Removing visa procedures will help Vietnamese tourism "fly high"...

National Assembly deputies said that extending the duration of e-visas, unilaterally exempting visas and removing visa issuance procedures will help Vietnam's tourism attract more foreign tourists.

ĐBQH: Tháo gỡ thủ tục visa là chìa khóa để du lịch Việt cất cánh

Many National Assembly delegates believe that removing visa procedures is the key to Vietnamese tourism taking off.

Participating in the discussion at the group on the Draft Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam (amended) on the afternoon of May 27, according to Delegate Nguyen Manh Hung, National Assembly Delegation of Can Tho City, at this time, considering policies to facilitate foreign citizens' entry is a bit late, if implemented early, it will attract foreign tourists.

Delegate Hung also acknowledged that Vietnam's tourism recovery is very slow, citing figures from 2019, when Vietnam had 19 million international tourists, while Thailand had 25 million. In 2022, Vietnam set a target of 5 million international visitors but only reached 3.6 million, while Thailand had 11 million visitors and Malaysia had 9.2 million foreign visitors.

Pointing out the rapid recovery rate of neighboring countries in Southeast Asia, Mr. Hung said that in 2022, Thailand had policies to facilitate tourists such as visa extension, extension of stay, and creating favorable conditions for online entry...

“Removing visa procedures is one of the important keys for Vietnam tourism to take off because in terms of nature, natural resources and conditions, we are not inferior to any other country. Why is Vietnam tourism so far behind neighboring countries?”, said the Can Tho delegation.

Agreeing with the adjustments and supplements in this bill, delegate Nguyen Manh Hung also hopes to apply electronic visas to as many countries as possible; expand the length of stay from 30 days to 90 days, valid for single or multiple entries.

Having applied for a passport online, he personally found it difficult when the system is often overloaded, hangs, and takes a lot of time. When opening for foreigners, in this case, how to handle it, so it must be prepared very carefully because having it but not being able to open it is a barrier.

Delegate Hung also mentioned the difficulty in issuing visas to experts working in Vietnam. When the visa expires, they have to return to their home country and start over almost from scratch.

“Why don’t we have on-site procedures for connection? Many foreign businesses have suggested that we should consider expanding the scope of subjects,” said the National Assembly delegate from Can Tho city.

For border gates that agree to issue visas on the spot, Mr. Hung suggested opening as many as possible at border gates that are qualified to do it directly for visitors, as wide, fast and numerous as possible to attract tourists because according to surveys, applying for a visa is a big barrier besides the quality of service also attracts tourists to Vietnam.

Expressing support for the issuance of electronic visas, Delegate Nguyen Thanh Phuong, National Assembly Delegation of Can Tho City, said that previously, foreigners who wanted to enter Vietnam had to send their passports and then go to the Embassy to complete the application.

Since the pilot of the electronic visa, Mr. Phuong has found it very convenient, applying online and then receiving documents via email. Most foreigners say they like it very much, it doesn't take much time, this will help reduce the paperwork process, contributing to stimulating Vietnamese tourism.

Delegate Nguyen Quoc Han, Ca Mau delegation, said that our country has issued electronic identification and utilized information technology, so this amendment to the law is necessary to meet social needs in accordance with international practices.

Regarding the application of visas for foreigners, Mr. Han acknowledged that other countries have long visa periods, while Vietnam has short ones, and the number of countries exempted from visas is small, while the Covid-19 pandemic has limited tourists from traveling. If the old law is kept, it will be difficult.

Agreeing to the need to amend the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam, many National Assembly Deputies also recommended that the drafting agency should add the functions and duties of the border guard station at the border gate to include the responsibility of being the place to declare temporary residence for foreigners.

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