Vietnam VN
Vietnam overhauled its drone rules with Decree 288/2025/ND-CP (effective 5 November 2025): every UAV, regardless of weight, must now be registered, and any drone of 250 g or more needs a separate Ministry of Defence flight permit for each flight, with foreign operators required to have a Vietnamese guarantor. Processing commonly takes 1-3 weeks, so this is not a same-day-arrival activity, and customs at some airports still temporarily holds undeclared or unpermitted drones.
Your plan
Choose your home country (top right) to see steps tailored to you.
2 things to sort out before you fly
- Register your drone in Vietnam
Under Decree 288/2025/ND-CP, every UAV must be registered regardless of weight, with documents proving legal ownership (import licence and customs declaration for an imported drone, or a purchase invoice). No confirmed single self-service online portal or official fee schedule for foreign/tourist registration was found; in practice, foreign visitors go through a Vietnamese guarantor or a local drone-service agency rather than registering directly. Reported all-in agency costs of roughly USD 350-700 for arranging a tourist flight permit are market pricing from service providers, not a published government fee. Allow about 14 days before your trip.
- Make sure Remote ID broadcasts
From 20 July 2026, every registered drone must carry a physical ID code marked on its body. No electronic Remote ID broadcast requirement was found; enforcement is via the physical marking plus carrying registration/permit paperwork.
- Bringing your drone in
No published duty-free allowance specifically for drones; general personal-effects rules for electronics apply to a single drone carried for personal use. In practice, treatment varies by airport and officer: some tourists pass through without issue, while others (reported especially at Da Nang) have had their drone held in bond by customs and returned only on departure. Batteries: Carry-on only. Up to 100 Wh freely; 100-160 Wh with airline approval (max 2 spares).
- Before each flight
Every UAV must be registered before use since 1 July 2025, regardless of weight · Drones of 250 g or more additionally need a Ministry of Defence flight permit for each flight or flight period; foreign operators must have a Vietnamese individual or organisation act as guarantor on the application · Drones under 250 g are exempt only from the flight permit (not from registration) when flown within visual line of sight, outside prohibited/restricted zones, for recreation, personal use or tourism
Open official page
Flying
- Every UAV must be registered before use since 1 July 2025, regardless of weight
- Drones of 250 g or more additionally need a Ministry of Defence flight permit for each flight or flight period; foreign operators must have a Vietnamese individual or organisation act as guarantor on the application
- Drones under 250 g are exempt only from the flight permit (not from registration) when flown within visual line of sight, outside prohibited/restricted zones, for recreation, personal use or tourism
- Maximum altitude approximately 150 m (492 ft) AGL without special approval
- Daylight flights only; night flying is not permitted
- No flying over military bases, government buildings, airports or other sensitive sites — check the official red (prohibited) / yellow (restricted) zone map at cambay.mod.gov.vn before flying
- From 20 July 2026, every registered drone must display a physical ID code on its body, similar to a licence plate
Commercial use: Same Ministry of Defence flight-permit system applies, plus sector-specific approvals for the activity (e.g. filming, surveying, agriculture). Permits can run longer than the typical 30-day single-operation permit for visitors: up to 180 days for agricultural/official flights and 360 days for fixed, recurring flight areas.
Official airspace mapRegistration & classes
| Registration | Yes (all drones) Under Decree 288/2025/ND-CP, every UAV must be registered regardless of weight, with documents proving legal ownership (import licence and customs declaration for an imported drone, or a purchase invoice). No confirmed single self-service online portal or official fee schedule for foreign/tourist registration was found; in practice, foreign visitors go through a Vietnamese guarantor or a local drone-service agency rather than registering directly. Reported all-in agency costs of roughly USD 350-700 for arranging a tourist flight permit are market pricing from service providers, not a published government fee. |
|---|---|
| Pilot test | Sometimes (from 250 g) Visual observation flight control license (required for drones 250 g and over, under Decree 288/2025/ND-CP). Operators of drones weighing 250 g or more must hold this license, but no public self-study course or exam portal was found — it appears to be arranged through the guarantor/agency handling the flight-permit application rather than a walk-in test. Confirm the current process with CAAV or the Ministry of Defence before travel. |
| Remote ID | Yes From 20 July 2026, every registered drone must carry a physical ID code marked on its body. No electronic Remote ID broadcast requirement was found; enforcement is via the physical marking plus carrying registration/permit paperwork. |
| Insurance | Depends Not legally required for hobbyist or tourist flights (recommended only), but required for commercial operators. No minimum cover amount was found in public sources. |
