The European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) proposes to Vietnam expands the list of visa-free countries to all European Union (EU) countries and extend the visa-free period from 15 days to 30 days or more

Visa situation Vietnam Visa after Covid-19

In 2019, the number of international visitors to Vietnam was 21% of domestic tourists, but revenues from international tourists accounted for nearly two-thirds of the country’s total tourism, Truong said.

International visitors stay in Vietnam for 8-12 days, spending $1,100 to 2,000 per trip, while domestic tourists mainly travel on weekends, staying one or two days.

Nguyen Thi Nga, chairwoman of real estate developer BRG, also represents the government to quickly extend the length of stay for international visitors to boost tourism revenue.

Currently, only citizens of Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Kyrgyzstan are offered a visa-free stay of 30 days, while tourists from Chile and Panama enjoy a 90-day visa waiver.

Visitors from some European countries, Japan and South Korea, Vietnam’s top tourism markets, are permitted to stay there for no more than 15 days without applying for a tourist visa.

Despite being one of the first Southeast Asian countries to reopen to international tourism post-Covid fully, Vietnam only received 3.6 million foreign tourists last year, around 20% of pre-pandemic levels.

Visa-free to attract European tourists

On February 16, EuroCham published the White Paper, the association’s annual publication. EuroCham President Alain Cany emphasized that the publication can be used to support the socio-economic development plans of the Government of Vietnam and, at the same time, create conditions for the European Group to support the plans effectively. This.

This year’s white paper synthesizes contributions from 18 EuroCham industry subcommittees. The most prominent is the association’s proposals for Vietnam’s current visa policy to help the tourism industry prosper.

According to EuroCham, Vietnam should expand the market scope to focus on promoting tourism. Despite its success in attracting visitors from China and South Korea, the tourism industry can depend on these markets.

“We recommend that the government focus more on the European market to reduce stress and resources by soon allowing visa-free access to all European countries,” the white paper said.

EuroCham said the association had also previously reported to the Vietnamese government that tourist behaviour had changed due to the pandemic, as people travelled less but spent a longer time in a destination.

“We appreciate the Prime Minister’s recent draft decision on increasing the visa exemption period for foreign tourists from 15 to 30 days, and we hope this decision will be implemented soon. best”, the white paper says.

On the other hand, EuroCham also recommends that the Vietnamese Government consider granting a 3-month or 6-month visa exemption for upper-class Europeans who want to have a long vacation in Vietnam.

In addition, Vietnam should also expand the list of visa exemptions to all EU countries and consider short-term visa exemptions for certain cases, such as exhibitions, investment and trade promotion forums. commercial.

Latest information about Vietnam Visa

Vietnam will waive visas for more countries and extend the length of stay for foreign tourists to speed up the recovery of tourism, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said Wednesday.

The list of eligible countries for e-visa issuance will be expanded, the prime minister said at a conference on post-Covid tourism recovery.

“The government will create favourable conditions for domestic and international airlines to open direct routes connecting Vietnam with key tourism markets,” he added.

Vietnam already waives visas for travellers from 25 countries, compared to 162 for Malaysia, 157 for the Philippines and 68 for Thailand. It also offers a one-month single-entry e-visa to visitors from 80 countries.

The multi-entry three-month visa that was available before Covid has not been brought back yet.

Speaking at the conference, Sun Group Chairman Dang Minh Truong proposed the government consider exempting visas for tourists from key markets such as Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium.

In addition, Truong proposed that the 15-day period of visa-free stay allowed for tourists from key markets such as Europe be increased to 30 or 45 days.

Follow Passionate Travel for the latest updates on tourism in Vietnam.

Read More: Tourism trends in Vietnam 2023

Contact Passionate Travel

Hotline: (+84) 852 489 689

WhatsApp/Zalo: (+84) 852 489 689

Email: sales@passionate-travel.com