Government urges quick resumption of pre-pandemic visa policy

The move came as the country is scheduled to reopen inbound tourism in two weeks, but many foreign tourists are still waiting for an official visa policy announcement.

Before the pandemic nationals of Belarus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K. were allowed to visit Vietnam for up to 15 days without a visa.

Visitors from most other ASEAN countries do not require a visa for up to 30 days. The waiver lasts for 21 days for visitors from the Philippines and 14 days for those from Brunei and Myanmar.

Kyrgyz nationals do not need a visa for travel up to 30 days while for Chileans it is 90 days.

The country also granted e-visas to citizens of 88 countries that allows them to apply online for a 30-day, single-entry visa.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism had many times called for the government to revive the visa policy like before the pandemic.

Vietnam has received 9,000 foreign arrivals since November last year as the country partially reopened international tourism.

From March 15, Vietnam will lift most of travel restrictions and foreign tourists would be allowed to visit the country without booking tour packages.