Visa waiver won't be enough to make tourists return to Vietnam

"I want to come back (to Vietnam)," a Dutch guest told me, "but not if I waste time like this."

That remark captures the truth of Vietnamese tourism: rich experiences undermined by broken support systems.

In August, the government granted visa exemptions to citizens of 12 European nations, from Belgium and the Netherlands to Switzerland and Romania. The policy, valid for three years, allows visitors to stay up to 45 days, longer than in most ASEAN countries. It is a smart and welcome move.

But a visa waiver is only a key to the door. What matters is what travelers find once they step inside.

Europeans are some of Vietnam's most valuable guests: they spend more, stay longer and increasingly seek sustainable, responsible experiences. In 2024, they made up more than two million visits, about 11% of all international arrivals. Yet too often, their journeys are made harder by poor connectivity, fragmented services and a lack of English-friendly infrastructure.

Foreign tourists visiting Hoi An, Vietnam in April 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh

In Thailand, one click can buy you an all-inclusive package: flights, hotel, airport transfers, attraction tickets, even spa sessions. In Vietnam, visitors must often stitch together each piece themselves, a time-consuming puzzle that discourages repeat visits.

The bigger shift is sustainability. More than half of international travelers now consider the impact of their trip on the environment and local communities. They are willing to pay more for experiences that heal as much as they delight: wellness retreats, heritage tours tied to conservation, fine dining rooted in local traditions. Vietnam has all the raw ingredients: UNESCO sites, natural wonders, vibrant culture... but has not yet packaged them into coherent, premium offerings.

To seize this moment, Vietnam needs more than policy tweaks. It needs alliances: between airlines, hotels, tour operators and tech firms that deliver seamless, cost-effective packages. It needs smart tourism infrastructure: integrated booking systems, multilingual digital maps, apps that solve problems in real time. It needs to invest in its people: tour guides who do not just speak English but also interpret culture, hotel staff who do not just serve but personalize.

Most importantly, Vietnam needs to see tourism as a pillar of its economy, not a standalone sector. Every tourist dollar can ripple into agriculture, handicrafts, transport and trade, if the links are built.

Visa waivers are a start, but without parallel reforms they risk becoming a wasted opportunity. A stamp in a passport will not fix a broken taxi system, or a missing digital map, or a lack of trained staff.

If Vietnam treats visas as the finish line, we will stumble. If we treat them as the starting line, we might just run past our neighbors, and claim a place as one of Asia's most compelling destinations.

*Le Truong An is a university lecturer.