Vietnam to issue 1-year visas to US tourists

A representative of the Immigration Department - Ministry of Public Security said that Vietnam is processing the issuance of one-year tourist visas for US citizens traveling or attending conferences in Vietnam.

Colonel Tran Van Du, Deputy Director of the Immigration Department under the Ministry of Public Security, responded to the representative of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam at the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) in Hanoi on December 1.

Previously, Ms. Sherry Boger, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, pointed out the fact that Vietnam's Immigration Law was amended in June 2014 and took effect on January 1, 2015 without reference to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).

The first international tourists arriving at Tan Son Nhat International Airport were warmly welcomed by leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism and the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association.

“We think this change is a step backward. Based on some provisions of this law, US citizens planning to visit Vietnam on a US B-1 or B-2 visa will receive a visa that is valid for 3 months and is only valid for single entry.

This regulation clearly causes great obstacles for both businessmen and tourists from both Vietnam and the United States, and can greatly reduce the revenue generated by the tourism industry, not to mention the negative impact on the development of the tourism industry, one of the five priority industries in Vietnam," said Ms. Sherry Boger.

Ms. Sherry Boger emphasized that if the Vietnamese Government does not adjust the temporary visa procedure with a validity of 12 months and multiple entries for business/tourism, the US visa policy for Vietnamese citizens will also be based on the principle of national reciprocity in the near future, and US visas issued to Vietnamese citizens for short-term purposes will be reduced to 3 months and single entry like visas issued to US citizens.

In response, Colonel Tran Van Du said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working towards a consensus to grant one-year visas to American tourists and American citizens coming to Vietnam to attend seminars and conferences.

Colonel Tran Van Du added that the Immigration Department will also resolve some problems in the 30-day visa exemption regulations for Japanese citizens and is studying unilateral visa exemptions for Australia and New Zealand to promote trade, investment and tourism between the countries.

According to Mr. David W. Carter - Australian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AusCham), Vietnam currently exempts visas for citizens of 21 countries, however this number is still lower than neighboring countries such as Malaysia (164), Philippines (157), and Thailand (52).

According to Zing.vn