A process for preparing vinyl acetate by means of a heterogeneously catalyzed, continuous gas-phase reaction of ethylene, acetic acid and oxygen in a reactor, where the product mixture leaving the reactor is fractionated by means of distillation, the reaction products vinyl acetate and water and unreacted acetic acid are at least partly condensed out from the product mixture (recycle gas) and the recycle gas which has been treated in this way is recirculated back into the reactor, characterized in that a) the gaseous product mixture leaving the reactor is cooled to a temperature of from 100°C to 120°C by means of one or more heat exchangers, b) the resulting product mixture is fed to a distillation column which is equipped with packing elements (predewatering column), and has a diameter of from 2 m to 6 m and is equipped with from one to four ordered packings or from one to four beds each having a height of from 2 m to 12 m, c) the overhead product containing essentially water, vinyl acetate and ethylene from the predewatering column is cooled and the condensate obtained (overhead product condensate) is separated in a phase separator into an aqueous phase and an organic phase containing essentially vinyl acetate (vinyl acetate phase), d) the acetic acid present in the product mixture is separated off to an extent of at least 99% by weight via the bottom of the predewatering column and the overhead product from the predewatering column contains <0.1% by weight of acetic acid, measured in the aqueous phase of the overhead product condensate, e) the ethyl acetate present in the product mixture is separated off via the bottom of the predewatering column in such an amount that the overhead product from the predewatering column contains ≤ 600 ppm by weight of ethyl acetate, measured in the vinyl acetate phase of the overhead product condensate, f) the vinyl acetate phase is recirculated to an extent of from 70 to 100% by weight into the predewatering column and g) a product mixture containing from 10 to 60% by weight of vinyl acetate is taken off at the bottom of the predewatering column. a) the gaseous product mixture leaving the reactor is cooled to a temperature of from 100°C to 120°C by means of one or more heat exchangers, b) the resulting product mixture is fed to a distillation column which is equipped with packing elements (predewatering column), and has a diameter of from 2 m to 6 m and is equipped with from one to four ordered packings or from one to four beds each having a height of from 2 m to 12 m, c) the overhead product containing essentially water, vinyl acetate and ethylene from the predewatering column is cooled and the condensate obtained (overhead product condensate) is separated in a phase separator into an aqueous phase and an organic phase containing essentially vinyl acetate (vinyl acetate phase), d) the acetic acid present in the product mixture is separated off to an extent of at least 99% by weight via the bottom of the predewatering column and the overhead product from the predewatering column contains <0.1% by weight of acetic acid, measured in the aqueous phase of the overhead product condensate, e) the ethyl acetate present in the product mixture is separated off via the bottom of the predewatering column in such an amount that the overhead product from the predewatering column contains ≤ 600 ppm by weight of ethyl acetate, measured in the vinyl acetate phase of the overhead product condensate, f) the vinyl acetate phase is recirculated to an extent of from 70 to 100% by weight into the predewatering column and g) a product mixture containing from 10 to 60% by weight of vinyl acetate is taken off at the bottom of the predewatering column.