VNExpress-Mar 5
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has directed relevant ministries to consider exempting visas for tourists from some countries and global billionaires as part of efforts to spur tourism recovery. At a government meeting on Wednesday, the PM tasked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to review visa policies particularly for “traditionally friendly nations.” He also urged visa exemptions for some groups of billionaire guests, according to the tourism ministry’s portal.
This latest push to ease visa restrictions comes as Vietnam aims to attract 23 million foreign visitors in 2025, a nearly 30% increase from the previous year.
Starting March 1, Vietnam extended visa-free travel to 45 days for citizens of Poland, Czechia, and Switzerland traveling on package tours, adding to a list of 25 countries currently enjoying visa-free entry, compared to 162 for Malaysia and Singapore, 157 for the Philippines and 93 for Thailand. Last year, Vietnam welcomed 17.6 million foreign visitors, approaching the pre-pandemic figure of 18 million in 2019. The year also saw a surge in visits from world billionaires, including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who spent four days in Da Nang in March with his girlfriend, and Indian owner of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Dilip Shanghvi, who brought 4,500 employees to Vietnam for a company vacation in August. Besides the countries exempted from visa, Vietnam grants three-month tourist visas for citizens from all countries and territories.
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