Foreign visitors in central Da Nang city (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – As many as 96,478 foreigners requested e-visas on Vietnam’s immigration portal at https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn in the Feb-December period of 2017, accordingto the Administration of Immigration under the Ministry of Public Security.
Procedures for granting e-visas on the website are implemented simply, ensuringpublicity and transparency. The time for processing e-visa applications is withinthree working days.
Vietnambegan allowing tourists from 40 countries to apply for e-visas from February 1,2017, with China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the US, the UK, Germany andSweden — all major target markets for its tourism sector, among the 40.
The government recently decided to expand e-visaissuance for visitors from six more countries, including Australia, NewZealand, Canada, the UAE, India and the Netherlands.
Visitors with e-visas can enter through eight international airports, 13international border gates on land or seven ports.
However, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) cited a recent officialdispatch from the Border Gate Department of the Border Guard High Command thatforeigners, mainly tourists entered Vietnam on international buses or incaravans through the above-said border crossings, but left the country throughother border gates. The issue affected security procedures and management ofimmigration activities of the Border Guard as well as tourists’ journeys.
To settle the issue, the VNAT asked departmentsof culture, sports and tourism of localities across the country to promote the popularisationof legal regulations on immigration and e-visa in particular to tourists and travelagencies in their areas.
The VNAT also asked international travel agencies to strictlyabide by Vietnam’s e-visa related-regulations in the process of providing tourismservices, and closely coordinate with the Border Gate Department and border guards of Vietnam in organising toursfor visitors using e-visa.
Simplifying immigration procedures is a commontrend around the world. According to the Global Competitiveness Report 2016-17from the World Economic Forum (WEF), the percentage of tourists requestingvisas to enter a country decreased from 77 percent in 2008 to 58 percent in2016.
Vietnam aims to welcome 16 million foreign visitors in 2018, year-on-yearincrease of 25 percent.
In the first two months of this year, the country served 2.86million foreign holiday-makers, up 29.7 percent against the same period of2017.-VNA
VNA
