An process for the on-line quenching of seamless steel tube using residual heat, a method for manufacturing a seamless steel tube, and a seamless steel tube. The process for the on-line quenching of a seamless steel tube comprises the following steps: when the temperature of a tube is higher than Ar3, evenly spraying water along a circumferential direction of the tube so as to continuously cool the tube to be not higher than T° C., the cooling rate being controlled to be E1° C./s to E2° C./s to obtain a microstructure with martensite as the main composition, wherein T=Ms−95° C., Ms represents the martensitic phase transition temperature, E1=20×(0.5−C)+15×(3.2−Mn)−8×Cr−28×Mo−4×Ni−2800×B, and E2=96×(0.45−C)+12×(4.6−Mn), and the C, Mn, Cr, Ni, B and Mo in the equations each represents the mass percentages of corresponding elements in the seamless steel tube.