Ho Chi Minh Tourism Association director Nguyen Thi Khanh said visa exempt entry for these countries’ nationals should be extended for another year past the due deadline. She noted that these countries were important markets for tourism in Vietnam and the government needed to act soon so that all concerned were able to map out their advertising campaigns.
Visa-free-entry for the five counties was initially launched in mid-2015 and was scheduled to last for a year. It was extended to the current deadline last year. The waiver gives the five nations’ citizens a 15-day stay in Vietnam, is fee-free and does away with the need to apply for a visitor visa from an embassy or consulate beforehand.
12GO ASIA notes that as well as this special visa-exempt-entry, Vietnam offers citizens of seven other favoured nations, plus its partners in the ASEAN bloc, the same option but the arrangement is permanent. The other seven nations are Russia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Japan and South Korea.
Vietnam debates extending free visa offer for five countries
News in Asia
The tourism bureau in Ho Chi Minh City has put forward a proposal to extend visa-free-entry for citizens of five European countries. The current visa waiver promotion for passport-holders from the UK, Italy, France, Germany and Spain is due to expire in July.