Vietnam will pilot granting electronic visas for foreign tourists in 2017 and 2018, announced the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) at a press conference in Hanoi on November 4.

Accordingly, procedures for applying and payment will be done online. It will take 3 days to process application for an e-visa valid for 30 days. The visa does not require letters of guarantee or invitation.

Tourists on their way to the Cai Rang floating market in Can Tho City. (Photo for illustration)

VNAT Director Nguyen Van Tuan stated that the move reflects the Government’s efforts to stimulate tourism.

It will facilitate the application for a Vietnamese visa of foreign tourists, he noted, adding that the tourism sector is still looking forwards to the implementation of more favourable policies, particularly in waiving visa for foreign visitors.

He pointed to the fact that Thailand has scrapped visa requirement for 58 countries; the Philippines, 168 countries; Malaysia, 158 countries; and Indonesia, 169 countries.

This means most barriers between these Asian nations and their key tourist markets have been already removed, Tuan said.

Also at the press conference, the VNAT debuted its official English site on tourism information for foreign visitors to Vietnam at www.vietnamtourism.vn

Vietnam expects to serve 9.7 million international arrivals in 2016, which is projected to bring in estimated revenue of 230 trillion VND (10.35 billion USD).

In the first 10 month of this year, the volume of foreign visitors to the country exceeded 8 million people, up 25.4 percent year on year.

Source: VNA