Russia began allowing Vietnamese ordinary-passport holders to visit visa-free for stays of up to 30 days, broadening access as tourism-purpose arrivals from European countries remain far below 2019 levels.
The decree took effect Oct. 15, 2026. It covers tourism, private and business visits, specified events and transit, while excluding employment, journalism, study and residence.
Border-service figures published by the Russian Union of Travel Industry show that Vietnamese citizens made 7,300 trips to Russia for tourism in January-June 2026, a 69.7% rise from the same period a year earlier. Chinese citizens accounted for 380,600 of the 676,500 trips in that category, or 56.3%.
For January-June 2025, the Russian Union of Travel Industry reported 65,900 tourism-purpose arrivals from European countries, citing a separate set of border-service figures. That was nearly 10 times fewer than in the same months of 2019. The figure covers European countries, not only European Union members.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the European Union prohibited Russian-operated aircraft from using its airspace and airports. In October 2025, the bloc added a ban on EU operators providing tourism-related services in Russia.
Separately, Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism recorded 1,134,058 arrivals from Russia in the first nine months of 2026, up 160.6% from a year earlier. Vietnam's statistics count arrivals in the country, while Russia's figures count trips classified for tourism; the measures also cover different periods.
A September aviation agreement raised the weekly limit to 105 flights for each country's designated carriers. In its report on the agreement, the Russian Ministry of Transport said Russian airlines were operating 39 flights a week to Vietnam and Vietnamese airlines 31. The visa exemption is scheduled to remain in force through Oct. 15, 2027.
