VISA POLICY NEEDS FURTHER REFORM

At the Year-end Vietnam Business Forum 2015 (VBF), Mr Ken Atkinson, representative of Tourism Working Group, appreciated important solutions for the tourism industry, including the waiver of visa for citizens from five European countries and Belarus, its major improvements in online visa application settlement at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, and bold breakthrough steps in allowing foreigners to possess residential houses in Vietnam.
 
However, when attractive visa policy has not become a key policy of the Government, its effect cannot be as expected. Currently, Vietnam is applying strict visa policy to foreign visitors from most countries in the world at a relative high cost. This is inhibiting high-spending international travellers from entering Vietnam, said Mr Tomaso Andreatta, Vice President of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham).
 
Ms Sherry Boger, Chairwoman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham), said most of the TPP member countries apply specific entry visa policy for entrepreneurs. However, the Immigration Law of Vietnam, amended in June 2014 and brought into effect on January 1, 2015, does not have any reference to TPP. According to this law, US citizens planning to arrive in Vietnam using B-1 or B-2 equivalent visas of the US will receive a three-month visa for a single entry. Thus, the US government will likely in the near future, based on the principle of reciprocity, reduce US visas to Vietnamese citizens to three months validity and for a single entry, as Vietnam imposes this policy on US citizens. This provision is clearly a major obstacle for businessmen and tourists to both countries and will inevitably have negative impact on the tourism industry, one of five prioritised sectors for development investment in Vietnam.
 
Meanwhile, the biggest obstacle to Japanese citizens is that Japanese nationals will not be allowed re-entry into Vietnam within 30 days without a visa. Changes in visa-free conditions inhibit Japanese citizens from entering Vietnam more frequently with tourism or business purposes, said Mr Shimon Tokuyama, Chairman of the Japan Business Association in Vietnam (JBAV). The association used to ask the Government of Vietnam to modify entry conditions applied to Japanese citizens returning to Vietnam, as the old law to exempt entry visa for them irrespective of how long they leave Vietnam.
 
The government’s recent decision to increase the number of countries on the list of visa-exempt countries is very welcome. Vietnam now has visa waivers or exemptions for citizens of 21 countries, which is far lower than neighbouring competitors such as Malaysia (with 164), the Philippines (157), and Thailand (52). Mr David W. Carter, National Board Member of the Australian Chamber of Commerce (AusCham), expressed his concern on this issue and recommended Vietnam to promptly extend the list of visa waiver countries to include Australia and New Zealand. He recommended the exemptions be for 30 days instead of current 15 days, with returns allowed within 30 days, as a means of encouraging people to use Vietnam as a transit hub. This must be considered a means of further facilitating trade, investment, and tourism between the nations.
 
Competent Vietnamese bodies are working hard on proposals for the Government to adjust visa policies. The Government assigned the Ministry of Public Security to study the possibility of deploying electronic visas. It will change policies on visa with a validity of one year for US tourists and citizens going to Vietnam to attend workshops and conferences. Simultaneously, the Immigration Department under the Ministry of Public Security will modify regulations on visa exemptions for Japanese citizens. It is also considering unilateral waiver of visas for Australia and New Zealand. In November, Vietnam lowered its visa fees to the level of Laos and Cambodia.
 
Source: VCCI