The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied a report by a British newspaper that UK citizens may be banned from leaving Vietnam and have their passports seized in some cases after their arrival in the Southeast Asian country.

“We completely reject such false information,” ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said at a regular press conference in Hanoi on Thursday.

Hang made the statement after being asked by reporters for comment on a recent report by The Mirror, which cited a travel advice update from the UK Foreign Office as saying that Vietnam could impose an exit ban on British citizens in some cases.

According to the article, published by The Mirror on August 16, the UK Foreign Office has sounded the alarm on ‘exit bans’ affecting Britons abroad, updating its travel advice for those jetting off to Vietnam.

The British newspaper cited a UK government spokesperson as warning that “Vietnamese authorities may place an exit ban on certain individuals to prevent them from leaving the country. Your passport will be seized until the case is fully investigated.”

An exit ban can stem from investigations into “an individual, their family or an employer, criminal and civil matters, such as business disputes or motor vehicle accidents, employment without a work visa [or] unpaid financial debts.”

Strongly rejecting the report, Hang reiterated Vietnam’s policy to create favorable conditions for foreigners to enter, exit, and reside in Vietnam, thereby contributing to the country’s socio-economic development.

“Over the past years, Vietnamese authorities have taken measures to facilitate the travel of foreign citizens to Vietnam for tourism, study, work, investment, or market research purposes in accordance with Vietnamese law, " Hang told the press meeting. 

Vietnam and the UK established diplomatic relations in 1973, and celebrated 50 years of their ties last year.

The two countries upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership in 2010.

During a phone talk with Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son in May this year, UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs David Cameron affirmed that the UK attaches great importance to strengthening its strategic partnership with Vietnam.

The British diplomat suggested that the two countries continue to promote cooperation on migration and immigration management, while preventing illegal migration.

He emphasized that the UK will keep accompanying and supporting Vietnam in developing a sustainable economy.

Currently, the UK is among Vietnam’s leading trade partners, with two-way trade amounting to US$7.14 billion last year, up 4.47 percent year on year, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

In the first half of 2024, trade between the two countries topped $3.9 billion, a 21.7-percent surge from a year earlier.

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