The instructions say:
1. Foreigners from the visa waiver countries or with tourist visas (including electronic visas) who have their temporary residence permits expired and cannot exit Vietnam due to objective reasons (they are currently quarantined in Vietnam or their flights have been cancelled, or the countries they plan to go to have closed their borders, to name but a few) should ask their home countries’ Embassies or Consulates General to act as a guarantee for an extension of their temporary residence in the country of maximum 30 days. They should submit their applications for temporary residence extension to the MPS’s Department of Immigration Management. Specific guides are articulated below:
- An application portfolio for temporary residence extension must include: Passport or other equivalent documents of the applicant, NA5 application form issued by the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and stamped by the Embassy or Consulate General, certificates of temporary residence and health declaration. A Diplomatic Note is required in case there is any additional request for special support.
Within five working days after receiving a valid and full application portfolio, the Department of Immigration Management will give the answer to each case.
- The Embassies or Consulates General should be responsible for their guaranteed nationals during their extended stay in Vietnam. They should also be ready to coordinate with Vietnamese competent authorities to solve arising problems regarding the foreigners.
The above guidelines take effect from March 30 to April 30, 2020.
2. Foreigners who entered Vietnam to work or visit their relatives or for other purposes should contact their home countries’ Embassies or Consulates General and their sponsors for further guidelines in accordance with the Law on Foreigners' Entry into, Exit from, Transit through and Residence in Vietnam.
3. Foreigners who have outstayed their temporary residence permits for less than ten days due to irresistible reasons (with proofs of documentation) may be exempted from administrative penalties.