Tourism / private stay (≤ 90 days)
Short-stay Schengen visa for tourism or private visits in France of up to 90 days within any 180-day rolling period. The most common short-stay use case for Vietnamese applicants. No professional activity allowed during the stay.
Business travel (≤ 90 days)
Short-stay Schengen visa for business activities in France of up to 90 days within any 180-day rolling period: meetings, negotiations, conferences, trade fairs, signing contracts, short corporate training, or short-term internships not exceeding 90 days. No regular employment or paid activity beyond what's covered by the Schengen Visa Code's 'remunerated activity' provisions.
Family visit / private visit (≤ 90 days)
Short-stay Schengen visa for visiting family members or friends in France, up to 90 days within any 180-day rolling period. The visa is the same Schengen short-stay framework as tourism; what differs is the central evidence — the host in France provides an attestation d'accueil (host certificate) issued by their local mairie, in place of paid hotel bookings.
Cultural / sport event (≤ 90 days)
Short-stay Schengen visa for participating in or attending cultural events, sports competitions, conferences, religious gatherings, or similar non-business non-tourism events in France, up to 90 days within any 180-day rolling period. The Schengen Visa Code (Regulation 810/2009) Article 14 + Annex II lists this as a distinct purpose category. No dedicated France-Visas web page exists for cultural-sport — applicants follow the general short-stay process at france-visas.gouv.fr/visa-de-court-sejour with event-specific evidence supplementing the Schengen baseline.
Medical treatment (≤ 90 days) — short-stay Schengen visa « soins médicaux »
Short-stay Schengen visa (Type C, ≤90 days) for foreign nationals coming to France to consult a doctor or specialised clinic, receive treatment in a hospital, or receive aftercare. Per france-visas.gouv.fr/sejour-pour-soins-medicaux: the visa is a standard short-stay Schengen and **does not exclude combined private/tourism stay**. **Important financial note**: the cost of any medical care received in France will NOT be covered by the French health insurance system — the applicant pays out of pocket or via private insurance. Supporting documents are examined in strict respect of medical confidentiality. For Vietnamese applicants: typical profiles include patients seeking specialised treatment (oncology, cardiology, fertility, orthopaedic, etc.) at French hospitals or clinics, or post-treatment aftercare. The applicant must demonstrate the medical need, the French medical institution's acceptance, and financial means to cover treatment + stay.
Airport transit visa (ATV) — NOT REQUIRED for Vietnamese passport holders (as of 2026-05-14)
**Airport Transit Visa (ATV, Type A) is NOT required for Vietnamese passport holders as of 2026-05-14.** Per france-visas.gouv.fr/visa-de-transit-aeroportuaire, the ATV applies only to nationals of a specific list of countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka + Angola, Bolivia, Cameroon, CAR, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mali, Mauritania, Nepal, Philippines, Republic of Guinea, Republic of Congo, Russia under certain departure-country conditions, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Togo, Turkey, Uzbekistan) — **Vietnam is not on this list**. Vietnamese passport holders transiting through a French airport's international zone without leaving it do NOT need a separate ATV. **However**, if the Vietnamese applicant intends to leave the international zone (e.g., overnight transit requiring hotel stay outside the airport) they must hold a standard Schengen short-stay visa (Type C). This atlas entry is informational — to clarify the closure for consultant audiences who may receive applicant queries about transit visas.