Vietnam‘s visa-waiver to UK nationals extended until June 2018

  Vietnam announced extension of its visa-waiver programme, which was due to end this month, to citizens of the UK until the end of the June 2018. Britons and citizens of certain other European countries can now stay for only up to 15 days without a visa in Vietnam. Lauding the extension, Vietnam's Tourism Advisory Board said that the visa programme should be extended for five years, allowing Europeans to stay for up to 30 days and also granting them multiple entries during that time. Nguyen Xuan Hai, a tour operator director, was quoted by travelmole.com as saying that currently tourists can now visit the country for 15 days only, but if the duration of visa waiver is extended to 30 days, the industry could earn up to $1,500 more per visitor. He added that there would be a significant increase in the total revenue. It is said that when this Southeast Asian country began to offer single-entry visa waivers to European citizens, some tourist markets’ earnings increased by almost 33 percent. Recently, the Vietnam Tourism Association also pressed its government to extend the visa waiver scheme and also grant it to more countries in former Soviet states and Eastern Europe. Citizens of various other countries can enter Vietnam with a visa on arrival if they have a valid visa approval letter issued by an authorised tour operator of Vietnam. If you are looking to travel to Vietnam, get in touch with Y-Axis, a leading immigration consultancy company, to apply for a visa.