New visa exemption rule facilitates home return for OVs

Deputy Foreign Minister Vu Hong Nam (Source: VNA)

 The new regulations on visa exemption for overseas Vietnamese aim to create more favourable conditions for overseas Vietnamese to return to the home land, said Deputy Foreign Minister Vu Hong Nam.

Decree 82/2015/ND-CP dated on September 24, which will officially take effect from November 15, 2015, will enable overseas Vietnamese, their s pouses and children to stay in Vietnam without visas for a maximum of one year.

In a recent interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Deputy Minister Nam said the decree, which replaces Decision 135/2007/QD-TTg, is a new step to harmonise legal rule with the 2014 Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreign Nationals in Vietnam, in line with the policy to make administrative procedures simpler and more transparent.

It also demonstrates the consistent policy of considering the overseas Vietnamese community as an integral part of the nation, Nam stated.

The longer term of visa-free stays in Vietnam will allow overseas Vietnamese to carry out longer term plans, he said.

During the interviews, the Deputy Minister also highlighted the outcomes of the Party and State’s policies towards the OV community in the context of growing international integration.

He noted that there are more and more Vietnamese expatriates coming back home to invest and do business.

“More than 4.5 million overseas Vietnamese who are residing in 109 countries and territories have become an inseparable part of the nation both in terms of legal regulations and in the mind of all Vietnamese,” Deputy Minister Nam affirmed, adding that the majority of overseas Vietnamese share the same aspiration with their compatriots at home on building a national solidarity bloc and a strong country with a deserving position in the international arena.

He said all policies towards overseas Vietnamese should be carried out synchronously so that the expatriates fell they themselves are an integral part of the Vietnamese nation, creating a strong national solidarity bloc.-VNA