The Hanoitimes - Vietnam has unilaterally exempted visas for 13 countries since 2004 and granted e-visas for citizens from over 80 countries. VISA prepares smart financial management for Vietnamese students Chaos seen as Vietnamese rush to apply for South Korea visas Vietnam among fastest growing markets for Visa globally Many businesses have urged the Vietnamese government to extend visa waiver policy to help attract more foreign visitors to Vietnam, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported. The request was made by several travel enterprises at the 2019 Vietnam Private Sector Economic Forum on May 2 in Hanoi. Vietnam needs extensive visa exemption to develop tourism. Speaking at the forum, General Director of Vietravel Nguyen Quoc Ky said that if Vietnam wants its tourism industry to thrive, the government needs to have a more open visa policy. Meanwhile, Truong Tan Son, a representative of Saigontourist, proposed the government exempt visas for more countries, especially up … [Read more...] about Vietnam urged to extend visa exemption to develop tourism
Extending visa vietnam
Government urged to remove visa bottlenecks
Experts attending the ongoing Vietnam Private Sector Economic Forum urged the government to extend visa waiver policies, especially for high-spending tourists. While Vietnam is the midst of a tourism boom with a record high of 15.5 million foreign arrivals in 2018, a year-on-year rise of 20 percent, the numbers remained lower than that of neighboring countries in the region. Thailand (38 million), Malaysia (25 million), Singapore (18.5 million) and Indonesia (15.8 million) received more tourists than Vietnam, the forum heard. Furthermore, Vietnam has not done a good enough job of cashing in on tourism. A survey released last year at the Vietnam Travel and Tourism Summit revealed that a foreign tourist spent $96 a day on average in Vietnam in 2017, three times lower than in Singapore ($325), and well below that of the Philippines ($115), Indonesia ($132), Malaysia ($134), and Thailand ($163). Vietnam tourism does not do well in terms of repeat visits by foreigners, industry insiders … [Read more...] about Government urged to remove visa bottlenecks
With e-visa, Vietnam opens doors to more foreign travelers
VietNamNet Bridge - The extension of the e-visa policy to a wide range of countries, plus important events held in Vietnam recently, have brought golden opportunities to attract more travelers. With e-visa, Vietnam opens doors to more foreign travelers The government has issued Decree 17 with some revisions to articles of Decree 07 on procedures to grant e-visas to foreigners to enter Vietnamese territory. The director of a Hanoi-based travel firm also noted that the second US-DPRK Summit and the splashy wedding ceremony of Indian billionaires held in Vietnam will give a push to the development of MICE (Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism. The director of a Hanoi-based travel firm also noted that the second US-DPRK Summit and the splashy wedding ceremony of Indian billionaires held in Vietnam will give a push to the development of MICE (Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism. RELATED NEWS Infographics: E-visa … [Read more...] about With e-visa, Vietnam opens doors to more foreign travelers
Vietnam to extend e-visa scheme to lure foreign visitors
The Hanoitimes - The Ministry of Public Security has issued 336,932 e-visa to foreigners from January 2017 to October 2018. The majority of Vietnam's National Assembly deputies have agreed to the government's proposal to extend the electronic visa plan by another two years to encourage more foreign arrivals to the country, local media reported. Vietnam has not detected any threat to national security related to e-visa granting after two years implementing it on a pilot basis at a limited number of gates of entrance, said Minister of Public Security To Lam on Monday. The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) considers applying it permanently in more border gates, he added. More Vietnamese border gates authorized to issue e-visa. Vietnam started the e-visa pilot program in February 2017, applicable to citizens of 46 countries at 28 border gates. In the report by the Ministry of Public Security presented at the on-going National Assembly session, Minister To Lam said between … [Read more...] about Vietnam to extend e-visa scheme to lure foreign visitors
Visa exemptions proposed for more countries
The HCM City Tourism Association has proposed visa exemptions for visitors from more countries to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to help boost the country’s tourism growth. The association is also seeking the ministry’s approval to extend visa exemptions for travellers from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Foreign tourists in Vietnam According to the association, the number of visitors to Vietnam from the Western European countries covered by the exemption policy had increased considerably. However, the visa exemption for these nations was set to expire from June 30 this year. At present, travel agents are expecting the visa exemption policy for the five European countries already in place to continue so that they can continue selling tours to visitors from these markets. The association has recommended increasing the stay time in Vietnam for tourists from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain to 30 days … [Read more...] about Visa exemptions proposed for more countries