The Vietnamese tourism industry is booming. The country welcomed more than 7.5 million international tourists in the first five months of 2024. The significant increase in foreign visitors follows a revamp of Vietnam's visa policy in August 2023.
Promising numbers for the tourism industry
The number of international tourists that visited Vietnam in the past months grew at a rapid pace. According to a report of the Vietnam’s General Statistics Office (GSO), the country welcomed a whopping 7.6 million international tourists in the first five months of 2024. This number represents an increase of almost 65% compared to the same period in 2023, and an increase of 4% compared to the first five months of 2019, before the covid outbreak. In May 2024 only, the Southeast Asian country welcomed 1.4 million foreign visitors.
The increase does not only affect tourist arrivals. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), which is part of the Vietnamese Ministry for Culture, Sport and Tourism, also reported an enormous growth in the income from tourism. Accommodations, restaurants and other companies in the tourist industry earned around 10.7 billion USD in the first four months of 2024. This is a significantly more compared to the same period in 2023.
Most international visitors to Vietnam originate from Asian countries, such as South Korea, China, Taiwan and Japan, but the number of visitors from European countries, including the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, has also increased significantly. Cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi attracted particularly many tourists, but the province Quang Ninh also received many visitors, due to its scenic Ha Long Bay.
Vietnam visa is an important factor
The toerism boom in Vietnam can be partly attributed to a revamp of the visa rules for Vietnam. VNAT’s chairman, Nguyen Trung Khanh, claims the succes to be related to Vietnam’s more lenient visa policy which was introduced in 2023. In August last year, the validity period of the e-visa was extended, as was the period of time that some travellers are allowed to stay in Vietnam visa-free. These new rules make it easier for foreigners to stay in Vietnam for longer periods of time.
Revamped visa rules
Since August 2023, travellers from 13 countries are allowed to stay in Vietnam for 45 days, without having to apply for a visa. Before this date, travellers with a visa waiver were allowed to stay in Vietnam for no more than 15 days. Except for expanding the visa-free stay, Vietnam also increased the validity period of its electronic visa. Since August 2023, the Vietnam e-visa is valid for a stay of up to 90 days, while it used to be valid for only 30 days before that.
The visa waiver applies to travellers from the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, among other countries. Irish travellers still need a visa for Vietnam, even if they intend to stay in the country for less than 45 days. They may use a Vietnam e-visa which can be easily applied for online. After the application is processed, the e-visa is issued by e-mail. Since August 2023, the e-visa allows travellers to stay in Vietnam for 90 days.
Further changes in the visa policy
To support a further growth of the tourism industry, the Vietnamese government is considering further changes of the visa policy. The Vietnamese prime minister announced in February 2024 that there will be a new study to look for possibilities to further support the tourism industry in Vietnam. The study will look into the effects of introducing visas with validity periods of 12 to 36 months. Also, the study will investigate how a visa on arrival would influence tourism in Vietnam. Lastly, the study will look into possible advantages of expanding the visa-free travel regime to include more countries, such as Ireland.
Vietnam has also been discussing the introduction of a joint tourist visa with five other Southeast Asian countries. This so-called ASEAN visa is supposed to be similar to the European Schengen visa, allowing travellers to travel to Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Laos on the same visa. This visa should make the region more attractive for tourists, increasing tourism income.