Consider visa exemption for famous artists, athletes, billionaires entering Vietnam

Vietnam is considering applying a convenient, flexible visa policy and visa exemption for tourists; including building preferential visa policies for special groups such as artists, famous athletes, billionaires, etc.

On April 10, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed Official Dispatch No. 34 to promote tourism development and ensure double-digit economic growth.

In particular, the Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Public Security , the Ministry of National Defense, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to coordinate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to propose applying convenient and flexible visa policies for tourists such as visa exemption (including short-term visa exemption policies).

At the same time, improve visa approval procedures for tourists entering Vietnam under tourism stimulus programs or participating in cultural diplomatic events at the invitation of Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, and Government agencies.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Chairman of NVIDIA Technology Corporation Jensen Huang take a photo with foreign tourists in the Old Quarter at the end of 2024. Photo: Nhat Bac

The Prime Minister also noted the need to develop preferential visa policies for specific groups such as researchers, artists, world-famous athletes, experts, scientists, investors, and billionaires entering Vietnam for tourism purposes or to cooperate in implementing tasks and projects, etc.

In recent times, Vietnam's tourism has basically recovered after the Covid-19 pandemic, achieving impressive growth results, becoming a bright spot in the country's overall socio-economic development.

In 2024, international tourists to Vietnam will reach 17.6 million, up 39%; domestic tourists will reach 110 million, up 1.6%; total revenue from tourists will reach about 840 trillion VND, up 24% over the same period in 2023.

In the first 3 months of 2025, the number of international visitors to Vietnam reached over 6 million, the highest ever, an increase of 29.6% compared to the first quarter of 2024, contributing to affirming the position and attractiveness of Vietnam tourism.

In 2025, Vietnam tourism aims to welcome 22 - 23 million international visitors, serve 130 million domestic visitors, and total tourism revenue will grow by 12 - 13% compared to 2024.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/xem-xet-mien-thi-thuc-cho-khach-du-lich-chuyen-gia-nhap-canh-vao-viet-nam-2389665.html