Israeli people and businesses have welcomed and highly valued Vietnam’s new visa policy, affirming that the country is taking steps to reform its procedures in order to make it easier for foreigners to vacation and do business in the Southeast Asian nation.

To attract more tourists and improve the competitiveness of Vietnamese tourism, in addition to the new e-visa policy, there is still much work to be done, including building products to meet the needs of long-term vacationers and those with high payment capacity, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The e-visa policy, which took effect from August 15, is expected to help Vietnam attract a hike in the number of international visitors right in the autumn-winter tourist season of 2023, said Do Van Hao, Deputy Chief of Police at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City.

The new visa policy is presenting an opportunity for Vietnam's tourism industry to enhance its competitiveness, said the Ministry of Public Security’s Vietnam Immigration Department during a press conference in Hanoi on August 30.

VOV.VN - The number of international arrivals to Ho Chi Minh City during the opening eight months of the year has significantly increased, hitting 2.71 million, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism.

VOV.VN - The Nha Trang-Khoanh Hoa Tourism Association had a working session with the Tourism Association of the Republic of Korea’s province of South Jeolla (Jeollanam-do) in Gwangju city on August 29 to explore tourism cooperation between the two sides.

Vietnam’s new visa policy, applicable from August 15, will help the country lure more business travellers from Japan in September, said the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) Chief Representative in Ho Chi Minh City Nobuyuki Matsumoto.

VOV.VN - The Government issued Resolution 127/NQ-CP on August 14, which is the decision to grant e-visas to foreign citizens who plan to enter the country to travel, conduct market surveys, or explore investment chances, among others, now able to apply for e-visas themselves without the need for invitations or guarantees from Vietnamese agencies, organisations, or individuals.

The entire process for granting e-visas, from applying for, processing requests to issuing visas and paying fees, is now carried out online, said the Vietnam Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has freshly announced a list of 13 international airports permitting foreigners to enter and exit with electronic visas.