Visa free entry to Vietnam for tourists from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland until end of 2022


Visitors from, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Japan, South Korea and Belarus will continue to enjoy Vietnamese visa exemptions for the next three years,
the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) announced on 17th December 2019. Travellers from these countries will be allowed to remain in Vietnam for 15 days.

European countries like Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Belarus are emerging tourism markets. Western Europeans are big spenders and spend on average $1,316 per trip while overall foreign visitors spend $900, VNAT data shows.

The government’s three-year visa extension for eight tourism markets will assist travel agencies, airlines, and investors in developing long-term plans. However, businesses are calling for an increase in visa-free duration from 15 days to 30 days due to the long-haul nature of travel between Europe and Vietnam.

Vietnam features among Asian countries with the strictest visa policy. The country currently offers visa waivers to visitors from only 24 countries and territories including ASEAN co-members.

Indonesia, one of the world’s most liberalized countries for visas, grants visa-free travel to 169 nationalities, while the figure for Singapore is 158, Malaysia 155 and Thailand 61.

The number of foreigners visiting Vietnam in the first 11 months of this year is estimated at 16.3 million, an all-time high and up 15.3 percent year-on-year. Tourism revenue in the period came to around VND649 trillion ($27.96 billion), up 16.3 percent.

As 2019 draws to a close, the country’s tourism industry is well placed to meet its annual target of receiving 18 million visitors.

About Zazithorn Ruengchinda

ScandAsia Journalist • Scandinavian Publishing Co., Ltd. • Bangkok Thailand

View all posts by Zazithorn Ruengchinda

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