Visa

News: Visa exemption for foreigners to Phu Quoc takes effect

A policy to grant a 30-day visa exemption for foreign passport holders visiting Phu Quoc Island off the coast of the southern province of Kien Giang took effect on March 10.

Visa exemption is also applicable to those foreigners, who are in transit at an international border gate in Vietnam (including by air or by sea) to Phu Quoc island. 

The visa policy is expected to help transform the world-famous tourist Phu Quoc destination into a national and international hi-end holiday heaven. 

Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s largest island. The 574 – sq.km heart-shaped island, along with 22 other islands, forms Phu Quoc island district. 

Phu Quoc features a monsoon tropical climate. It has two seasons, the dry season from November to April and the rainy season from May to October. The average temperature there is 28 degrees Celsius, allowing visitors to enjoy the island’s beauty at any time of the year. 

On February 14, the first international direct flight, run by Russia’s IKAR airlines, with 250 Russian tourists onboard landed at Phu Quoc International Airport, which is capable of catering for modern aircraft like the Boeing 777 and Boeing 747-400. 

Meanwhile, passengers hailing from Hanoi, the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh City are offered a variety of services provided by Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air and Jetstar Pacific, which operate 25 flights using A321, A320 and ATR72 planes in and out of the destination every day. 

The island, dubbed "Paradise Pearl Island", is now included in the eight-day Vietnam voyage itinerary of the luxury Europa II cruise, which services more than 750 customers and crew, mainly German, per tour, Saigontourist has said. 

The Ho Chi Minh City-based travel company said the Hapag-Lloyd-operated ship Hanseatic, with around 1,000 passengers onboard, will dock at the island on April 23. 

In the meantime, hotels and resorts on the island are having 3,000 hotel rooms, including 2,000 three-star rooms. 

In 2013, Phu Quoc welcomed 94,000 foreign visitors out of its total 416,000 arrivals. 

By 2020, the year set for Phu Quoc Island to become a special administrative-economic zone, the island is expected to gross 771 million USD from providing hospitality services to 2-3 million tourists annually, 40 percent of them foreigners.

Source: Vietnamplus

Visa exemption
1/ Citizens of Southeast Asia
Citizens of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos holding valid ordinary passports are exempt from visa requirements and are allowed to stay for not more than 30 days; Philippines is allowed to stay for not more than 21 days.


2/ Citizens of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Japan, South Korea and Russia holding different kinds of passports are exempt from visa requirements and are allowed to stay for not more than 15 days.


3/ Vietnamese people that hold foreign passports and foreigners who are their husbands, wives and children are exempt from visa requirements to enter Vietnam and are allowed to stay for not more than 90 days. In order to be granted visa exemption certificates at Vietnamese representative offices abroad, overseas Vietnamese need conditions:

• Foreign-issued permanent residence certificate (PRC) with the validity of at least six months since the date of entrance.
  
• Visa exemption paper (VEP) is granted by Vietnamese appropriate authorities.

Those who expect to stay more than 90 days must apply for visa according to current stipulations before their entrance.

4/ By February 2011, citizens of China, Kyrgyzstan, North Korea, and Rumaniaholding valid ordinary passports for official mission. Citizens of 60 countries holding valid diplomatic or official passports are exempt from visa requirements including:  Argentina, Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Chile, China, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominica, Ecuador, France, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela.

 

Others who want to enter Vietnam must be provided with a visa.

• Tourist visa is valid in 30 days.
• Visa is issued at the Vietnamese diplomatic offices or consulates in foreign countries. Visa is possibly issued at the border gates to those who have written invitations by a Vietnamese competent agencies or tourists in the tours organized by Vietnamese international travel companies.
• Application files for visa: the entrance application (printed form); two 4x6 cm photos; passport and fee for the visa issuance.

Electronic visa application form

• Fill all required information in the application form. Sections with asterisk sign (*) are compulsory.
• Use Acrobat Reader or compatible software to open the electronic application form (PDF format).
• Check carefully information you have filled, print and sign the form (01 copy).
• Prepare the dossiers as instructed.
• Submit your dossiers to a Vietnamese Consular Authority (as selected in the initial information of the form).

