What are the ways for Vietnamese tourists to get to Jeju Island?

Jeju, a popular tourist island in South Korea, has for many years offered a visa-free policy to Vietnamese visitors if they fly on charter flights or transit through a third country. Otherwise, a visa is required.

To take advantage of the visa-free policy, Singapore is the most feasible transit point for Vietnamese travelers because there are direct flights from there to Jeju. However, flying with Scoot Airlines, the only airline that flies directly to Jeju from Singapore, carries risks as travelers may be denied boarding due to "suspicions about their tourism purpose."

The safest and most reliable way is for tourists to obtain a South Korean visa, then transit at Incheon Airport (Seoul) or another major city such as Busan... From there, there are many domestic airlines that fly directly to Jeju, such as Jin Air, Jeju Air, Air Seoul, Air Busan, T'way Air, Asiana Airlines, Korean Air...

Ms. Le Hai Linh, representative of the Jeju Tourism Promotion Bureau in Vietnam, also advised Vietnamese tourists to "transit through Incheon Airport and then connect to Jeju" for easier entry. Ms. Linh stated that tourists can also use the services of reputable travel companies such as Vietravel, Vietrantour, and Saigontourist to book tours to Jeju Island. However, according to a representative from Vietravel Hanoi, major travel companies in Vietnam currently only organize tours from Seoul to Jeju and do not offer direct visa-free routes from Vietnam due to concerns about cases where the purpose is not tourism.

Charter flights are currently unfeasible due to low passenger numbers after the pandemic and high ticket prices. Immigration procedures are also not guaranteed.

Ms. Le Hai Linh reiterated that the recent denial of visa-free flights to Vietnamese passengers was entirely due to the airline's own initiative: "Jeju has not changed its policy. Scoot Airlines' cancellation of passengers' tickets was the airline's own decision, because if passengers are denied entry, the airline will incur significant additional costs. The cases of being denied entry to Jeju depend on individual circumstances during the check-in process. Recently, many tourists from around the world have stayed illegally."

Ms. Linh added that Jeju is working with airlines and travel companies in Vietnam to promote direct flights to Jeju and develop a Jeju-Vietnam route soon.

Since the beginning of August, many Vietnamese tour groups traveling to Jeju Island via Scoot Airlines have had their tickets canceled due to visa issues. This situation arose as South Korea tightened border controls because of an increasing number of cases of tourists from Thailand, Mongolia, and other countries arriving in Jeju and then absconding to work illegally on the mainland.

Phuong Thao is an editor at Travellive magazine. She is passionate about traveling and enjoys capturing moments with her camera in every place she visits. Travel, art, and lifestyle are Phuong Thao's favorite writing topics.

Phuong Thao