Tan Son Nhat Airport Fast Track (SGN): Skip the Immigration Queue in Ho Chi Minh City

Tan Son Nhat is Vietnam’s busiest gateway, and its international terminal often has long queues at passport control, especially when several long-haul and regional flights land together. Our Tan Son Nhat airport fast track service gets you through faster: a member of our team meets you with a name board before the immigration counters, helps at the visa-on-arrival counter if you need it, and takes you through the priority lane.

This guide explains which terminal you arrive at, how busy immigration is, what changes when Long Thanh Airport opens, and whether you really need SGN airport fast track.

We are a private travel service, not the Vietnamese government. Vietnam Immigration still checks your passport and visa and decides on your entry.

Tan Son Nhat airport at a glance

If you are flying in from abroad, you land at Terminal 2. The new Terminal 3, which opened on 19 April 2025, serves domestic flights only, so it matters only if you connect to a domestic flight.

Long Thanh Airport: what changes for Tan Son Nhat

Ho Chi Minh City’s new Long Thanh International Airport, in Dong Nai, starts commercial operations on 1 December 2026. International flights move there in stages:

• 1 December 2026 – 27 March 2027: airlines may move international flights to Long Thanh, but most international flights still use Tan Son Nhat.
• From 28 March 2027: all long-haul international flights move to Long Thanh.
• From 30 October 2027: the remaining international flights move to Long Thanh, except routes under 1,000 km flown by Vietnamese airlines.

So for trips in the coming months, most international travellers still arrive at Tan Son Nhat. Before you book, check your ticket: if it shows Long Thanh (LTH) instead of Tan Son Nhat (SGN), see our Long Thanh airport fast track guide. We offer fast track at both airports.

How busy is immigration at Tan Son Nhat?

Tan Son Nhat handles a very large share of Vietnam’s air traffic. In summer 2025 alone, about 10.2 million passengers passed through the airport. Terminal 2 receives flights from all over Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Australia and the United States.

Travel guides that track waiting times report that passport control at Terminal 2 usually takes about 20 to 40 minutes. The slowest times are the early-morning waves, when overnight long-haul flights land close together, and the holiday peaks, such as Lunar New Year, summer and Christmas. Then the wait can go well beyond that. If you also need a visa on arrival, you first queue at the landing visa counter, which adds more time.

Arriving at Tan Son Nhat on a charter flight

Many tour packages to Ho Chi Minh City use charter flights, for example from China, Korea and other parts of Asia. Charter passengers often have the hardest arrival at Terminal 2, for three reasons:

• Your charter lands in the same wave as scheduled flights. Charters are often timed for the late evening or early morning, which are already the busiest hours at Terminal 2. Your whole plane then joins a queue that is long before you arrive.
• Group visas take time. When a tour group arrives with visa-on-arrival approval letters, or with Chinese e-passports that need loose-leaf visas, dozens of passports go to the landing visa counter at once. Independent travellers on the same flight wait behind the group.
• Tour schedules do not wait. Your coach, city tour or onward transfer leaves at a fixed time, and the last passenger out sets the time for everyone.

With Tan Son Nhat airport fast track, our staff meet you before the counters and take you through the priority lane, so you are not the last one out. You can book for yourself, your family, or the whole tour group. Enter the charter flight number from your tour voucher, and we follow the flight if the schedule changes.

Do you need Tan Son Nhat airport fast track?

You will probably find SGN airport fast track worth it if:

• you land in the early morning or in a holiday period;
• you need a visa on arrival, or you hold a Chinese e-passport and must collect a loose-leaf visa;
• you travel with children or older relatives;
• you have a meeting, a tour or a domestic flight soon after landing.

You may not need it if you land mid-afternoon outside holidays, travel light and do not mind a short wait. Some travellers also get the priority lane free, for example business-class passengers and top-tier members of Vietnamese airlines’ loyalty programmes, ABTC holders and diplomats. If that is you, you do not need our service.

