With a view to creating more favorable conditions for foreign travelers to Vietnam, the State Steering Board for Tourism proposes that the visa-free duration for visitors from seven countries be extended.

The proposal was made at the board’s meeting held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan, who, also for the interest of foreign visitors, demanded that identity chips be installed into taxis at airports for better control of passenger transportation.   As regards the visa exemption issue, the Board asked the government to consider extending the visa-free duration from the current 15 days to 30 days for visitors coming from seven countries: Japan, South Korea, Russia and four countries from Northern Europe: Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.

In addition, the Board also proposed that visas for foreign visitors be granted at border gates.

The above proposals are aimed at creating more comfort and convenience to foreign travelers who are coming to Vietnam in increasing numbers, the Board said. 

Last year, the number of arrivals of overseas visitors to Vietnam was 32.5 million, up 7 percent from 2011, according to a report delivered at the meeting.

In the first quarter of 2013, the figure is 12.3 million, up 11 percent from the same period last year.

Total revenue from tourism in 2012 was about VND160 trillion (US$7.69 billion), a 16 percent increase from 2011, and in the first three months of this year, the figure is estimated at VND53.5 trillion. The country now has about 13,500 hotels with more than 290,000 rooms. Of these hotels, the numbers of those with 5-star, 4-star and 3-star standards are 59, 148 and 3,425 respectively.

Taxis to be fixed with chip?

The meeting’s delegates also heard a report mentioning the situation in which many illegal taxis operate at large airports, causing safety problems to foreign visitors.

Drivers of such illegal taxis often overcharge passengers including foreigners or have bad attitude towards them, the report said.

After hearing the report, Deputy PM Nhan assigned the Transport Ministry the task of coordinating with the Vietnam Informatics Association in installing all taxis legally operating at major airports with an identity chip to facilitate concerned agencies in controlling passenger transportation.

Such chips will help control taxis at entrances and exits of airports to prevent illegal taxis from entering.