The National Assembly’s Committee for National Defense and Security opened a meeting on Tuesday to review performance in the implementation of the country’s policies on immigration, migration and residence of foreigners in Vietnam.

Since August 1, 2000, when the ordinance on immigration, migration and residence of foreigners took effect, the number of foreigners entering Vietnam has increased by 20-30 percent every year.

Last year, the number of foreigners’ arrivals in the country was six times higher than that in 2000. Along with the increasingly growing number of foreign visitors, around 14,500 projects funded by investors from 98 countries and territories, including Japan, Taiwan, the Republic of Korea and Singapore, are underway in 63 cities and provinces nationwide. As commented by officials from relevant ministries and departments, the ordinance is a boost to Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-control, peace, cooperation, development, multilateralism and diversification of international relations. Vietnam’s regulations on immigration and foreigners’ movements and residence inside the country have been simplified, attracting greater numbers of foreigners to Vietnam for travel or business purposes, according to the meeting’s participants However, they also admitted that there remain a number of laws and regulations that are needed to be amended or supplemented to make them more practical and enforceable. In addition, these documents have yet to clearly assign clear responsibilities and rights to State management agencies involved. At the meeting, the Ministry of Public Security’s representative reported that violations committed by foreigners mainly involved illegal immigration, undeclared temporary residence, and travel without a passport or visa.

Concerned agencies has discovered and handled about 74,500 such violations since 2000, according to the ministry. Many participants proposed that the NA should promulgate a Law on Immigration, Migration and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam.