CAN THO-BANGKOK DIRECT FLIGHTS TO BE LAUNCHED
[18-06-2015] Can Tho authorities have approved the launch of a direct flight route between the city and Bangkok, the provincial People's Committee's Deputy Chairman Dao Anh Dung said on June 16. Dung said he agreed with Vietravel's plan to launch the flight route between the southern city and Bangkok in July and to increase flights between Can Tho and Da Dat in the southern Lam Dong Province.
VIETNAM LIKELY TO SCRAP VISAS FOR UK, FRANCE, AUSTRALIA AND MORE
[09-06-2015] The Vietnamese government has green-lighted several proposals, including waiving visas for more nations, to revive the country’s troubled tourist industry. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism have repeatedly called on the government to enact measures to ‘save’ the tourist industry, which has reported declining tourist arrival numbers for 12 months in a row, since May 2014.
IMMIGRATION RULES RELAXED FOR FOREIGN TOURISTS
[14-05-2015] The Government has further simplified immigration requirements for international visitors in the wake of tour operators’ complaints about discouraging immigration procedures.Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has signed a decision removing the hindrances to issuing visas for foreign travelers, according to the Government’s portal chinhphu.vn.
JAPAN RELAXES VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR VIETNAM CRUISE TOURISTS
[15-04-2015] Vietnamese passport holders traveling to Japan by ship do not need to get a visa before departure but ask the cruise line to complete procedures for them to obtain a landing visa. According to the Japanese embassy’s updates about new entry procedures for visitors, foreign tourists, inclusive of Vietnamese nationals, on board cruise ships can enjoy the simpler visa application process.
DRAFT CIRCULAR RAISING VISA FEES INTO VIETNAM
[04-04-2015] Foreigners wanting to stay in Vietnam for more than three months will face a rise in visa fees. According to the draft circular of the Ministry of Finance (MoF) on the regulations on collection, payment, management and usage of fees for visas and passports into Vietnam, fees for obtaining a multiple-entry visa into the country will be strongly increased:
TRAVEL FIRMS BEMOAN NEW IMMIGRATION RULE
[17-03-2015] Local travel agencies have voiced outcry over a new immigration rule that requires the period between two visa-exempt entries into Vietnam by foreign passport holders to be at least 30 days. The new rule makes it hard for foreign tourists to take regional tours arranged by local companies. Domestic travel companies had attracted many foreign guests to buy such trips before the rule took effect in January this year.
VISA FEE FOR CRUISE PASSENGERS BACK TO US$5 PER PAX
[13-01-2015] International cruise passengers will pay a US$5 visa fee each, instead of a staggering US$45, when they go ashore for a local tour, according to new measures approved last week by the Prime Minister. The new measures come after the fresh immigration regulations, effective from January 1, provide complicated, time-consuming and costly immigration requirements for international tourists traveling to Vietnam by cruise ship who want to join overland tours when their ships call at a local port.
CAM RANH AIRPORT TO REFUND VAT TO FOREIGNERS LEAVING VIETNAM FROM JAN 6
[03-01-2015] Cam Ranh International Airport in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa will officially open its VAT refund booth for foreigners next week, six months after it received approval from the Prime Minister to do so. The Khanh Hoa branch of the Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank) has been allowed by the Ministry of Finance to handle VAT refund receipts for foreigners at the airport, starting on January 6, according to Dinh Van Luan, deputy head of the provincial customs.