How fast track works at Tan Son Nhat

1. Meet our staff. First, after you leave the aircraft at Terminal 2, follow the arrival signs. Our staff wait with your name board at the entrance to the arrival immigration area, before the counters.
2. Visa counter, if needed. Then, if you have a visa-on-arrival approval letter, we take you to the landing visa counter. You pay the USD 25 stamping fee there in cash.
3. Priority lane. After that, we take you to the priority lane at passport control instead of the public queue.
4. Baggage and customs (VIP). Finally, with a VIP package, we help at the baggage belt and take you through customs to the exit.
5. Domestic connection (VIP + domestic). Besides, we help you get from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 or Terminal 3 for your domestic flight.

Fast track speeds up immigration, but the arrival steps and the customs rules stay the same for every traveller. For every step from the aircraft to the arrivals hall, see our Vietnam entry procedure guide. For duty-free limits, cash declaration and the e-cigarette ban, see our Vietnam customs rules guide.

Packages and prices for Tan Son Nhat airport fast track

At Tan Son Nhat, the VIP + domestic connection package takes you from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 or 3. However, no package includes the visa itself, the USD 25 government stamping fee for a visa on arrival, photo fees or transport.

Therefore, please book at least 24 hours before your flight, so we can arrange staff at Tan Son Nhat. In addition, bookings made 2 days, 1 day or less than 24 hours before arrival carry an urgent surcharge of USD 20, USD 30 or USD 50. The booking form shows it before you pay.

Also, remember that fast track is not a visa. If you still need one, apply on the official portal evisa.gov.vn or through our e-visa service before you fly.

How to book Tan Son Nhat airport fast track

1. First, open our fast track booking form and choose Arrival Fast Track Service.
2. Next, select Tan Son Nhat (SGN) as your airport, choose your package and enter your flight number and arrival time in Vietnam time.
3. Then upload each traveller’s passport and visa, or send them later by email.
4. Finally, pay by PayPal (cards accepted) or Alipay.

We work 24/7, and our staff follow your flight if it is delayed. For example, if your flight lands two hours late, you do not need to rebook. If your flight is cancelled and you do not arrive, or our staff cannot find you at the meeting point, we refund the amount we received. See our refund policy.

Getting from Tan Son Nhat to the city centre

• Bus 109 runs from the airport to the Ben Thanh area in District 1.
• Grab or taxi: about VND 150,000–250,000 to District 1, depending on traffic and time of day.
• Allow 30 to 60 minutes, because traffic around the airport is heavy at rush hour.

Tan Son Nhat airport fast track FAQ

Which terminal do international flights use at Tan Son Nhat?

Terminal 2. Terminals 1 and 3 are for domestic flights.

How long is the immigration queue at Tan Son Nhat?

Usually about 20 to 40 minutes, and longer in the early-morning waves and holiday peaks. With fast track, the immigration check itself usually takes a few minutes.

Will fast track still work after Long Thanh opens?

Yes. Tan Son Nhat keeps many international flights until the later phases in 2027, and we also offer fast track at Long Thanh. Just choose the airport shown on your ticket when you book.

I connect to a domestic flight at Terminal 3. Can you help?

Yes. Choose the VIP + domestic connection package. Our staff help you from the international terminal to your domestic terminal.

My flight lands at 5 am. Will your staff be there?

Yes. We work 24/7, including early-morning arrivals.

Do I need a visa for Vietnam?

Fast track is not a visa. You need an e-visa, a visa-on-arrival approval letter, or visa-free entry if your passport qualifies.

I am on a charter flight with a tour group. Can I book?

Yes. Charter passengers are welcome, and you can book just for yourself, for your family, or for the whole group. Enter the charter flight number from your tour voucher, and our staff follow the flight if the time changes.

For the full details of every package, customs allowances and what to bring, see our main guide to Vietnam airport fast track.

Airport information checked on 7 November 2026. Sources: Dan Tri / DTiNews on the Long Thanh traffic transfer (September 2026); Lao Dong and VnExpress on Terminal 3 and passenger numbers; Local Vietnam airport guide (May 2026) on waiting times.