What do foreign visitors say about Vietnam's e-visa openness?

Foreign tourists were surprised and delighted by the openness of Vietnam's visa policy, but noted that there are still areas for improvement with the visa application website.

From August 15th, the Vietnamese government will issue electronic visas (e-visas) to citizens of all countries and territories worldwide , instead of just 80 as before. The validity period of e-visas has also been increased from 30 days to 90 days. In addition, the validity period for citizens of 13 countries with which Vietnam unilaterally grants visa exemptions has been increased from 15 days to 45 days.

Speaking to VnExpress , many international tourists highly appreciated Vietnam's recently revised visa policy. These changes promise to boost the number of international tourists visiting Vietnam in the future.

Shiela Zobel, a German tourist, said that allowing citizens of all countries and territories to apply for e-visas would make it easier for them to decide to visit Vietnam. Germany is on Vietnam's list of countries with which it unilaterally waives visa requirements, so Zobel could stay in Vietnam for up to 45 days or even 90 days if she applied for an e-visa. She commented that the previous 30-day period was too short and that tourists like her were "fed up with having to go to the Moc Bai border gate" every month to reapply for a visa.

"That's a waste of time, and we also need to save money. With the current changes, I think many foreign tourists will benefit and decide to stay in Vietnam longer," Zobel said, adding that he will be visiting Vietnam on August 21st.

Foreign tourists visiting Hoi An in April. Photo: Ngoc Thanh

Reg Boling, an American, has a great fondness for the people, landscapes, culture, and cuisine of Vietnam. He says he has visited Vietnam several times since March and commented that the old 30-day residency period only allows tourists to "see a very small part of the country." Boling is now retired and sees Vietnam as a potential destination for business investment. Extending the residency period for foreigners would not only encourage people like him to travel more but also increase the chances of finding investment opportunities in Vietnam.

However, Boling said Vietnam should also consider granting visa exemptions to more countries and implementing a preferential visa policy for financially well-off retirees. According to Boling, several Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore have done so, and this has brought economic benefits to both sides.

Sharing the same view as Zobel and Boling, Sue Schein, an American tourist, said she has visited Vietnam many times since 2015 and was one of the first to return for tourism after the pandemic. She had been waiting for a change in visa policy for a long time. Schein plans to visit Vietnam in October and stay for two months to travel to Hanoi, Sa Pa (Lao Cai), and possibly Laos.

"I hope Vietnam can further relax its visa policy in the future. Honestly, I'm a little envious of those who are visa-exempt," she said.

On August 15th, Schein attempted to apply for an e-visa to Vietnam but encountered several problems with the visa application website. The female traveler noted that the new e-visa website interface looked much more modern and detailed than the old version. However, the website still had many errors, especially in the payment step. By the early morning of August 17th (Vietnam time), Schein was still unable to complete her e-visa application due to payment issues.

A payment error message appeared when Schein applied for an e-visa at approximately 10:30 PM on August 16th. (Photo: Provided by the interviewee)

Schein wasn't the only tourist to encounter this problem when applying for an e-visa on the Ministry of Public Security's Public Service Portal website. Joel, an American tourist, said he experienced some issues uploading photos and during the payment process. Additionally, Joel found it somewhat inconvenient having to answer some questions.

For example, in the online application process, travelers are asked if they have visited Vietnam within the past year. Joel believes this question is quite redundant because the authorities already have this information. Additionally, travelers are asked where they will be staying in Vietnam. According to Joel, this is a common question, but the annoying part is that travelers have to specify the district and ward where they will be staying. He says most travelers are unable to provide this information.

"I think Vietnam should simplify things to make it easier for tourists to visit. Those minor inconveniences will cause many people to choose Thailand instead of Vietnam," he said.

According to Mr. Phan Dinh Hue, Director of Vietcircle Tourism Company, there is "nothing to criticize" about the openness of the current visa policy. However, Vietnam still needs to improve some technical aspects so that tourists feel welcome right from the visa application stage.

Mr. Hue suggested that a written announcement about the official Vietnamese visa application website should be made public soon. Currently, there are many fake websites online using domain names similar to the real one, easily misleading tourists. Zobel also said he was once scammed when applying for a visa to Vietnam.

On the other hand, a representative from Vietcircle stated that Vietnam still lacks call center staff to assist tourists with visa-related inquiries. Currently, foreign tourists cannot contact support staff directly by phone or online messaging. They have to contact them via email, and the waiting time can sometimes extend to several days. Previously, some international tourists had complained about not receiving support when sending emails to inquire about visa procedures.

Currently, Vietnam's e-visa website only supports two languages: English and Vietnamese. Mr. Hue noted that this is a shortcoming that needs to be addressed to provide maximum support for tourists during the application process. He suggested adding Chinese (for Chinese tourists), French (for French tourists, the African community, and the Middle East), and Spanish (for South American tourists). According to Mr. Hue, if these aspects are improved, tourists will feel the hospitality of Vietnam and will want to visit more often.

Tu Nguyen

Source: https://vnexpress.net/khach-nuoc-ngoai-noi-gi-ve-do-mo-e-visa-cua-viet-nam-4642790.html