Vietnam Extends Visa Exemption for 5 European Countries
Vietnam’s government has extended a visa waiver program benefiting citizens of five European countries, right before the existing policy expires at the end June 2018.
At the government press conference which was held on May 3, the officials have confirmed that visitors from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom will continue to receive visa exemptions for the next three years in Vietnam, starting from July 1, 2018 as they will not have to apply for visa if their stay in Vietnam does not exceed 15 days, applicable to all kinds of passport and travel purposes.
In July 2015, Vietnam first offered visa waivers for citizens from the five mentioned nations. The policy was subject to annual renewal and would have expired at the end of June. However, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has yet to sign off on requests from tourism agencies to further the visa-free duration from 1 to 3 years, until June 2021.
| Citizens of | Days of Free Visa | Previous Validity | Extended Validity | |
| 1 | United Kingdom | 15 days | June 30, 2018 | June 30, 2021 |
| 2 | France | 15 days | June 30, 2018 | June 30, 2021 |
| 3 | Italy | 15 days | June 30, 2018 | June 30, 2021 |
| 4 | Spain | 15 days | June 30, 2018 | June 30, 2021 |
| 5 | Germany | 15 days | June 30, 2018 | June 30, 2021 |
Vietnam’s visa-free policy applied since July 2015
Currently, Vietnam is among the list the strictest visa policy in Asia as the nation offers visa-free to only citizens from 24 countries, including 9 ASEAN co-members. The updated visa exemption would be a significant chance for increasing the number of foreign tourists to Vietnam in general and accelerating positive development of the tourism sector in particular.
In accordance to the General Statistics Office, since 2015, the visa-free policy has encouraged a growing number of tourists, from 720,000 to 1.5 million people from European countries, which accounts for 6.6% of all foreign arrivals to Vietnam.
Although the new exemption policy, more or less, can meet the demands of extended entries, tour companies is still proposing for an allowable longer stay doubled to 30 days so that foreign travellers may experience more attractive, continuous journeys and frequently return in the future.
For guests who are not under the visa free policy, Sens Asia Travel will work extra miles to provide you witth a free visa letter so you can quickly and easily get your visa stamped upon arrival.