Johan Meier, 29 years old, a tourist from Switzerland, had a 3-week trip to Vietnam with the itinerary Hanoi - Ha Long - Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh City. Thanks to the visa exemption, his passport check, stamping and immigration procedures at Noi Bai airport went smoothly. Johan Meier shared: "I have been to Thailand and Singapore, those countries have had a visa exemption policy for international visitors for a long time, so the number of foreign visitors is very large. For tourists who like to travel for a long time like me, Vietnam's visa exemption policy of up to 45 days is really attractive, helping me to have many local cultural experiences."
Foreign tourists experience making lanterns at the Temple of Literature (Hanoi). |
According to a report by the World Tourism Organization, visa exemptions can help increase international arrivals by 5 to 25%. Most countries in the world are applying visa exemptions or flexible visa policies to attract visitors. In Southeast Asia, Malaysia has the most open visa policy in the region, exempting visas for citizens of 165 countries and territories. Next is Singapore with 163 countries and territories; Thailand exempts visas for citizens from 98 countries and territories around the world... Not only that, these countries also increase the length of stay to 30-90 days depending on the country, allowing tourists to stay longer. The relaxed and visa-free policies help Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand attract more tourists. Specifically, in 2024, Malaysia recorded 37 million visitors; Thailand welcomed more than 35 million visitors (surpassing the 31 million arrivals in 2019, the time before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to data from the Thai Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism).
Vietnam is also becoming more open about its visa policy. Recently, the Government issued Resolution No. 229/NQ-CP on visa exemption under the tourism stimulus program for citizens of 12 countries, including: the Kingdom of Belgium, the Republic of Bulgaria, the Republic of Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Republic of Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, the Republic of Slovenia and the Swiss Confederation. Citizens of these countries are allowed to stay temporarily for 45 days from the date of entry for tourism purposes, regardless of passport type, on the basis of meeting all entry conditions according to the provisions of Vietnamese law, applicable from August 15, 2025 to August 14, 2028.
A more friendly visa policy will help Vietnam attract more international conferences, exhibitions, and events, while creating favorable conditions for businessmen and tourists to participate in these activities. Thus, not only the tourism industry but also other economic sectors such as aviation, transportation, retail, services, etc. will benefit. The latest report from the General Statistics Office said that with a favorable visa policy, tourism promotion and promotion programs have been promoted along with activities to celebrate major national holidays, attracting more and more international visitors to Vietnam. In July 2025, international visitors to our country reached 1.56 million, an increase of 6.8% over the previous month and 35.7% over the same period last year. In the first 7 months of 2025, international visitors to Vietnam reached 12.23 million, an increase of 22.5% over the same period last year.
Talking to us, Dr. Nguyen Duc Trong, lecturer of the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality, National Economics University said: “The recently issued visa exemption policy is the “key” to increasing the competitive advantage of Vietnamese tourism in the region. If we only rely on natural beauty, it will be difficult for us to surpass many countries. The difference comes from convenient experiences, in which visa is the first barrier that needs to be removed. When tourists feel that entry is simple, they will be willing to stay longer, spend more and thus, the value brought to the economy will be many times higher than the cost of visa”.
In order for Vietnam's tourism industry to truly make a breakthrough and develop sustainably in the coming period, expanding and improving visa policies should be considered a priority step. Along with removing visa barriers, Vietnam needs to continue to invest heavily in tourism infrastructure and connecting transport systems, promote and advertise destinations professionally, and develop diverse and unique tourism products that are suitable to market demand. Improving service quality, training professional human resources, protecting the environment and promoting green tourism are also key factors to help bring a complete experience to tourists. When solutions are implemented synchronously, visa policies will not only be an "open door" to welcome international visitors but also become a strategic driving force to bring Vietnam's tourism to new heights.
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/du-lich-tang-toc-nho-chinh-sach-mien-thi-thuc-a462967.html
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