Representatives of some travel businesses expect the newly approved visa policy to create a real "boost" for Vietnamese tourism, especially from high-end European visitors.
On the morning of June 24, the National Assembly passed a draft law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Exit and Entry of Vietnamese Citizens and the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam. The validity of an electronic visa (e-visa) will be increased from 30 to 90 days. After being granted an e-visa, foreigners can enter and exit the country an unlimited number of times within 90 days, without having to apply for a new visa.
The law also allows citizens of countries unilaterally exempted from visas by Vietnam to be granted temporary residence for 45 days (previously 15 days) and to be considered for visa issuance and temporary residence extension according to regulations.
Responding to VnExpress , Mr. Tran The Dung, CEO of Vietluxtour, said that this is what inbound travel businesses (welcoming international guests) have been waiting for for many years. Vietnam's old visa policy had many problems that were not really stable, it felt like it was only "opened" to international guests, causing many travel businesses to face difficulties since Vietnam opened up to tourism after the pandemic.
According to Mr. Dung, increasing the stay period to 90 days, allowing multiple entries without having to reapply for a visa, is reasonable. In fact, most international tourists stay for about 30-45 days, but the new visa policy allowing 90 days will make them feel more comfortable.
Foreign tourists experience the train tracks in Hanoi. Photo: Ngoc Thanh
European tourists, a group of tourists that many Vietnamese experts believe is the target market, tend to travel to all three Indochinese countries (including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) in one trip. However, they do not follow a fixed itinerary but can go from Vietnam to Laos, Cambodia and then return to Vietnam. The reason depends on each person's schedule and Vietnam also has more flights connecting to their home country.
"Travel companies that do tours between three countries have had a hard time getting visas for their customers. With the new policy, everything is easier," said Mr. Dung.
Vietluxtour representative said that the new visa policy could be a premise to attract high-end European tourists such as France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy. These are all groups of customers with long-term travel habits.
Mr. Pham Ha, CEO of Lux Group, a unit specializing in 5-star overnight cruise resort services, said that he immediately informed foreign partners to prepare to build "many countries in one journey" products. According to Mr. Ha, this visa policy amendment will significantly increase the competitiveness of Vietnamese tourism compared to other countries in the region.
Most of the company's customers are middle-class or high-class, retired people, so they tend to travel long and stay long. Therefore, Mr. Ha assessed that this is "a real boost" and will help the company improve by 30% when the peak tourist season for international visitors begins in September.
"The decision was made at the right time. Tourism workers have waited a long time for this day," said Mr. Ha.
Meanwhile, Associate Professor Dr. Pham Hong Long, Head of the Faculty of Tourism Studies at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, said that there are many factors to attract international visitors, but visa policy is an important part of creating the appeal of a destination.
He cited Malaysia's 1996 introduction of the "Silver Hair Program" visa policy aimed at retirees with visas valid for up to 10 years. By 2022, this policy was changed to "Malaysia My Second Home" for those aged 21 and over. After Covid-19, the country also added a visa policy of up to 20 years for high-income earners.
He also mentioned the case of the island nation of Seychelles, which exempts visas for citizens of all countries. Thanks to that, tourism contributes 72% of GDP directly or indirectly, creating 30% of jobs for the people. Singapore is also a liberal country when it exempts visas for 162 countries. After obtaining a visa, visitors can stay in Singapore for up to 90 days and can extend for another 30-89 days.
"This amendment is completely in line with the competitive trend," said Mr. Long.
After the visa policy became more open, many travel businesses also expected that Vietnam could improve many aspects to attract international tourists. Vietluxtour representative said that besides the visa policy, Vietnam also needs to pay attention to improving the quality of products and services, expanding direct flights to facilitate the reception of international visitors, and effectively promote tourism to target markets.
Meanwhile, Mr. Pham Ha said the important thing now is to create more new tourism products on rivers and seas and connect regions together. Destination management needs to be improved to help develop sustainable tourism, in line with modern trends. In addition, Mr. Ha also hopes that Vietnam will pay more attention to the tourism industry and soon have a Ministry of Tourism.
Tu Nguyen
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