Vietnam ‘s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued directives to the Ministry of Public Security to explore the expansion of visa exemptions for specific countries, aligning with bilateral cooperation efforts.
This announcement, made following the Lunar New Year break, coincides with Vietnam’s ambition to achieve 18 million foreign arrivals this year, a target mirroring pre-pandemic figures.
In addition to this, the Prime Minister has tasked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with scrutinizing unilateral visa exemption policies for citizens from 13 countries.
Both the ministries of foreign affairs and public security have been urged to broaden the roster of countries whose citizens are unilaterally exempt from visas. Presently, this list includes Germany , France , Italy , Spain , the United Kingdom , Russia , Japan , South Korea , Denmark , Sweden , Norway , Finland , and Belarus .
Vietnam currently extends visa waivers to travelers from 25 countries, trailing behind its regional counterparts such as Malaysia , Singapore , the Philippines , Japan , South Korea , and Thailand , which offer significantly more visa exemptions.
As many Asian nations adopt visa-free policies to enhance their appeal to foreign tourists, Vietnam’s immigration policy currently grants three-month tourist visas to citizens of all countries and territories.
Moreover, the government has tripled the length of stays to 45 days for citizens from the aforementioned 13 countries enjoying unilateral visa exemptions.
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- In addition to this, the Prime Minister has tasked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with scrutinizing unilateral visa exemption policies for citizens from 13 countries.
- Moreover, the government has tripled the length of stays to 45 days for citizens from the aforementioned 13 countries enjoying unilateral visa exemptions.
- Both the ministries of foreign affairs and public security have been urged to broaden the roster of countries whose citizens are unilaterally exempt from visas.