Vietnam tourism aims to welcome at least 8 million international visitors this year. The Government and ministries have had many specific solutions to accelerate the recovery and develop tourism effectively and sustainably. Many breakthroughs in immigration and visa procedures have just been approved by the National Assembly. These policy changes are expected to attract a large number of international visitors to Vietnam.
Over the past week, many locations in Vietnam have been repeatedly mentioned by international newspapers as ideal destinations for tourists. Sputnik quoted information from the New York Post (USA), Vietnam is the first country mentioned in the list of 12 best countries for retirees.
Since the beginning of the year, Vietnam tourism has continued to make its mark on foreign press and media.
Two travel websites, Travel off path and Explore world wide, rate Hanoi as one of the best cities in the world for solo travel.
Accordingly, searches for Hanoi on Google have increased by 946% in the past 12 months. Information about Vietnam in general also attracts the attention of tourists.
Mr. Mario Mendis - Chairman of the Tourism, Restaurant and Hotel Subcommittee, European Business Association in Vietnam commented: "Vietnam is a beautiful destination and requires at least 30 - 45 days to explore. Most countries, such as Thailand, have a minimum stay for foreign visitors of 30 days and can be extended up to 3 months. The entry procedures at the airport are extremely convenient. These policies are very important in attracting tourists".
Sharing the same opinion, an article on Nikkei Asia quoted online travel company Agoda's assessment that Vietnam's tourism is developing faster than Thailand's, but Vietnam needs to maintain its advantage by loosening visa barriers and opening more flight routes.
On the morning of June 24, the National Assembly officially approved the extension of the electronic visa to 90 days. Along with that, the unilateral visa-free temporary stay period was increased to 45 days.
"When applying a visa exemption policy, it is possible to attract an additional 5-25% of international tourists to that country. If the National Assembly passes more favorable visa policies, it is likely that the Vietnamese tourism industry will welcome about 12 million international visitors, which is one and a half times more than the plan we set for this year," said Mr. Hoang Nhan Chinh - Head of the Secretariat of the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Council.
