HCM City seeks longer visa exemptions
The countries are Sweden, Denmark, Russia, the Republic of Korea, the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
Accordingly, people from the above-mentioned countries would not have to apply for a visa if their stay in Vietnam does not exceed 30 days, instead of 15 days of the current policy.
The department said the Government should extend the policy for people from these countries so that they may stay a longer time in a more convenient and less expensive way.
[HCM City’s tourism association seeks visa exemptions extension]
Last
year, about 5.2 million international tourists came to the city, an increase of
10 percent compared to 2015.
During the last two years, the number of tourists from the UK,
France, Germany, Italy and Spain increased by 14 percent each year, thanks in
part to the latest visa exemption policy.
The department said the visa exemption policy should be for five
years.
Travel expert Huynh Van Son said: "It will be hard for Vietnam’s
tourism growth to catch up with other countries in the region if the Government
and relevant agencies do not seek solutions to improve standards and streamline
procedures for visa requirements".
Research by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the World
Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) showed that based on the visa-free policy,
the number of international tourists that come to ASEAN countries increased by
3-5 percent per year, bringing significant economic benefits with them.
According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), Vietnam’s tourism ranked 22nd in terms
of Price Competitiveness of 141
countries, but 119th in terms of visa
requirements.
Only visitors from 22 countries are granted visas exemptions in Vietnam
while Indonesia is exempting visas for visitors from 169 countries and
territories, the Philippines 165, Singapore 158, Malaysia 155, Thailand 61,
Laos 40 and Cambodia 25.
Earlier,
the city’s Tourism Association urged the Government to extend the visa waiver
for tourists from the 12 countries and territories, including Australia, New
Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, the UK, France, Spain, Brazil, India, Ukraine,
Latvia and Estonia.-VNA