Deputy Prime Minister proposes Japan to exempt visas for Vietnamese citizens

On the afternoon of May 25, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang proposed that Japan consider exempting income tax and entry visas for Vietnamese citizens.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang raised the issue with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa during his working visit to the country and his attendance at the 28th Future of Asia Conference in Tokyo. He also asked the Japanese Government to support Vietnamese people living, studying and working there.

Congratulating Japan on successfully organizing the G7 and G7 expanded summits, the Deputy Prime Minister asked Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa to implement the contents discussed at the high-level talks between the two Prime Ministers in Hiroshima such as ODA cooperation, investment, trade, tourism , and local cooperation.

Vietnam hopes that Japan will prioritize participation in the program to support the construction of high-quality infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific region (75 billion USD); the Asian Energy Transition Initiative (AETI, 10 billion USD); and provide new-generation ODA to Vietnam with higher incentives.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang (left cover) met with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa on the afternoon of May 25. Photo: Hai Minh

Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa thanked Vietnam for its contribution to the success of the recent expanded G7 summit. He affirmed that Vietnam holds a leading position in implementing Japan's foreign policy in the region and that Japan will continue to cooperate and support Vietnam's development, including promoting ODA cooperation in areas where the country has strengths and high technology.

Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa hopes that the two sides will bring the Vietnam - Japan Strategic Partnership to a new height.

At today's meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang and Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa also discussed a number of international and regional issues of mutual concern to both countries, such as the East Sea issue and Japan-ASEAN cooperation.

Currently, Japanese citizens are exempted from a 15-day Vietnam visa, meaning that if they only stay in Vietnam for no more than 15 days, including the date of entry and exit, they will not need to apply for a visa. However, Vietnam is not on the list of countries exempted from Japanese visas. All Vietnamese citizens who want to enter Japan must apply for a visa, except for those holding valid diplomatic or official passports.

Vietnam started sending workers to work in Japan in 1992, for 3-5 years with an average income of 1,200-1,400 USD per month. There are over 370,000 interns out of nearly half a million Vietnamese people living and working in Japan.

The country has more than 600,000 workers working in 50 countries and territories, sending back nearly 4 billion USD in foreign currency annually through official channels, not to mention other channels. Of these, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are still traditional markets attracting over 90% of Vietnamese workers.

Vnexpress.net