After Thailand and Sri Lanka, Vietnam May Let Indians Visit Visa-Free: Report
Vietnam is reportedly mulling allowing visa-free entry for Indians for travel, with the Southeast Asian country’s minister of culture, sports, and tourism, Nguyn Van Jung, calling for short-term visa waivers for major markets like China and India.
The move is aimed at efforts to shore up the recovery of the country’s tourism sector, Vietnamese news agency VnExpress reported.
Currently, the country allows visa-free entry for nationals of Germany, France, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Denmark, and Finland.
In the first ten months of 2023, Vietnam received around 10 million international visitors, a 4.6-fold rise from 2022.
Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, Vietnam welcomed around 170,000 Indian visitor arrivals, with popular holiday destinations such as Da Nang, Ha Long Bay, Phu Quoc Island, Nha Trang, and Hoi An popular among Indian tourists.
Beginning in August this year, Vietnam started issuing e-visas for individuals from all countries. These e-visas have a validity period of 90 days and allow multiple entries.
If Vietnam decides on free entry for Indian travellers, it will be the third country after Sri Lanka and Thailand to allow visa-free entry for Indians.
In October this year, a Thai government official told a news agency that the government will allow visa-free entry for tourists from India and Taiwan for a period of six months from November 10 this year to May 10, 2024.
Sri Lanka also approved a proposal to grant free visas to travellers from seven countries, including India, China, and Russia, for a period of five months until March 31, 2024.
