A new visa will be implemented in the near future for countries in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia. The so-called ASEAN visa will be a joint e-visa, which can be applied for online and allows visiting all member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
What is ASEAN?
ASEAN is a regional alliance of currently 10 countries in Southeast Asia. It stems from the Association of Southeast Asia (ASA), which was founded in the early 1960s by Thailand, the Philippines and the Federation of Malacca. Present-day Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia are now members of the intergovernmental organization. Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea are currently observers, meaning they are still waiting to join ASEAN as full members.
Southeast Asian cooperation
Since the end of 2008, the Southeast Asian alliance has been pushing for introducing a free trade area, similar to the European Union. The population of ASEAN countries, totalling 675 to 687 million people, currently accounts for an estimated 6.5% of the global economy. By comparison, the almost 450 million inhabitants of EU countries account for about 14/15% o the global economy.
Visa for Southeast Asia
Economic unification also involves political integration. For example, the member states are taking steps towards the implementation of a common visa policy. The announced ASEAN visa should allow travellers to visit all countries in the region as one destination, similarly to the visa for all countries in the European Schengen area.
Another clear example of joint action by the countries is the recent suspension of visa-free travel to Indonesia for public health reasons. Travellers from other ASEAN countries do not need a visa to stay up to 30 days in Indonesia, making them the only exception to this temporary measure.
Joint e-visa
To highlight the collective nature of this new visa, it is also called ASEAN common visa or ASEAN single visa. The common visa for ASEAN countries, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand, should be available as an e-visa immediately upon implementation.
Presently, each ASEAN country has its own visa policy towards travellers from outside the region, so each visa must be applied for separately. Each country also requires travellers to meet different visa requirements. For example, the visa requirements for Vietnam are different from those of other countries in the region. For instance, the visa for Vietnam may only be used for a short tourist or business visit, and the traveller’s passport must still be valid for at least 6 months upon arrival in Vietnam.
Since 2002, travellers holding the passport of one of the ASEAN countries may travel to the other member states without a visa. The introduction of the ASEAN visa should make it easier for foreign travellers to visit multiple countries within the region.
Please note: this news article about the visa for Vietnam is more than one year old. It might contain outdated information and advice, and no rights can therefore be derived from this article. Are you going on a trip soon and do you wish to do know what rules currently apply? Read all about the up-to-date information about the visa for Vietnam.