Want to be in the loop?
subscribe to
our notification
Business News
TOURISTS FROM ALMOST ALL NATIONS TO VISIT VIETNAM VISA-FREE
Nguyen Van Tuan, head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), said the Government has authorized the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant agencies to draft a rule on relaxing visa requirements for those foreign travelers joining tour programs arranged by leading tourism companies.
“We will draft a rule and submit it to the Government for approval soon,” said Tuan.
If the plan goes well with a couple of major travel firms, it would be expanded to other companies in the future.
Many travel firms expressed excitement over the news as the visa requirement has been one of the biggest barriers to the development of the tourism sector.
“Almost all foreign tourists could be exempted from Vietnam visa. This is really good news. The move would give the country a competitive edge to lure more tourists in years to come,” said Nguyen Thi Khanh, vice chairwoman of the HCMC Tourism Association.
Earlier, the Government decided to award visa exemptions for tourists from Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Belarus and the UK, reduce visa fees and issue a visa waiver for overseas Vietnamese. Figures released by the General Statistics Office (GSO) indicated that visa exemptions had led the number of foreign tourists from the five visa-exempted countries to grow compared to the same period last year.
Vietnam has also offered unilateral visa exemptions for tourists from Japan, South Korea, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, and Belarus as well as given bilateral visa exemptions to travelers from nine Southeast Asian nations. Moreover, international visitors to Phu Quoc Island are exempt from visa for a 30-day stay.
According to Tuan, international arrivals have showed signs of recovery after months of decline and are expected to rise towards the year-end. With this current growth rate, foreign visitor arrivals would be the same as or slightly higher than last year in which the country attracted 7.87 million international tourists.
Source: The Saigon Times
Related News
![Card image cap](/uploads/news/Security.jpg)
2025 PIVOTAL FOR STOCK MARKET UPGRADE EFFORT
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) is expected to soon publish the entire content of the draft circular amending and supplementing four circulars on transactions, registration, depository, and clearing, as well as operations of securities companies and information disclosure. This move, along with feedback and explanations, aims to meet the criteria for upgrading Vietnam’s stock market.
![Card image cap](/uploads/news/bn-01.jpg)
VIETNAM INTENSIFIES E-COMMERCE TAX SCRUTINY
The department plans to offer guidance for and hold direct dialogues with e-commerce taxpayers to ensure compliance. Efforts will also include updating the e-commerce database, conducting risk analysis, and leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to manage data and issue alerts.
![Card image cap](/uploads/news/eco2.jpg)
FOOTWEAR EXPORTS SEEN REACHING US$27 BILLION THIS YEAR
This optimistic forecast reflects the industry’s efforts to expand and diversify its markets. Lefaso indicated that Vietnam’s footwear sector will concentrate on traditional markets like the U.S. and the European Union, alongside markets with free trade agreements to maximize opportunities.
![Card image cap](/uploads/news/FDI.jpg)
FDI INFLOW INTO VIETNAM REACHES NEARLY 15.2 BILLION USD
Vietnam attracted nearly 15.2 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first six months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 13.1 per cent, according to the General Statistics Office.
![Card image cap](/uploads/news/Eco4.jpg)
GDP GROWTH REACHES 6.42 PC IN FIRST HALF
Vietnam's economy grew by 6.42 pc in the first six months of 2024, slightly lower than the figure of 6.58 pc in the same time of 2022 within the 2020-2024 period.
![Card image cap](/uploads/news/Eco3%20%281%29.jpg)
CAPITAL FLOWS STRONGLY INTO INDUSTRIAL REAL ESTATE
Industrial real estate has had easier access to bank credit since July, when the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) reduced the credit risk coefficient for industrial real estate from 200 per cent to 160 per cent, encouraging commercial banks to lend to more projects in the segment.