Vietnam decreases Visa fees in effort to boost tourism

Vietnam will decrease visa fees for several types of international passport holders and overseas Vietnamese next month, in the latest effort to boost the country’s foreign arrivals.

Starting November 23, the single entry visa will cost US$25 instead of the current $45, whereas the fee for multiple entry visas with validity of three months will go down from $95 to $50, according to a circular by the Ministry of Finance.

Foreigners will still have to pay $95 for the multiple entry visa having validity between three and six months, and $135 for a multiple entry visa having validity between six months and a year.

The fee for a one and up to two year visa shall be $145, and for a two and up to five years visa is $155. For tourists who enter Vietnam and continue traveling to Laos and Cambodia, then come back to Vietnam to return to their home countries, the visa fee is $5 instead of $45 as currently charged.

Tuoi Tre newspaper quoted an unnamed official from the ministry as saying that the new regulations are aimed at supporting tourism. Such a policy was immediately praised by local travel operators who said the new policy is more convenient for international customers and it’s good news for the tourism industry

In July, Vietnam started waiving visas for five European countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK.

Vietnam is making the effort to win back foreign visitors, after international arrivals dropped continuously for 13 months from May 2014. Even though that was up 8.3 percent from September last year, the overall number for the first nine months dropped 5.9 percent from a year earlier.