JAPAN RELAXES VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR VIETNAM CRUISE TOURISTS
[15-04-2015] Vietnamese passport holders traveling to Japan by ship do not need to get a visa before departure but ask the cruise line to complete procedures for them to obtain a landing visa. According to the Japanese embassy’s updates about new entry procedures for visitors, foreign tourists, inclusive of Vietnamese nationals, on board cruise ships can enjoy the simpler visa application process.
DRAFT CIRCULAR RAISING VISA FEES INTO VIETNAM
[04-04-2015] Foreigners wanting to stay in Vietnam for more than three months will face a rise in visa fees. According to the draft circular of the Ministry of Finance (MoF) on the regulations on collection, payment, management and usage of fees for visas and passports into Vietnam, fees for obtaining a multiple-entry visa into the country will be strongly increased:
TRAVEL FIRMS BEMOAN NEW IMMIGRATION RULE
[17-03-2015] Local travel agencies have voiced outcry over a new immigration rule that requires the period between two visa-exempt entries into Vietnam by foreign passport holders to be at least 30 days. The new rule makes it hard for foreign tourists to take regional tours arranged by local companies. Domestic travel companies had attracted many foreign guests to buy such trips before the rule took effect in January this year.
VISA FEE FOR CRUISE PASSENGERS BACK TO US$5 PER PAX
[13-01-2015] International cruise passengers will pay a US$5 visa fee each, instead of a staggering US$45, when they go ashore for a local tour, according to new measures approved last week by the Prime Minister. The new measures come after the fresh immigration regulations, effective from January 1, provide complicated, time-consuming and costly immigration requirements for international tourists traveling to Vietnam by cruise ship who want to join overland tours when their ships call at a local port.
CAM RANH AIRPORT TO REFUND VAT TO FOREIGNERS LEAVING VIETNAM FROM JAN 6
[03-01-2015] Cam Ranh International Airport in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa will officially open its VAT refund booth for foreigners next week, six months after it received approval from the Prime Minister to do so. The Khanh Hoa branch of the Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank) has been allowed by the Ministry of Finance to handle VAT refund receipts for foreigners at the airport, starting on January 6, according to Dinh Van Luan, deputy head of the provincial customs.
