Vietnam to launch e-visas from 2017

The government of Vietnam is all set to introduce electronic visas from 2017 as part of its initiative to lure more tourists and promote the tourism sector. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Vietnamese Prime Minister, said on 9 August that the government would allocate up to $9 million to develop the e-visa system. He instructed the public security ministry of Vietnam to see to it that the system was functional from 1 January 2017. Thanh Nien News was quoted as saying that the ministries of finance, foreign affairs and public security have been given the task of working out the e-visa fees and making sure that foreign tourists are cordially welcomed in Vietnam. Phuc gave the go-ahead to institute a tourism development fund, which would pay for promotion activities, develop human resources and tools and improve the institutional capacity of the sector. He also asked the ministries related to tourism to strengthen the tourism management environment so that tourism could be made a leading economic sector of the country. According to the World Economic Forum’s report of Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index published in 2015, Vietnam stood at 75th rank among 141 countries. As of now, a tourist visa for Vietnam can be procured on arrival at the international airports of the country, or from embassies or consulates of Vietnam. Meanwhile, Vietnam has exempted visas for tourists belonging to 22 countries and territories. The Southeast Asian nation received 5.5 million overseas visitors in the first half of 2016, which is an increase of 24 percent compared to the same period a year ago. In addition, it saw 38.2 million domestic tourists. Vietnam’s aim is to attract around 10 million to 10.5 million foreign tourists by 2020 so that revenue from tourism would be $18 billion to $19 billion per year. If you are planning to visit Vietnam or any other Southeast Asian country, come to Y-Axis and get proper assistance and guidance to file for a visa at one of its 19 offices, which are located across India.