Vietnam relaxes visa requirements for UK visitors
Vietnam has dropped visa requirements for five major European markets in a bid to revive its ailing tourism industry.
Visitors from the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain will not require a visa for stays of up to 15 days beginning July 1, the government said.
Vietnam also offers visa exempt travel for travellers from Scandinavian countries, and Russia, Belarus, Japan and South Korea.
It also provides reciprocal visa free travel for nationals of nine ASEAN countries.
Visitor numbers have plummeted 13% in the first half of 2015, spurring calls from the Vietnam tourism industry to simplify immigration rules.
"The decision will delight the country’s tourism sector and visitors from these countries," Nguyen Van Tuan, director of tourism administration said.
The directive has been welcomed by tour operators as a positive move but some would like to see it extended to 30 days to keep pace with other countries like Malaysia and Thailand.
Laurence Hicks, managing director at Wendy Wu Tours, said: "We are delighted that Vietnam is further opening its doors to UK and EU tourism by relaxing the visa rules. It is a move towards recognition that UK and EU visitors are undeniably valuable to Vietnam’s tourism economy."
Government data showed a drop of 7% for arrivals from Europe so far in 2015.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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