Industry insiders expect e-visa extension to lure more foreign tourists to Vietnam

It is part of the amendments and aupplements to a number of articles of the Law on the Exit and Entry of Vietnamese Citizens, as well as the Law on Foreigners’ Entry into, Exit from, Transit through, and Residence in Vietnam, approved by the National Assembly on Saturday at its fifth session.

Nguyen Tran Hoang Phuong, Chairman and CEO of Golden Smile Travel Company and Acting Director of the Institute of Social Tourism Research, said that with the legislature’s move, revenue from foreign tourists may double, as they will have longer stays in Vietnam.

He proposed simplifying procedures to better facilitate tourists’ travel to Vietnam.

Do Van Thuc, Deputy Director of Dat Viet Tour Company, said that many international tourists initially planned to spend only two weeks in Vietnam. However, the country’s charm has persuaded them to stay longer, and they had to seek ways to extend their visas.

Many others spent up to two days on flights to the Southeast Asian nation. Meanwhile, many tourist destinations in Vietnam are far apart, with some taking the whole day to travel.

Therefore, the upcoming extension of e-visas will help lure more foreigners to Vietnam and increase travel businesses’ revenues.

The new rules allow a foreigner to enter and exit an unlimited number of times within 90 days, without having to go through procedures for obtaining a new visa.

Citizens of countries that are unilaterally exempted from visas by Vietnam will be granted temporary residence for 45 days (up from 15 days) and can be considered for visa issuance and temporary residence extension according to regulations.

Currently, the e-visa issued by the Immigration Department to foreigners through the electronic transaction system is only valid once. Vietnam is issuing e-visas to citizens of 80 countries.