South Korea to issue ten-year multi-entry visas to select Vietnamese groups

The issue of the special C-3 visas will begin December 3, the Korea Tourism Organization announced in a press release Wednesday.

Vietnamese professionals like doctors, lawyers or professors, graduates who enrolled in four-year-plus programs in South Korean universities and those with Masters’ degrees or above from overseas will be eligible for the special visas.

With the special C-3 visas, one can stay in South Korea for up to 90 days within the visa’s validity period of up to 10 years. There will be no restriction on the number of visits.

According to South Korea’s Ministry of Justice, these particular population groups pose the least risks of violating the country’s immigration law, such as staying illegally or getting jobs without valid work permits. The new policy aims to promote cultural-economic exchanges and attract more travelers into South Korea, the ministry said.

People from 10 other countries are also eligible for the special visa - Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

The press release also announced that South Korea would grant permanent residents in Vietnam’s three biggest cities Hanoi, HCMC and Da Nang with C-3 visas with validity periods of up to five years, also from December 3. These visa holders can stay in the country for up to 30 days, also with no restriction on the number of visits within the validity periods.

Kim Do-hyon, ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Vietnam, on Monday said the policy is a reciprocation for the affection Vietnamese football fans have lavished on the South Korean coach of the national men’s football team, Park Hang-seo.

Vietnamese football fans have dubbed Park Hang-seo a "wizard" following a rare string of successes by his team. Under his lead, Vietnamese football finished runner-up at the AFC U23 Championship last January and fourth at the Asian Games last September. Park is treated as a celebrity in Vietnam, where ads featuring him are common.

The number of Vietnamese arrivals in South Korea in the first 10 months of 2018 was 440,000, compared to 380,000 in 2017. Corresponding figures for South Korean visitors to Vietnam were 2.6 million and 2.4 million.