The first European country to exempt visas for Vietnam

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The new agreement, which took effect at the end of January, allows citizens holding ordinary passports between Vietnam and Belarus to travel back and forth without needing to apply for an entry visa.

Vietnam's visa exemption paves the way for tourists from Belarus. Photo: Thanh Vu.

On December 8, 2023, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang and Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Evgeny Shestakov signed the Vietnam - Belarus visa exemption agreement in Hanoi, applicable to ordinary passport holders of the two countries.

The agreement comes into effect on January 30, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Specifically, citizens of the two countries holding ordinary passports will be granted temporary visa-free stay for 30 days/entry. The total stay in the territory of the other country will not exceed 90 days/year.

This is the first time a European country has exempted visas for Vietnam.

Previously, our country unilaterally exempted visa procedures for Belarusian citizens regardless of passport type in August 2015. Since 1993, Vietnam and Belarus have signed an agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders.

“The agreement marks a new step forward in the friendly relations between the two countries. In terms of tourism, this is an effort by the Vietnamese Government to stimulate the flow of international visitors in general and tourists from Belarus in particular,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The agreement increases the total number of visa-free or visa-on-arrival (VOA) and electronic travel authorization (ETA) destinations for Vietnam to 52, according to the Henley Passport Index report.

In 2019, Vietnam welcomed 12,000 visitors from Belarus, according to the General Statistics Office.

Source znews

Source: https://baotayninh.vn/nuoc-chau-au-dau-tien-mien-visa-cho-viet-nam-a185081.html