MOFA Minister Bui Thanh Son has released a report on issues to serve the inquiry session of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on March 18.

Tourism promotion and advertisement campaigns and visa exemption are one of the issues mentioned in the report.

In August 2023, Vietnam decided to expand the policy on e-visa, applied to citizens of all countries and territories, with citizens of 13 countries enjoying Vietnam’s unilateral visa exemption, namely Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Belarus.

Vietnam promised to grant e-visas to citizens of all countries and raised the maximum time of staying in Vietnam from 30 to 90 days, with no limitations in number of entries/exits. 

The maximum time of staying in Vietnam for citizens of countries that enjoy Vietnam’s unilateral visa exemption has increased from 15 to 45 days. 

In late February 2024, the Prime Minister requested MPS to join forces with relevant ministries and branches to work on a plan to expand the list of countries enjoying Vietnam’s unilateral visa waiver policy; apply (on a trial basis) short-term (from six to 12 months) visa exemption to tourists from some large and high-spending markets; and grant long-term visas with many entries/exits (from 12 to 36 months) in an effort to attract tourists from high-end markets and retired travelers. 

Son said every ambassador, head of representative agency and diplomatic officer acts as a ‘tourism ambassador’ and ‘culture ambassador’ assigned with the tasks of promoting tourism and strengthening understanding about Vietnam’s culture, culture, tourism and people.

Every year, representative diplomatic agencies overseas help the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, localities and businesses organize more than 50 activities to promote tourism and attend international tourism trade fairs in key markets (the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia and the EU).

In addition, the agencies organize events, Vietnamese Days overseas, culture, tourism and food festivals on the occasion of high-ranking leaders’ visits.

They carry out lobbying activities and support airlines to open direct routes, increase flight frequencies to connect Vietnam and more destinations in the world. 

They also help local authorities campaign for UNESCO’s recognition of Vietnam’s natural and cultural heritage. To date, the number of heritage sites and cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO has reached 62.

Son thinks that Vietnam needs to focus on green tourism, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) tourism, and golf and wedding tourism.

Tran Thuong