Vietnam's tourism industry is on the verge of a breakthrough.

The open visa policy attracts a high-end tourist stream, thereby contributing to promoting the image of Vietnam and its people.

Tourism continues its strong recovery, remaining a bright spot in Vietnam's economic picture in 2024 and the first three months of 2025.

"Magic wand" visa

Since the beginning of the year, the Government has issued two resolutions on visa exemption for citizens of 15 countries. These are Resolution No. 44/NQ-CP dated March 7, 2025, which grants visa exemption to citizens of 12 countries for a temporary stay of 45 days, including: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland. This policy will be implemented from March 15, 2025, until March 14, 2028, and will be reviewed for extension as per regulations.

RELATED NEWS

• 

  The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announces the tourism stimulus program "Vietnam - Travel to Love".

Previously, the Government issued Resolution No. 11/NQ-CP dated January 15, 2025, on visa exemption for citizens of three countries: Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland, with a temporary stay of 45 days from the date of entry for tourism purposes under programs organized by Vietnamese international travel service businesses. This policy applies from March 2025 to December 31, 2025, within the framework of the Tourism Development Stimulus Program in 2025.

According to the Vietnam National Tourism Administration (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), Vietnam welcomed nearly 1.9 million international visitors in February 2025, equivalent to 90% of the previous month and 130% compared to the same period in 2019. In the first two months of 2025, Vietnam welcomed 3.96 million international visitors, a 30% increase compared to the same period last year. European markets continued to show impressive growth, especially those benefiting from unilateral visa exemption policies such as Russia (up 104.3% year-on-year), Poland (54.2%), Italy (31.5%), and France (30.2%).

A more open visa policy will attract more tourists from Europe, who tend to spend more and stay longer. Photo: HOANG TRIEU

According to Mr. Ho Xuan Phuc, General Director of HanoTours, international tourists are very enthusiastic about the relaxed visa policy. Many European tourists are planning a trip across Indochina. They will come to Vietnam, then to Laos and Cambodia.

Dolphin Tour General Director Pham Minh Quang expressed his hope that the visa exemption policy would help businesses access more potential tourist markets, opening up many opportunities for trade cooperation and investment for tourism businesses. "This policy also creates jobs and develops local human resources," Mr. Quang observed.

Spreading the image of Vietnam and its people.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, stated that the tourism industry's goal for 2025 is to welcome 22-23 million international visitors. With many policies being implemented synchronously by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, experts believe this goal is entirely achievable. In fact, promotional programs and the increasingly diverse range of Vietnamese tourism products and services are driving forces for the Vietnamese tourism industry to continue attracting more and more international tourists in the future.

Promoting Vietnam as a tourist destination in the US with the theme "Vietnam - A New Destination for World Cinema" is one of the large-scale tourism promotion programs of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The first results of this promotion program have been recorded when many Hollywood film crews chose Vietnam as a setting for their film projects this year.

A Hollywood film crew led by Rose Lam, Global Production Director of Riot Studios, recently visited Vietnam to scout locations and has chosen Cat Ba Island in Hai Phong for their project. Riot Studios is the production company behind the globally renowned "Game of Thrones" series, which has brought about breakthrough growth in tourism for many countries such as Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Morocco. During a meeting with the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Nguyen Van Hung, Rose Lam highly praised Vietnam's potential and expressed confidence that the film would have a positive impact. She believes that filming in Vietnam will contribute to promoting the image of Vietnamese tourism to the international community.

According to Minister Nguyen Van Hung, cooperation in the film industry not only helps promote Vietnam's creative industry but also contributes to introducing Vietnamese culture, people, and tourism to international friends. This is an important step in the film cooperation relationship between Vietnam and Hollywood, opening up opportunities for Vietnam to become an attractive destination for international film crews.

Mr. NGUYEN CONG HOAN , General Director of Flamingo Hanoi Redtour:

Targeting VIP customers

Expanding the list of visa-exempt countries is one of the policies that tourism businesses are eagerly anticipating. Along with visa liberalization, tourism businesses themselves are also seeking ways to attract international tourists from the European market and some high-spending markets such as Japan and South Korea.

Flamingo Hanoi Redtour is targeting high-end tourists, also known as VIPs. Focusing on the ultra-wealthy will lead to better revenue and profits for the tourism industry. In particular, VIP travelers attract media and public attention. This not only indirectly promotes the destination but also helps to guarantee its quality.

Mr. NGUYEN DONG HOA, Deputy General Director of Saigontourist Group:

Reduce prices, improve service quality.

Currently, international tourists tend to prefer exploring pristine destinations, close to nature, and experiencing the lives of local people. This creates opportunities for Vietnam to develop new tourism products, especially community-based tourism in underdeveloped areas.

However, Vietnam's tourism industry is facing competitive pressure from other countries in the region. By 2025, Vietnam aims to welcome 22-23 million international tourists, while Thailand expects 40 million, Malaysia 31 million, and Singapore around 18.5 million…

In reality, tour costs in Vietnam are higher than the average in other countries in the region. Therefore, appropriate solutions need to be implemented to improve service quality and reduce the cost of domestic tours and tourism products in order to compete and attract international tourists to Vietnam.

Mr. NGUYEN TIEN DAT , Director of AZA Tourism Company, Vice President of the Hanoi Tourism Association:

How can we get tourists to spend more?

The new markets granted visa exemptions by the government are all high-spending markets. However, to encourage tourists to spend more, we must strengthen communication efforts to ensure people are aware of this policy as early as possible.

Next, it is necessary to investigate the needs, habits, and preferences of tourists in these markets, and then develop tourism products that meet their tastes and encourage them to spend more.

L.Anh - L.Giang wrote

Great opportunities from APEC

In 2027, the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Forum (APEC) will be held in Phu Quoc City, Kien Giang Province. Mr. Dang Minh Truong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sun Group, believes this is a great opportunity for tourism in Phu Quoc in particular and Vietnam in general.

"This event will certainly attract the attention of international media, making Vietnam the center of global attention. The conference and exhibition activities on the sidelines of APEC 2027 will not only benefit Phu Quoc but also create opportunities for Vietnam's tourism industry to showcase its natural beauty, culture, and tourism services to international friends," Mr. Truong analyzed.

T. Phuong

Today (March 16), charter flights connecting 11 Russian cities with Cam Ranh International Airport (Khanh Hoa province) officially reopened. It is expected that the frequency of flights from Russia to Khanh Hoa will be 12 flights in March 2025, 50-55 flights per month from April to June, and 90-100 flights per month from July onwards.

Russian tourists tend to stay for longer periods, averaging 10-14 days. Each Russian tourist spends an average of $1,600-$1,800 per trip, primarily on accommodation, shopping, and cultural experiences.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/du-lich-viet-nam-tren-da-but-pha-196250315202343854.htm