The PM made the request in a directive dated April 10, 2025 to the Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of National Defense, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He asked the designated ministries to work alongside the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to research and build specific policies for short-term visa exemptions and improve visa approval procedures for tourists based on tourism stimulus schemes or cultural invitations.

Beneficiaries will be celebrities, artists, billionaires, world-renowned athletes, investors, experts, and foreign scientists visiting Vietnam for the purposes of tourism or international cooperation activities.

The PM also encouraged firms to set up representative offices in foreign countries, thereby maximising the role of promoting tourism of the Vietnamese community abroad.

The PM earlier instructed the ministries to consider implementing unilateral visa exemptions for visitors from Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America in an effort to simplify immigration.

Since the beginning of the year, Vietnam has carried out two phases of visa relaxation for several potential markets.

Accordingly, on January 15, Vietnam decided to waive visas for tourists from Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland from March 1 to December 31.

In mid-March, Vietnam moved to extend visa exemptions for citizens of 12 of the 25 countries, including major tourism markets like the Republic of Korea and Japan, until March 14, 2028.

Vietnam attracted 17.6 million foreign visitors in 2024, representing a year-on-year rise of 39%. It aims to welcome between 22-23 million foreign arrivals in 2025.

Vietnam considers easing visa policy for high-end travellers

VOV.VN - The Prime Minister, in a recent telegram, requested relevant ministries to consider easing visas for high-end travellers to facilitate tourism development, increase the competitiveness and attract more foreign tourists to Vietnam.