Vietnamese airlines have pinned high hopes on the rising number of international passengers, forecasting that it may boom from the end of this year, thanks to more favorable visa policies valid from Tuesday.

A representative of a Vietnamese air carrier told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the number of foreign passengers would increase following the new visa policies.

The policies will not be immediately a big hit for the local aviation sector but they will pave the way for airlines to expand their international flight networks, the representative said.

“Visa policies exert a significant impact on foreign visitors, so the extension of the validity of e-visas [granted to foreigners entering the country] to 90 days from no more than 30 days will be a booster of Vietnamese tourism and the aviation sector will also get benefits,” he said

In reality, international passengers made up a large proportion of the total passenger number of domestic air carriers in the first half of this year.

In particular, 14.6 million foreign visitors traveled to Vietnam by air during the six-month period, including 6.9 million passengers transported by Vietnamese airlines.

Budget air carrier Vietjet accounted for more than half of the number, at 3.5 million international passengers, as it opened an additional 11 international air routes last quarter.

With friendlier visa policies, airlines will promote direct air routes, especially to India and Australia as they have recently shown great potential, according to local airlines.

Vietnam welcomed 158,000 Australian visitors and 141,000 Indian travelers in the first six months of 2023. 

New visa policies are also a driving force for Vietnamese tourism as the country will experience a peak international travel season at the end of the year.

Vietnamese air carrier Vietravel Airlines, for example, has prepared for the season by seeking to hire three aircraft of Cambodia Airways in the neighboring country to increase its fleet to eight aircraft, said Vu Duc Bien, CEO of Vietravel Airlines, informed on Monday.

The airline will also expand its international flight network after obtaining positive results of Hanoi – Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City – Bangkok, and Nha Trang – Macau (China) air routes, together with charter flights between Nha Trang and South Korea’s Daegu.

It will launch charter flights linking Hanoi and China’s Sanya in September, Bien added.

The Vietnamese government on Monday issued a resolution to grant e-visas to citizens from all countries and territories and another resolution to extend the visa-free stay to 45 days from 15 days for citizens of 13 countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Belarus.

Both resolutions came into force on Tuesday.

In June, Vietnam’s lawmaking National Assembly passed a number of amendments to the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners, allowing extending the validity of e-visas granted to foreigners entering the country to 90 days from no more than 30 days for single entry or multiple entries.

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