Everything you need to plan a same-day border run from any city.
If you are living in Vietnam on a tourist visa, eventually you hit the limit. A visa run is the simplest fix: leave the country by land and come back with a fresh entry stamp. This guide covers every major city, every border route, and what each one costs.
Vietnam shares land borders with Laos, Cambodia, and China. For visa runs, only two crossings get regular use:
Located in Quang Tri province. This is the crossing for anyone in central or northern Vietnam. Da Nang is closest at about 4 hours. Hanoi is about 8 hours. Hue and Hoi An also use this route. You cross the Lao Bao-Dansavanh international checkpoint, get a Laos entry stamp, and turn right around.
Located in Tay Ninh province, about 2 hours from Ho Chi Minh City. This is the crossing for anyone in the south. Nha Trang and Da Lat run their services here too, usually via an overnight sleeper bus or a direct private car.
Route: QL22 to Moc Bai border. Pickup in District 1, Thao Dien, Thu Duc, Phu My Hung. Cambodian side: Bavet. Total round trip about 10 to 12 hours. Bilingual fixers handle the paperwork on the Cambodia side. Prices: shared van around 1.5M VND, private car around 5-6M VND. Cambodia visa roughly 1.1M VND at the border.
Route: west on QL9 to Lao Bao. Closest major city to this crossing. Pickup across Da Nang city. Shared van or private car. Same-day return. About 10 to 12 hours total. 90 day e-visa filing available.
Route: Ho Chi Minh Highway south to QL217, then to Lao Bao. Pickup in Old Quarter, Tay Ho, Ba Dinh, Long Bien, Gia Lam. Longer drive than Da Nang. Private car recommended. English-speaking crew. 90 day e-visa desk processes Standard, Fast, or Rush filings.
Route: sleeper bus to HCMC, then car to Moc Bai. Or direct private car from Nha Trang. Pickup in Tran Phu, Vinh Hai, Cam Lam, Cam Ranh. Prices: 1.5M sleeper bus, 6M private car. Cambodia visa 1.1M. 90 day visa 2.4M.
Route: QL1A north then QL9 to Lao Bao. Closer than Hanoi but not as close as Da Nang. Pickup in Hue City, Lang Co, Dong Ha, Thuan An Beach. Quang Tri fixers handle the border fast track.
Route: sleeper bus from Da Lat to HCMC, then car to Moc Bai. Or private car direct. Best for people staying in Da Lat who do not want to arrange transport separately.
Route: to Lao Bao via Da Nang. Pickup in Hoi An and surrounding areas. English-speaking guides. Standard and Rush 90 day e-visa processing offered.
Most visa run services can file a 90 day Vietnam e-visa application for you while you are at the border. The trick is timing: the application has to be submitted after you exit Vietnam (so your passport shows a departure stamp) but before you re-enter. The fixers handle this. The e-visa comes back in a few working days by email. Standard processing takes 3 to 5 days. Rush processing is faster for an extra fee.