Vietnam would grant electronic visas to foreigners, starting on January 1, 2017 through 2018, on a trial basis, announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) at a press conference held on November 4 in Hanoi.

Accordingly, every step from application dossier submission and consideration for settlement to result notification will be carried out via the electronic system. The payment of e-visa fee will be transferred through bank accounts in a bid to facilitate foreign visitors to follow the process and control intermediary expenses.

The time limit for consideration and grant of an e-visa is three days while the validity period of a visa is 30 days, which is expected to create favorable conditions for foreigners to join extensive tours in Vietnam. In addition, a tourist who applies for an e-visa will not need an invitation or a letter of guarantee from a Vietnamese party.

“The decision to grant online visas to foreign tourists is a breakthrough for the Vietnamese Government in its efforts to develop tourism”, VNAT’s General Director Nguyen Van Tuan said at the conference.

Also at the conference, VNAT officially launched a new website at the address www.vietnamtourism.vn in order to promote Vietnamese tourism abroad which will be introduced to the World Travel Market on November 8 in London.

The website is available in English and reachable by handy electronic devices. It is also connected to social networks, including Facebook, Instagram and Youtube, allowing visitors to share travel information about Vietnam with others.

SOURCE – vietnamlawmagazine.vn (VLLF)