The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry has suggested measures to the Government to open the door to foreign tourists, experts and investors, including resuming visa waivers for citizens from 13 countries and visas for foreigner tourists.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has proposed the Government resumes pre-pandemic waivers of visas for tourists from 24 countries when the country restarts international tourism.

VietNamNet Bridge - If Vietnam exempts Visa’s for travelers from more than 100 countries, it will lose hundreds of millions of dollars each year. 

While the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and travel firms have repeatedly called for extending the visa waiver to attract more foreign travelers, other agencies say it still needs thorough consideration.

VietNamNet Bridge - The Tourism Advisory Board says that Vietnam has less open visa policies in comparison with other regional countries.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has proposed the Government renew and extend the visa waiver for citizens of five Western European countries from the current one year to five years and the visa-free stay from 15 days to 30 days.

Extending visa waivers for foreign tourists has been proposed as a solution to help lure more travelers, especially as tourism from China has fallen due to tensions in the East Sea.

Deputy PM Hoang Trung Hai has directed the relevant departments to assess the political, economic and security impacts after the visa waiver for tourists from Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia and four Nordic countries.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The HCM City Tourism Association continues to petition the Government to retain the visa waiver scheme for nationals of seven countries — and in fact to expand it — and not to hike visa fees.