Vietnam will soon begin issuing tourist visas to foreign travelers when they arrive at airports and border crossings. The head of the travel department of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Vu The Binh, told reporters that the move is intended to boost the nation’s attractiveness to foreign visitors. He predicted that the plan will be implemented “in the coming months,” once the Customs Department adapts its information technology system to accommodate the new system. VNAT and other concerned departments will develop the procedures. At present, visas are issued on arrival only in exceptional cases, when foreign visitors have hired local travel companies to complete visa procedures before flying to Vietnam. Many Vietnamese tourism firms are asking that visitors be spared from this job and be issued a visa upon arrival, as in Thailand and Cambodia. This month, the Government has agreed to charge no visa fees on foreigners who enter the country under the national tourism promotion ‘Impressive Vietnam” program’ until September 30 or until the end of this promotion. Binh said that the national tourism department would decide when to end the program based on results. Tour operators have praised the exemption of visa fees, saying that the tourism authority needs to continue this policy for the long term in order to attract international visitors. “This is a good rule but needs to run for a long time, six months to a year, to attract guests because foreign tourists need time to prepare for their trip to… [Read full story]
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