Many tours to South Korea have been canceled due to visa overload.

Currently, it's the peak season for cherry blossom viewing, meaning tourism in South Korea is entering its peak season. Because of this, obtaining a tourist visa has become even more difficult, with many travel companies even having to cancel tours because visas haven't been issued by the departure date.

Previously, the processing time for visas sponsored by travel agencies at the Korean Embassy's consular section was 8 days. Recently, this has increased to 10 to 15 days, or even longer, due to the overload in the Korean visa processing department.

This situation puts travel companies in a difficult position because if not handled quickly, the losses could amount to billions of dong, and in the worst-case scenario, they could face lawsuits from customers. More importantly, the reputation and honor of the company would also be seriously affected in the long run.

"Many customers are upset about the disruption to their plans. Currently, we are exploring solutions such as negotiating with the airline to cover the costs related to the flight or finding alternative itineraries for tourists," said a representative of a travel agency.

The cherry blossom season in South Korea and the April 30th/May 1st holidays are partly responsible for the surge in demand. Additionally, the city's 5-year visa policy for citizens also contributes to this situation. Many people, even those with no intention of traveling, take advantage of the opportunity to obtain visas for fear of policy changes.

In another development, at 8:00 AM on April 9th, the backyard of the Charmvit building on Tran Duy Hung Street, Hanoi – where the Consular Section of the Korean Embassy is located – was packed with thousands of people, filling the 200-meter-long courtyard. Many of them had been queuing since 2-3 AM to get a number to submit their visa applications.

The number of people applying for South Korean visas started to increase in March and surged in the first week of April. Many people rushed to apply for visas after hearing rumors that the policy might change again from April.

Additional information:

In November 2018, the South Korean Ministry of Justice announced that, starting December 3, 2018, Vietnamese citizens residing in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang would be granted a 5-year visa to enter South Korea. In addition to the required documents, applicants must pay a fee of 80 USD per application.

In addition, South Korea waives the financial proof requirement for certain groups, such as government employees, those who have traveled to South Korea more than twice, or those who can provide financial proof through relatives. Previously, to obtain a visa, applicants had to have a savings account with 100 million won or more, or proof of ownership of a house or car.

Nga Nguyen