Foreign policy

Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s visa policy should be more open to lure international tourists , insiders have said. Although the country has offered unilateral visa exemption and e-visas, the policy is not competitive enough as the 15-day visa exemption has yet to satisfy the need of visitors from such markets as Europe, North America and Australia, who often stay from three to four weeks in Vietnam, according to the Ministry of Culture , Sports and Tourism (MCST). Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa said the ministry should propose the Government instruct the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to expand the list of countries and territories qualified for visa exemption and e-visa, and restore visa granting at border gates. She also suggested simplifying visa procedures for visitors who get infected with COVID-19 during their stay in Vietnam and undergo treatment in the Southeast Asian nation. The … [Read more...] about Relaxing visa policy to attract more foreign tourists: insiders

Son viewed Tileuberdi’s Vietnam visit, which was made from August 17-18 on the occasion of the 30th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties, as momentum to strongly beef up traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries. He welcomed the Kazakh delegation, which included representatives of Kazakh state management agencies in finance and investment who came to explore cooperation and business opportunities in the Southeast Asian nation. The minister suggested Kazakhstan support Vietnamese investors to operate in the market. For his part, Tileuberdi affirmed that Vietnam is a priority partner of Kazakhstan in the region, and that attaching importance to boosting the relationship is an important part of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy towards Asia-Pacific. He held that ample room still remains for Vietnam-Kazakhstan economic and trade collaboration, especially in agriculture, tourism, clean energy and high tech, lauding the plan to open a direct route … [Read more...] about Vietnam, Kazakhstan foster multi-faceted cooperation

At a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on Wednesday, Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, director of the HCMC Department of Tourism, proposed the government order the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to consider waiving visas for more countries, instead of the present 24 . She also urged the government to extend visa-free stays for tourists from Western European countries from the current 15 to 30 days because Westerners tend to make longer trips, Vietnam News Agency reported. She also expected the government to simplify e-visa issuance procedures to facilitate tourist entry. Nguyen Thien Phuc, product manager of Ho Chi Minh City-based Vidotour Indochina Travel, also petitioned the government to remove visa obstacles to attract foreign tourists for the rest of the year. Nguyen Van Hung, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, admitted though Vietnam reopened its borders to foreign tourists, its visa policies are less attractive than neighboring countries. Earlier, he … [Read more...] about Tourism industry insiders urge govt to ease visa requirements

Hanoi will play a key role in connecting visitors to tourist destinations in Vietnam. The Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism needs to actively support major tourism businesses to build routes linking localities, and restart heritage digitalization with the participation of travel companies to create new tourism products. Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam speaks at the meeting. Photo: VGP This is one of the requirements made by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on August 17 at the meeting on removing difficulties and promoting tourism recovery so that the industry would become a key economic sector. The Deputy Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to urgently submit to the Prime Minister the adjustment of electricity prices so that accommodation establishments would be entitled to energy rates equal to those of manufacturing facilities. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, associations, and tourism businesses … [Read more...] about Vietnam deploys diverse solutions to revive tourism industry

The credit quality of real estate firms is at a good level with financial leverage below 1.5x. During the first seven months of 2022, over VND420 trillion (US$18 billion) was pumped into the real estate market. The figure could be raised to VND800 trillion ($34 billion) by the end of the year in case of favorable conditions. Investors looking at a real estate project in Me Linh District, Hanoi. Photo: Pham Hung Economist Can Van Luc, a member of the National Financial and Monetary Advisory Council, shared the view at a real estate forum held on August 17, noting the figure is huge compared to total investment capital for the economy. According to Luc, while transaction activities have been subdued in recent months, this would pose a golden opportunity to restructure the market for more sustainable growth. “In the past, real estate was widely seen as the first option when people explore fields to invest in, and that is a huge risk to the economy,” Luc said. … [Read more...] about Over US$34 billion set to pour into Vietnam’s real estate market this year

This year's expo, with the theme “Growing Forward Together,” will take place at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center. It is expected to provide a great opportunity for Vietnamese travel agencies to recover and develop after the COVID-19 pandemic while connecting them with international partners and customers. 1,500 international delegates from travel agencies and brands, airlines, hotels, and resorts both at home and abroad have registered to attend the expo. Currently, the expo has 260 registered booths, and 210 among them are from foreign countries. The organizers have invited 160 international partners from 18 countries and territories such as the U.S., Australia, the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Romania, Poland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Thailand, and Singapore to join this year’s event. Within the framework of the expo, there will also be a high-level conference on tourism development policy with the participation of representatives of … [Read more...] about 16th International Travel Expo of HCM City to open on September 8