be in local currency or US dollars depending on the option, that the receipt cannot be reissued if you lose it, and that you can schedule your appointment once the receipt has been activated, which can take up to one business day. Use the links on the Embassy's own pages.
Step 2: Schedule Your Appointment
The appointment service says you schedule an appointment online at usvisascheduling.com and must appear in person for the interview unless you qualify for the interview waiver. Its FAQ says to apply at least 6 to 8 weeks before you plan to travel and not to book plane tickets or hotels until you have a visa, while its scheduling page encourages nonimmigrant applicants to apply at least three months before the intended date of travel, so allow for the longer period. The Embassy lists the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City addresses above and admits only people who have an appointment. Its call center can be reached on 19005314 in Vietnam, in Vietnamese and English.
Step 3: The Interview
Unless personal appearance is waived, each applicant aged 14 to 79 must appear before a consular officer and be interviewed, and the officer decides the proper visa classification and your eligibility from what you say, your application and other relevant documentation (22 CFR 41.102(a)). The Embassy warns that your electronic or biometric signature on any visa application form is your guarantee that the information is true and correct, that you are personally and legally responsible even if a travel agent prepares your documents, and that fraudulent documents or misleading statements may result in permanent ineligibility for any future visa. It also says that no assurance about the issuance of a visa can be given in advance.
The interview waiver has conditions. The Embassy's nonimmigrant visa page still carries wording from the end of 2023 about renewals within 48 months of expiry. The appointment service's waiver page, read on 9 October 2026, lists these conditions instead: renewing a fully valid B-1, B-2 or B-1/B-2 visa that is current or expired within the past 12 months, being at least 18 when it was issued, applying in your consular district of residence, all ten fingerprints taken when it was issued, the visa not lost, stolen or revoked, and never having been refused unless the refusal was overcome or waived. Eligibility does not guarantee issuance, and an officer may call you for an interview.
What a Section 214(b) Refusal Means
The State Department's guidance for consular officers says 214(b) "does not simply mean that applicants must have 'ties' to their home country": a refusal means the applicant failed to qualify for the visa, which can happen by not convincing the officer that they are not an intending immigrant or by failing another requirement of the visa class (9 FAM 302.1-2(B)(4) and (B)(6)). The same guidance gives an example: failing to have sufficient funds to cover educational expenses results in a 214(b) refusal of a student visa, because sufficient funds are a requirement of the F-1 classification (9 FAM 302.1-2(B)(4)). Make sure the evidence you submit matches what you declare in your application.
US Visa for Vietnamese: Frequently Asked Questions
Do Vietnamese citizens need a visa to visit the United States?
Yes. Vietnam is not on the Department of Homeland Security's list of countries designated for the Visa Waiver Program, so a traveler on a Vietnamese passport needs a visa, for example a B-1/B-2 visa to visit, a K-1 visa as the fiancé(e) of a US citizen, or an immigrant visa.
How much does a US visa cost for a Vietnamese applicant?
The State Department's appointment service for Vietnam lists a $185 application fee for B and F visas and $265 for a K visa. The regulation lists a $325 application processing fee per person for immediate relative and family preference immigrant visa applications and a $120 affidavit of support review fee when the review is done domestically (22 CFR 22.1, items 21, 32 and 34). The Embassy says each intending immigrant needs a separate processing fee, paid at the National Visa Center or at the Consulate General on the interview day if not yet paid. For nonimmigrant visas Congress has also created a visa integrity fee of at least $250, so check whether it is being collected.
Where do I apply, in Hanoi or in Ho Chi Minh City?
The Embassy says nonimmigrant visa interviews take place at the US Embassy in Hanoi or the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, and that you choose between them when you make your appointment. It says fiancé(e) and immigrant visa interviews take place at the Immigrant Visa Unit of the Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City only.
How long does processing take after the interview?
The Embassy gives an average processing time of two business days, and says approved applicants usually receive their visas within 1 to 3 business days in metropolitan areas and 3 to 5 business days in provinces. It says some applications need administrative processing after the interview, that the time varies, and that you should wait at least 180 days from the interview or from supplemental documents, whichever is later, before asking about its status.
What happens after USCIS approves a K-1 petition?
The Vietnam appointment service says USCIS sends an approved I-129F petition to the National Visa Center, which sends it to the Consulate General where you apply for the K-1 visa. It says you can schedule an interview only after you receive the Instruction Package from the Consulate General, that you may not attend the K visa interview if you have not submitted the DS-160 or used an invalid DS-160 barcode, and that a submitted DS-160 cannot be corrected, so you complete a new form.
Why has my immigrant visa interview not been scheduled yet?
The appointment service says US law requires visa applications to be processed strictly according to priority date because of the limited number of visas, and that the Embassy will not process an application until its priority date is current. It also says a decision can be delayed, and a refusal under section 221(g) issued with a pending letter, if you come to the interview without the required documents.
What does a refusal under section 214(b) mean?
It means the officer was not satisfied that you qualify for the visa you applied for. The State Department's guidance says 214(b) does not simply mean that applicants must have ties to their home country: the applicant may have failed to convince the officer that they are not an intending immigrant, or failed another requirement of the visa class, such as having sufficient funds for a student visa. The guidance also says a 214(b) refusal is not a permanent ineligibility: you can reapply for the same visa and establish eligibility on the new application (9 FAM 302.1-2(B)(3)(a)).
Related Guides
Does your case trigger the Vietnam → United States risk patterns?
Knowing the failure modes is not the same as knowing whether they apply to your documents. Officer's Read cross-references your specific employment letter, bank statement, and cover letter against current United States embassy rules, the way an officer would, and flags what would be questioned before you submit.
What we check that this guide can't:
- →Whether your DS-160 answers agree with the documents you bring to the interview
- →Whether your purpose of travel, funds and ties to Vietnam read consistently across your documents
- →For a K-1: whether your civil documents and relationship evidence agree with your application and the petition
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Sources, read on 9 October 2026: the US Embassy and Consulate General in Vietnam (visas, important visa information and nonimmigrant visas); the State Department's visa appointment service for Vietnam (fees, scheduling, interview waiver and FAQs); USCIS on fiancé(e) visas; 8 U.S.C. 1101; the regulations 22 CFR 22.1, 41.31 and 41.102; the Foreign Affairs Manual, 9 FAM 302.1; Public Law 119-21 and the July 2025 DHS notice, the June 2026 State Department rule and the October 2026 DHS fee notice; and the DHS Visa Waiver Program list. Wait times, fees, payment options and petition rules change, so confirm them with these sources before you apply.
Guias de visto relacionados
Fee, processing time and official sources on one page: Vietnam to United States visa requirements