Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered the Ministry of Public Security to lead and collaborate with relevant agencies and local administrations to recommend policies expanding visa exemptions for citizens of selected countries, aligning with evolving circumstances and bilateral cooperation relations.

PM Chinh assigned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to review and assess the country’s unilateral visa exemption policy for citizens of 13 countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Russia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belarus, Japan, and South Korea.

The ministry will have to join hands with the Ministry of Public Security to propose a new list of countries eligible for a unilateral visa waiver.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism was asked to coordinate with other agencies and localities to organize cultural and artistic activities as well as traditional festivals after the Lunar New Year holiday, or Tet, in a safe and civilized manner to preserve and promote the nation’s cultural values.

It must also strengthen the oversight of tourist destinations and tourism service providers to ensure safety for tourists and local residents.

Vietnam currently offers visa waivers for 25 countries and territories, including nine ASEAN members, Chile, Panama, Kyrgyzstan, the UK, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Norway, Belarus, and seven EU members -- Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland.

In mid-August last year, the Vietnamese government issued a resolution to grant e-visas to citizens from all countries and territories.

Vietnam allowed 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.

It also lengthened the visa-free stay to 45 days from 15 days for citizens of 13 countries eligible for the country's unilateral visa waiver policy, regardless of passport types or entry purposes, as long as they meet the entry requirements outlined in Vietnamese law.

The Southeast Asian country welcomed more than 1.5 million international tourist arrivals last month, up 10.3 percent month on month and 73.6 percent year on year.

During the 2024 Lunar New Year holiday, many localities reported a year-on-year surge of 2.2 to 4.8 times in the number of international travelers.

The results were thanks to preferential visa policies, the restructuring of source markets, efforts of local enterprises and localities, and promotion activities, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

The expansion of the visa waiver policy has facilitated foreign tourists, thus attracting more tourists to Vietnam and improving the country’s competitiveness, the authority added.

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