Visa bottlenecks must be removed soon.

After 1 year of opening, the tourism industry is still struggling to solve the biggest bottleneck, which is visa policy. At the National Online Conference on Tourism in 2023 with the theme "Accelerating Recovery - Accelerating Development" on March 15, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested ministries, branches, agencies and localities to amend and perfect policies on entry and exit procedures for international visitors in the direction of increasing the number of countries exempted from visas and extending the appropriate length of stay with reasonable fees, expanding electronic visas (e-visas).

Difficult to compete with other countries

Recently, many businesses have continuously proposed visa policies such as: expanding visa-exempt markets, increasing the length of stay for visitors from 15 days to 30 days, even 45-60 days or 90 days for key markets, high-end customers, luxury customers...

Ms. Nguyen Thu Huong, Vice Chairwoman of Mong Cai City People's Committee ( Quang Ninh Province), presented flowers to congratulate the Chinese tourist group visiting the province on March 15. Photo: TRONG DUC

In Thailand, tourist visas are valid for 60 days and can be extended for an additional 30 days; while the "Special Tourist Visa" (STV) from September 2022 is valid for up to 90 days and allows for two 90-day visa extensions at the local immigration office. With an STV, visitors can stay in Thailand for 9 consecutive months. In addition, visitors from 64 countries can enter the country without a visa under the "visa on arrival" rule or visa exemption program, allowing stays of up to 30-45 days.

Singapore offers visa-free entry to 164 countries for stays of 30-90 days. Countries eligible for stays of up to 90 days include EU member states, Switzerland, Norway, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Japan. For other countries, visitors can apply for an e-visa online (processed in just 1 day) or a regular visa depending on their nationality. From 11 March 2022, all international visitors to Singapore will also receive an e-Pass notification via email - a digital entry card that shows the duration of stay granted and the last date of permitted stay.

The Philippines also lists up to 157 countries that are visa-free for tourism or business, most of which are valid for 30 days. For those who want to stay in the Philippines longer, they can choose a non-resident tourist visa, including a single-entry temporary tourist visa (valid for 3 months and a maximum stay of 59 days) or a multiple-entry tourist visa (valid for 6 months or 1 year, with a maximum stay of 59 days). Indonesia only requires a mandatory tourist visa for 28 countries, while citizens from all other countries can enter and stay in the country for 30 days without a visa.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of BRG Group , Vietnam has only issued visas to 24 countries with a validity of 15 days. Therefore, Ms. Nga suggested that it is necessary to expand the number of visa-free countries, improve and upgrade the software with e-visa because this is a tool to attract international tourists.

Meanwhile, Mr. Le Hong Ha, General Director of Vietnam Airlines, proposed that Vietnam consider visa exemption for tourists from the US, Australia, India and all EU countries; and should apply more flexible e-visa and visa on arrival policies for countries that are not yet exempted from visas.

"Extend the visa exemption period to a minimum of 30 days or 45 days like Thailand, allowing tourists to use multiple entry visas to enter Vietnam instead of the current single entry visa, with immediate priority given to the US, Europe and Australia - markets with long-term travel habits," said Mr. Le Hong Ha.

Proposed to expand visa exemption

At the National Online Conference on Tourism in 2023, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has coordinated with relevant ministries and branches to summarize and evaluate the implementation of the unilateral visa exemption policy and on that basis, has proposed that the Government consider expanding the scope of application of this policy in the coming time. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been promoting negotiations on visa exemption agreements with countries, especially partners with similar or higher development levels than Vietnam such as Latin American countries, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Maldives, etc.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends that the Government assign the Ministry of Public Security to continue studying measures to facilitate tourists entering Vietnam; it is necessary to study measures to facilitate visitors who need to apply for traditional visas, without requiring an agency or organization in Vietnam to sponsor them for short-term entries (similar to the principle of issuing e-visas).

Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang said that from March 15, 2022, the Vietnamese Government has decided to restore the immigration policy as before the COVID-19 pandemic, including restoring visa procedures in accordance with the provisions of the 2014 Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners, amended and supplemented in 2019, and implementing guidelines. Thereby, creating favorable conditions for tourists as well as foreign experts and investors to come to Vietnam, contributing to economic recovery and development after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has noted some difficulties and problems that foreigners face in applying for visas to enter Vietnam. In the coming time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will coordinate with domestic authorities to study and report to the Government on plans to create more favorable conditions for international tourists to enter Vietnam.

According to Ms. Hang, Russia is preparing a draft intergovernmental agreement to simplify visa procedures for Vietnamese citizens. Vietnam welcomes Russia to consider simplifying visa procedures for Vietnamese citizens and supports measures to facilitate trade and travel between Vietnamese and other countries, enhance people-to-people exchanges, and contribute to promoting the development of friendly relations between Vietnam and other countries.

Shorten immigration procedures

Colonel Dang Tuan Viet, Deputy Director of the Immigration Department (Ministry of Public Security), said that citizens of 13 countries are exempt from visas to enter Vietnam for a stay of 15 days regardless of purpose. After this period, the police agencies can extend the temporary stay (not completely limited to 15 days).

"Foreigners entering tourist areas and border economic zones are exempt from visas for 30 days. Thus, international visitors can enter these areas at any time," said Colonel Dang Tuan Viet, adding that Vietnam has implemented e-visas with a temporary stay of 30 days.

Foreign visitors only need to use their phones or computers to register on the Ministry of Public Security's electronic information portal and fill in their information with an e-visa fee of 25 USD. After 3 days, the Immigration Department will return the results online. Regarding the length of stay, the law stipulates that border gate officers will only stamp for 30 days. After the expiration date, visitors need to return to apply for an extension, and the length of stay can be extended to 90 days. In addition, Vietnam is also applying a visa exemption policy for people of Vietnamese origin and their families with a temporary stay of up to 6 months.

Colonel Dang Tuan Viet also affirmed that in the coming time, the Immigration Department will listen to contributions from businesses and experts to continue to amend a number of articles of the Immigration Law as soon as possible with simplified procedures.