According to Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and Ministry Foreign Affairs of Vietnam

(http://www.vietnamtourism.com/e_pages/useful/useful.asp)

 (http://visa.mofa.gov.vn/_layouts/registration/ApplicationForm.aspx)

 

EXEMPTION OF ENTRY VISA TO VIETNAM

25/10/2013 10:00 SA

Tiếng Việt / English

EXEMPTION OF ENTRY VISA TO VIETNAM

(Updated on Oct 2013)

COUNTRY	TYPE OF PASSPORT			Duration of stay
	Diplomatic	Official/ Service/ Special	Ordinary (for official purpose)
Armenia	x	x				90 days
Afghanistan (Islamic State)	x	x				not stipulated
Albania (Republic)	x	x				not stipulated
Algeria (People's Democratic Republic)	x	x				90 days
Angola	x	x				30 days
Argentina (Republic)	x	x				90 days
Azerbaijan	x	x				01 month
Bangladesh (People's Republic)	x	x				90 days
Belarus (Republic)	x	x				not stipulated
Brazil (Federative Republic)	x	x				90 days
Brunei Darussalam	x	x				14 days
Bulgaria (Republic)	x	x				90 days
Cambodia (Kingdom)	x	x				not stipulated for Diplomatic & Official passports/30 days for Ordinary passport
Chile (Republic)	x	x				90 days
China (People's Republic)	x	x	x			30 days
Colombia (Republic)	x	x				90 days
Croatia (Republic)	x	x				30 days
Cuba (Republic)	x	x	x			not stipulated
Czech (Republic)	x					90 days
Denmark (Kingdom)	x	x				15 days
Dominican (Republic)	x	x				90 days
Ecuador (Republic)	x	x				90 days
Egypt	x	x				90 days
El Salvador (Republic)	x	x				90 days
Finland (Republic)	x	x				15 days
France (Republic)	x					03 months
Germany	x					90 days
Hungary (Republic)	x	x				90 days
India (Republic)	x	x				90 days
Indonesia (Republic)	x	x				30 days
Iran (Islamic Republic)	x					01 months
Iraq (Republic)	x	x				90 days
Israel	x					90 days
Italy	x					90 days
Japan	x	x				90 days for Diplomatic and Official passport/15 days for ordinary passport
Kazakhstan (Republic)	x	x				30 days
Korea (Democratic People's Republic)	x	x				not stipulated
Korea (Republic)	x	x				90 days for Diplomatic and Official passport/15 days for ordinary passport
Kyrgyzstan (Republic)	x	x				not stipulated
Laos (People's Democratic Republic)	x	x	x			30 days
Malaysia	x	x				30 days
Mexico (United States)	x	x				90 days
Myanma	x	x				90 days
Moldova (Republic)	x	x				90 days
Mongolia	x	x				90 days
Montenegro	x	x				90 days
Morocco (Kingdom)	x	x				90 days
Mozambique (Republic)	x	x				90 days
Myanmar (Union)	x	x				30 days
Nicaragua (Republic)	x	x				not stipulated
Norway (Kingdom)	x	x				15 days
Pakistan (Islamic Republic)	x	x				90 days
Panama (Republic)	x	x				90 days
Paraguay (Republic)	x	x				90 days
Peru (Republic)	x	x				90 days
Philippines (Republic)	x	x				21 days for ordinary passport
Poland	x					90 days
Romania	x	x				not stipulated
Russia (Federation)	x	x				90 days for Diplomatic and Official passport/15 days for Ordinary passport
Serbia	x	x				90 days
Seychelles	x	x				90 days
Singapore (Republic)	x	x				90 days for Diplomatic and Official passport/30 days for Ordinary passport
Slovak (Republic)	x					90 days
Slovenia	x	x				90 days
South Africa (Republic)	x	x				90 days
Spain (Kingdom)	x					90 days
Sri Lanka (Democratic Socialist Republic)	x	x				90 days
Sweden (Kingdom)	x	x				15 days
Switzerland (Confederation)	x					90 days
Tanzania (United Republic)	x	x				90 days
Thailand (Kingdom)	x	x				30 days
Tunisia (Republic)	x	x				90 days
Turkey (Republic)	x	x				90 days
Ukraine	x	x	x			90 days for Diplomatic and Official passport/30 days for Ordinary (official purpose) and Seaman passports
United Arab Emirates (UAE)	x	x				90 days
Uruguay (Republic)	x	x				90 days
Uzbekistan	x					60 days
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic)	x	x				90 days
Bilateral agreements, which have been signed but not yet entered into force
Bolivia	x	x				90 days
Costa Rica	x	x				90 days
Estonia	x					90 days