Visa policy · Vietnam · Hainan · 2026
Vietnam Citizens: Hainan 30-Day & 240-Hour China Entry (2026)
From 20 August 2026, Vietnamese nationals holding ordinary passports may use two separate visa-free paths: 30 days in Hainan Province or 240-hour visa-free transit on the mainland when ticket rules are met. Work, study, and news reporting still need visas in advance.
Bottom line: pick one legal frame before you buy tickets—Hainan-only leisure stays vs A→China→B transit with a confirmed third-country itinerary. Immigration officers check passports, onward tickets, and permitted areas; airline check-in staff may ask the same questions.
- the 240-hour visa-free transit policy (enter through any of 65 open ports, stay within designated areas up to 240 hours); and
- the 30-day visa-free entry policy for Hainan Province (enter via Hainan’s open ports, remain within Hainan’s administrative regions up to 30 days).
Permitted short-term activities include tourism, business, visits, and family reunions. Activities such as work, study, and news reporting still require an appropriate visa before travel. The NIA states the 240-hour country list now totals 57 countries and the Hainan visa-free list totals 61 countries.
30-day visa-free entry: Hainan only
This path suits beach-and-city holidays confined to Hainan Island—Sanya, Haikou, Bo’ao, and other cities inside the province—without building a third-country ticket.
- Document: ordinary Vietnamese passport.
- Geography: remain within Hainan Province administrative regions; do not treat this as permission to continue to Guangzhou, Beijing, or other mainland provinces without a separate visa or qualifying transit status.
- Duration: up to 30 days per the NIA announcement wording.
- Ports: enter through Hainan’s open ports of entry (commercial flights commonly land at Sanya Phoenix (SYX) and Haikou Meilan (HAK)—confirm your airline’s port against current NIA port lists).
Vietnamese travelers already familiar with short hops to Da Nang or Bangkok will find Sanya a parallel sun-and-resort play, with domestic flights from Haikou linking the north and south of the island. File the entering China airport guide before landing if your port requires it.
240-hour visa-free transit: mainland corridor
Use this when Vietnam is only the origin or previous stop on a longer interline ticket and you want Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, or other transit-eligible regions—not a Hainan-only holiday.
Core requirements (same for all 57 countries on the list, including Vietnam after 20 Aug 2026):
- Ordinary passport from an eligible country.
- Confirmed interline passenger ticket with dates and itinerary to a third country or region (not simply returning to Vietnam on the same round-trip framing—officers scrutinize this).
- Entry through an open port participating in the 240-hour policy (NIA cites 65 ports including Beijing and Shanghai hubs).
- Stay within designated areas for no more than 240 hours (10 days), following the existing transit movement rules.
Deep mechanics, city lists, and officer FAQs live in our 240-hour visa-free transit hub and the companion update Vietnam & Kyrgyzstan join 240-hour transit article.
Hainan 30-day vs 240-hour transit: quick chooser
| Your trip shape | Likely fit | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|
| Beach resort week in Sanya / Haikou, return to Vietnam | Hainan 30-day | Do not exit Hainan for a Guangzhou side trip without proper status |
| Hanoi → Shanghai → Tokyo (or Seoul, Singapore, etc.) | 240-hour transit | Onward ticket must read as third country; keep boarding passes |
| Ho Chi Minh City → Beijing → back to Ho Chi Minh City only | Uncertain—get advice | Simple round-trip China legs may not qualify as transit; consider a visa or reroute |
| Work meeting or paid employment in China | Neither | Obtain the correct visa before travel |
Sample third-country routes (Vietnam passport)
Examples travelers discuss (not endorsements—verify fares and visa needs for the third country):
- SGN/HAN → CAN → SIN: food and shopping in Guangzhou between Vietnam and Singapore.
- SGN → PVG → NRT: short Shanghai stop before Japan.
- HAN → PEK → ICN: Beijing cultural days en route to Seoul.
- Da Nang → SYX (Hainan only): use the 30-day Hainan track instead of 240-hour if you are not continuing to a third country.
High-speed rail inside China can extend a 240-hour loop (for example Shanghai–Hangzhou) if movement stays inside permitted transit zones—book early via our China train booking on Trip.com guide.
Trip.com booking shortcuts
Flights to SYX/HAK for Hainan holidays, or multi-city tickets for 240-hour arcs, are easier to compare when passport nationality and layover length are fixed. Use Trip.com from a bookmarked partner entry so you can return to the same tab when prices move.
For Hainan, filter Sanya or Haikou and read cancellation rules before peak holiday weeks. For transit, build multi-city searches so return-to-Vietnam legs do not accidentally erase third-country eligibility—when in doubt, speak with Trip.com support before ticketing.
FAQ
When did Vietnam join the Hainan and 240-hour lists?
20 August 2026, per the NIA English announcement. Travel before that date required visas or other existing exemptions.
Can I enter Hainan and then fly to Shanghai visa-free?
Generally no under the 30-day Hainan policy alone—Hainan status is province-bound. A separate qualifying 240-hour transit ticket structure would be needed for mainland corridors outside Hainan rules.
Does 240-hour transit allow leaving the entry city?
China’s 240-hour framework allows movement within designated areas (often multi-province within a region). Confirm your region against the current NIA port/area tables—not every city pair is legal.
Do Vietnamese diaspora or non-Vietnamese passports qualify?
This update names Vietnamese nationals with ordinary passports. Other nationalities follow their own country rows on the 240-hour and Hainan lists.
Is Kyrgyzstan covered the same way?
Yes—same announcement. See our Vietnam & Kyrgyzstan 240-hour article for shared mechanics and sample arcs.
Some links on this page go to Trip.com with partner parameters. We may earn a commission if you book; it does not change the fare shown at checkout.
