Open visa policy: Opportunity to boost international tourist attraction

Since the beginning of the year, the Government has issued two resolutions on visa exemption for citizens of 15 countries. This is an opportunity for Vietnam tourism in general and Khanh Hoa tourism in particular to promote the attraction of international visitors.

Increased visitors thanks to flexible visa policy

Visa policy used to be a "bottleneck" for Vietnam's tourism in previous years. From 2023, the National Assembly agreed to extend the duration of electronic visas from 30 days to 90 days, valid for multiple entries; increase the temporary stay period from 15 days to 45 days for citizens of countries unilaterally exempted from visas by Vietnam, creating a boost for attracting international visitors, while improving the competitiveness of Vietnam's tourism with other countries in the region. According to statistics from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), in the first two months of 2025, Vietnam welcomed nearly 4 million international visitors, an increase of 30% over the same period last year. In 2024, Vietnam tourism had spectacular growth with nearly 17.6 million international visitors, an increase of 39.5% compared to 2023, reaching a recovery rate of 98% compared to 2019 - the highest level in Southeast Asia.

Polish tourists fly directly to Khanh Hoa to experience Vietnam's sea tourism.

From a local perspective, the flexible visa policy also has a great impact on Khanh Hoa tourism. According to a report by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in the first two months of 2025, Khanh Hoa welcomed more than 974,000 international visitors, an increase of 13.7% over the same period last year. In 2024, Khanh Hoa welcomed more than 4.7 million international visitors, exceeding the plan by 58.9%. The spectacular growth of the international tourist market is not only due to attractive tourism products and promoted communication and promotion, but also due to the increasingly flexible visa policy. For example, with the Korean tourist market, thanks to the convenience of flight routes (more than 20 flights/day from Korea to Khanh Hoa) and visa exemption, the number of Korean visitors to Khanh Hoa has increased significantly in recent times. Mr. Le Thanh Trung - Director of Good Day Venaja Company Limited said: “Many Korean tourists travel to Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa as a weekend vacation. They just need to go online to book air tickets, accommodation and “pack their bags and go”. Coming to Nha Trang, visitors can take day tours or stroll around the streets, enjoy local cuisine and have an interesting trip…”.

Continue visa exemption for citizens of many countries

To promote tourism development, aiming to achieve the goal of welcoming 22-23 million international visitors in 2025, the Government recently issued Resolution No. 44 on visa exemption for citizens of 12 countries: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland with a temporary stay of 45 days from the date of entry, regardless of passport type or purpose of entry, on the basis of fully meeting the entry conditions according to the provisions of Vietnamese law. This policy is implemented from March 15, 2025 to March 14, 2028 and will be considered for extension according to the provisions of Vietnamese law.

Visa exemption has made it easier for Korean tourists to travel to Vietnam. In the photo: Korean tourists practice making pottery while staying at Champa Island Nha Trang.

Previously, in early 2025, the Government issued Resolution No. 11 on visa exemption under the 2025 Tourism Development Stimulus Program for citizens of Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland (effective from March 1 to December 31). Many travel businesses believe that the above two resolutions will create a boost to attract international tourists with high spending and long-term stays to Vietnam. Mr. Bui Quoc Dai - Deputy Sales Director of Anex Vietnam Trading and Tourism Company Limited assessed: "The Government's visa exemption for tourists from these 15 countries is an opportunity for Vietnam tourism in general, and Khanh Hoa tourism in particular, to promote attracting international visitors, especially European visitors. For example, with the Polish tourist market, visitors are exempted from visas, so our company has the advantage of opening tours to bring visitors from Poland to Khanh Hoa. In particular, the open visa policy helps the company confidently coordinate with partners to reopen direct flights from 11 Russian cities to Khanh Hoa from mid-March 2025".

Visa policy is becoming a competitive advantage to attract customers. Therefore, in Official Dispatch No. 22 dated March 9, 2025 on a number of key tasks and solutions to reduce administrative procedures, improve the business environment, and promote socio-economic development, the Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security to continue researching and proposing to the Government a unilateral plan to exempt entry visas for a period of time for citizens of a number of countries in Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, etc. Regarding this issue, Mr. Pham Minh Nhut - Permanent Vice President of the Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa Tourism Association shared: "We hope that with the direction of the Prime Minister, in the near future, the list of visa exemptions for citizens of these countries will be expanded, especially in potential markets such as Australia, India, Middle Eastern countries, etc. At that time, the provincial tourism industry will have more opportunities to attract international visitors, especially visitors from countries with high spending levels".

However, visa policy is not a "magic wand". To welcome a large number of visitors, attract visitors to come back many times and spend a lot, the tourism industry still needs to focus on improving service quality, bringing visitors the best experiences.

XUAN THANH

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/du-lich/202503/chinh-sach-thi-thuc-thong-thoangco-hoi-day-manh-thu-hut-khachquoc-te-f593105/