| Foreign registration accepted | No Foreign operators need a Vietnamese individual or organisation to act as guarantor/sponsor on the flight-permit application; applying independently as a short-term tourist without a local sponsor is not realistic in practice. Reported lead times vary by source: Ministry of Defence guidance cites at least 14 days before the flight date, while some agencies cite 7-12 working days depending on whether NOTAM coordination is needed. Budget at least 2-3 weeks. Agencies that handle permit applications for foreign visitors reportedly charge roughly USD 350-700 in total. This is unverified market pricing from service providers, not an official government fee, but it reflects the realistic cost of flying legally as a short-term visitor. Single-operation permits are typically valid up to 30 days; there is no evidence of a simple, self-service online process for individual foreign tourists as of September 2026. |
Weight classes
| Class | Weight | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Under 250 g | < 0.25 kg | Exempt from the Ministry of Defence flight permit if flown within visual line of sight, outside prohibited/restricted zones, for recreation, personal use or tourism. Registration is still technically required for every UAV regardless of weight, though enforcement on toy-sized drones is unclear. |
| 250 g - under 2 kg | 0.25-2 kg | Registration plus a Ministry of Defence flight permit required for every flight; operator needs the visual observation flight control license. Covers most consumer camera drones (DJI Mini/Air/Mavic, Autel, etc.). |
| 2 kg - under 25 kg | 2-25 kg | Same registration and permit requirements as the 250 g-2 kg class, with heavier documentation of legal ownership and greater scrutiny. |
| 25 kg and above | 25 kg+ | Falls under the higher aircraft categories (25-150 kg and 150 kg+) of Decree 288/2025/ND-CP, with additional review; not relevant to typical consumer or tourist drones. |
Import & export
- No published duty-free allowance specifically for drones; general personal-effects rules for electronics apply to a single drone carried for personal use. In practice, treatment varies by airport and officer: some tourists pass through without issue, while others (reported especially at Da Nang) have had their drone held in bond by customs and returned only on departure.
- Whether a drone's radio/RF equipment needs separate type-approval or customs certification to import (distinct from UAV registration itself) was not confirmed from official sources found; Circular 78/2026/TT-BCA covers registration and ID codes but a distinct import-certification scheme was not verified.
- Batteries: Carry-on only. Up to 100 Wh freely; 100-160 Wh with airline approval (max 2 spares).
- Formal commercial import of a UAV needs a licence from the provincial People's Committee with Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Public Security approval, commonly cited as taking around 8 working days.
- For a single personal-use drone in luggage, customs treatment is inconsistent rather than governed by a clear published tourist rule — bring any flight-permit paperwork you have to show a legitimate purpose if questioned.
- Vietnam's standard VAT rate is 10%, but temporary reductions to 8% on many goods have applied in past years — verify the rate in force at the time of import for commercial shipments.
Export
- No drone-specific export controls were found; standard Vietnamese customs/export rules for consumer electronics apply.
Costs
| Operator registration | Unknown Validity: No standard multi-year validity was confirmed; registration is tied to proof of ownership, and flight permits (separate from registration) are typically issued per trip for up to 30 days. |
|---|---|
| Visual observation flight control license (required for drones 250 g and over, under Decree 288/2025/ND-CP) | Unknown |
| Import taxes | ? % duty + 10 % VAT Usually only for drones you buy abroad and bring in to keep. |
Guides
Flying in Vietnam as a visitor Visitors
- Check the official no-fly map first
Look up your planned flight locations on the Ministry of Defence's airspace portal to see red (prohibited) and yellow (restricted) zones before planning anything else. Open
- Find a Vietnamese guarantor
Foreign operators must have a Vietnamese organisation or individual sponsor their application; many visitors use a local tour operator, fixer or drone-service agency for this.
- Apply for a Ministry of Defence flight permit 2-3 weeks ahead
Submit drone specifications, planned coordinates, dates and purpose to the General Staff Operations Bureau, typically via your guarantor or agency; processing commonly takes 1-3 weeks and reported all-in agency costs run around USD 350-700.
- Register the drone
Every UAV, regardless of weight, must be registered in Vietnam since 1 July 2025 with proof of legal ownership; from 20 July 2026 it must also display a physical ID code on its body.
- Fly only within your permit: VLOS, daylight, under 150 m
Stay within the approved coordinates, altitude and time window, keep the drone in sight, land before dark, and carry your permit paperwork in case you are asked for it.
Sources
- Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- Ministry of National Defence - official UAV/no-fly-zone map (Cambay) · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- Viet An Law - Drone & UAV Management: Decree 288/2025 Compliance in Vietnam · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- ETHOS - Vietnam Drone Rules 2026 for Travellers: Permits, No-Fly Zones & Fines · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- drone-laws.com - Vietnam Drone Laws 2026 · accessed 24 Sept 2026
How the score is built
- Operator registration−15
- Pilot test (none)−5
- Remote ID−8
- Mandatory insurance−3
- Night flight banned−8
- Visitors need a flight permit−20
- Visitors must register locally−10
- Long lead time (14 days)−8
- Import restricted−25
- Duty + VAT ≈ 15 %−9
- Radio / type certification−4
Every score starts at 100 and loses points for each requirement. How scoring works