Ho Chi Minh City Along with More Cities Set to Face New Health Declaration Rules as Vietnam Clarifies Entry Policy

Image generated with Ai

From July 1, 2026, international travelers should know that Vietnam has a new border health framework, but there is an important caveat. This does not mean that all tourists will now have to make a permanent health declaration to the country.

After some reports suggested that international travelers will be required to fill out a health declaration beginning July 2026, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health has provided some clarification.

These rules are included in the Government Decree No. 165/2026/NĐ-CP, which was published May 15, 2026, and will take effect July 1, 2026. This decree mandates that the Vietnamese health authorities are allowed, in the context of infectious disease situations, to adjust border health measures through the requirement of health declarations.

Therefore, the travelers should remain informed about the new rules concerning the health declarations when traveling to Vietnam through Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc. However, travelers cannot assume that a health form is required for all travel.

What Changed in Vietnam From 1 July 2026?

Vietnam’s new rules strengthen the legal framework for health checks involving people entering, leaving or transiting through the country.

Article 22 of Decree No. 165/2026/NĐ-CP deals specifically with health declarations at border checkpoints.

However, the Ministry of Health has made clear that the provision does not mean every passenger must routinely submit a declaration.

Instead, the Minister of Health can determine which travellers need to make a declaration and how long that requirement remains in place. Such decisions will depend on individual infectious diseases, international outbreaks and the risk that a disease could enter Vietnam.

The distinction is important for tourists.

Vietnam now has a mechanism that can activate health declarations when public-health conditions require them. It is therefore better understood as a risk-based border health system, rather than a permanent form that every foreign visitor must complete.

What Information Could Travellers Be Asked to Provide?

When Vietnam activates a health declaration requirement, travellers could be asked for several types of information.

The official declaration framework covers personal details and travel information. It can also collect information about a person’s health, recent travel history and possible exposure to infectious diseases.

Vaccination and preventive health information may also be relevant.

The official medical declaration form includes fields covering passport or identification details, transport information, places of departure and destination and a traveller’s contact details while in Vietnam.

It can also ask about recent symptoms and locations visited during the previous 14 days. Questions may cover symptoms such as fever, cough, breathing difficulty, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea or rash.

The system therefore gives health authorities a structured way to assess potential infectious-disease risks when enhanced border controls are needed.

When Would a Health Declaration Be Required?

The requirement is designed to respond to changing public-health conditions.

Vietnam’s Minister of Health will determine the people covered by a declaration requirement and the period for which it applies. Decisions can be made according to the international spread of particular infectious diseases and the risk of those diseases reaching Vietnam.

This approach means entry health procedures could change if an outbreak develops overseas or if Vietnamese authorities identify a heightened public-health threat.

Travellers should therefore check current requirements shortly before departure rather than relying only on information obtained when they first book their trip.

How Would Travellers Complete the Declaration?

Under the decree, health declarations can be completed electronically or on paper when they are required.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has also addressed confusion surrounding an online website that had been widely mentioned in connection with the new rules.

The ministry said it was not using the previously circulated tokhaiyte.vn website for health declarations by people entering, leaving or transiting Vietnam.

Authorities were developing a health declaration system. The Ministry of Health said it would announce and activate the appropriate system when declarations were required.

The official declaration form attached to the decree is available in Vietnamese and English.

Where a declaration requirement applies, it must be completed within seven days before entry, exit or transit through a Vietnamese border checkpoint.

What Does This Mean for Tourists Flying to Vietnam?

For most international tourists, the key message is simple: do not treat the July change as a universal new form that everybody must submit before every trip.

Instead, travellers should recognise that Vietnam now has a formal framework allowing health declarations to be introduced when necessary.

This is especially important because border health requirements can respond quickly to outbreaks.

People planning trips through Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc or other Vietnamese gateways should check the latest official Vietnamese government and Ministry of Health guidance before departure.

Travellers should also avoid submitting personal or medical information through unofficial websites simply because a website claims that a declaration is mandatory.

Vietnam’s Border Health System Becomes More Responsive

The July 2026 framework allows greater flexibility for Vietnam to strengthen its health surveillance systems without placing permanent requirements on all international travelers.

This is significant for the travel industry.

Vietnam retains the ability to manage the health of travelers while ensuring that it remains accessible to international travelers.

The framework is a better and more adaptive system of managing border health. Passengers may be required to fill out health declarations when the situation demands, but there is no rule that every international traveler to Vietnam after July 2026 must fill out a health declaration.

As such, travelers planning to visit Vietnam must pay close attention to the latest health advisories to see what health requirements will apply to travelers to Vietnam at the time of travel.