HANOI – The government of Vietnam is exploring the option of visa-free travel with 15 countries as tourism-friendly policies gather steam across the world.
Vietnam’s foreign ministry is negotiating with 15 countries for mutual visa exemption besides negotiations with 80 others for exemption for diplomatic passports; the names of the countries have not been revealed.
The development was confirmed on Monday by Ta Thi Yen, deputy head of the delegate affairs committee, who stated that the country has been a favorite destination for tourists and has signed several visa exemption agreements to promote tourism.
Despite the tourist attractions in the country, it is difficult to get a visa from some of the countries. Besides the visa exemption, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son has said that work is underway to simplify immigration procedures, including an extension of stay durations for foreigners in Vietnam.
In addition to the 13 countries that Vietnam unilaterally waives visas for, the country is also negotiating with 15 countries for mutual exemption and 80 for waivers for official passports.
At present, Vietnam only grants visa exemption for 28 countries while other countries in the neighborhood like Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines waive visa for over 150 countries to attract tourists and boos the economy which has faced the brunt of the pandemic.
As far as the pro-tourism measures are concerned, since August 2023 Vietnam has issued e-visas for all nationalities, extended their maximum stay from 30 to 90 days, and allows them unlimited entries. Those who get visa waivers under Vietnam’s unilateral exemption policy can now stay for 45 days rather than the earlier 15 days in the country.
