Switched off until further notice — that is the status of Vietnam's new border health declaration, which many expected to become routine on July 1, 2026. In a clarification issued June 30, the Ministry of Health explained that Decree 165/2026/ND-CP builds the legal machinery for a health form without turning it on: activation depends on which infectious diseases are circulating globally and how likely they are to arrive in Vietnam with travellers.
New Zealand passport holders therefore pack the same paperwork as before — the eVisa, plus the Vietnam Arrival Card at airports running that separate immigration step. Should the health declaration ever be triggered, it will be bilingual, filed online or on paper within seven days of crossing, via an official platform announced at the time. Whatever you do, don't use the unofficial declaration website that has been circulating — the ministry has explicitly ruled it out as the declaration site.