The Government Office has announced the conclusion of Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam at a recent meeting on removing difficulties and obstacles relating to the issue of granting visas to foreign tourists to Viet Nam.
Deputy PM Dam urged the Ministry of Public Security, in collaboration with Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and other relevant agencies, to consider extension of temporary residence for the tourists coming from the countries which have signed a unilateral visa exemption agreement with Viet Nam, after their allotted 15-day visa exemption expires.
Those tourists must be guaranteed and managed by international travel agents according to their tourism programmes and must have pre-purchased return flight tickets. The duration for extension of stay, permitted one time only for each tourist, is in line with tourism programmes but must not exceed 15 days.
The ministries were also requested to consider granting visas at border gates to the tourists from the countries which have signed a unilateral entry visa exemption agreement with Vietnam, who leave Vietnam for a third country and then return to Viet Nam within fewer than 30 days from the port of departure.
Deputy PM Dam asked the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism to enhance inspection over enterprises trading in international travel in guaranteeing and managing extended resident tourists, strictly handle cases of violations, while building a project to establish a fund supporting tourism development to be submitted to the prime minister for approval.
The ministry works with Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Public Security to study and propose the expansion plan of the list of countries for visa exemption, prioritising the nations which have strategic partnerships with Viet Nam and which are potential markets for providing tourists to Viet Nam, the deputy PM insisted.