Vietnam Grants Visa Waivers to 9 More Nationalities (Update 17.7.2015)

We are thrilled to pronounce the amended regulation regarding visa exemption for 5 more nationalities.

The nationals from Germany, France, the UK, Italy, and Spain will be exempt from the visa requirement when travelling to Vietnam for a 15-day visit, Nguyen Van Tuan, general director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said at an international tourism convention. This exemption which will come into effect from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 is expected to help ramp up the city’s international access.

All passport holders of these countries can extend the visit for 1 or 3 months more. The visa extension processing fee varies from current Vietnam visa and type of expected visa extension. If you wish to enter Vietnam more than one visa-free visit, there must be a 30-day gap between them. For multiple entry, visa are still exempted as long as the total length of the stay does not exceed 15 days.

Please note that, fee paid for Vietnamese visas issued before the 23 June 2015 for passport holders of the UK, Italy, Germany, Spain and France are non-refundable.

Currently, Vietnam has bilateral visa waiver agreements with 9 countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and unilaterally gives visa-free entrance of up to 15 days for Danish, Finnish, Japanese, Norwegian, Russian, South Korean, Belarusian, and Swedish nationals starting this year until 2019.

For citizens from countries not mentioned above, you can apply for Visa on Arrival with very simple process and payment methods. You will need to obtain an approval letter and handle fixed stamping frees upon arrival at the airport arrival immigration.

With the proposal of total 9 countries, India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand were not included this time. However, “Five countries is better than nothing” Ken Atkinson, the representative of the Tourism Working Group said.

Issuing visa with fee has been pointed out as a “short-sighted” policy that hinders tourism development. Hence, the amended regulation will encourage consideration regardings extend of the period of stay and adding more countries. This is a good opportunity to introduce Vietnam to friends all over the world with amazing destinations and make true value by shared experiences.

Please note that the policy may be subject to change so please consult with our travel consultants for further information

Author: Hong Anh

Hong Anh is a true story-teller. For her, travelling is about stepping out of your comfort zone. Each of her stories is a unique travel experience that is told and illustrated by her own distinctive style.