Policy on visa easing
To attract international tourists, Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia... are implementing flexible visa policies to create competitive advantages.
Currently, Malaysia has the most open visa policy in Southeast Asia, exempting visas for citizens of 165 countries and territories. Next is Singapore with 163 countries and territories. Thailand exempts visas for citizens from 98 countries and territories around the world. Not only that, these countries also increase the length of stay to 30-90 days depending on the country, allowing tourists to stay longer, thereby increasing spending on tourism.
In addition, aiming to exempt visa fees and extend the stay period for some target markets such as China and India helps Southeast Asian countries gain huge profits from tourism. Typically, Malaysia has implemented a 30-day visa exemption policy for Chinese and Indian citizens from December 2023.
By December 2024, a total of more than 4.1 million Chinese citizens had entered the country, according to a report by the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. The number of Indian visitors to Malaysia during the same period was 1.4 million people. Thanks to the positive impact of visa exemption policies, Malaysia has decided to extend visa exemptions for Chinese and Indian tourists until 2026.
For its part, Vietnam is also increasingly open about visa policies. Most recently, the Government issued Resolution No. 44 on visa exemption for citizens of 12 countries until 2028. From March 15, 2025 to March 14, 2028, citizens of 12 countries including: Japan, South Korea, Russia, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland will be exempted from visas with a temporary stay period of 45 days from the date of entry.
Previously, the Government exempted visas for Polish, Czech and Swiss citizens from January 1 to December 31, 2025. At the same time, the Agreement on visa exemption for citizens holding regular passports between Vietnam and Belarus officially takes effect from January 30, 2025.
Vietnam also applies the issuance of electronic visas (e-visas) to citizens of all countries and territories at 13 airports, 13 seaports and 16 road border gates; the temporary residence period is increased from 30 days to 90 days and the visa has multiple entry validity.
Increasing competitive advantage
Mr. Bui Thanh Tu - Marketing Director of BestPrice Travel Company - said that after the Government issued a 45-day visa exemption policy for citizens of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland from January 1 to the end of 2025, a large number of Polish tourists have registered to travel to Vietnam.
Immediately after the visa exemption policy was implemented, Polish travel companies organized tours to Phu Quoc, attracting a large number of tourists to register to participate at a price of about 60 million VND for 16 days. Tourists from the Czech Republic and Switzerland also tend to choose more destinations in Vietnam, said Mr. Tu. Therefore, Mr. Tu believes that it is necessary to expand the visa exemption policy so that Vietnam has an advantage in competing for the tourism market share, avoiding being left behind.
Sharing the same view, Mr. Nguyen Cong Hoan - General Director of Flamingo Redtours - commented that visa easing will help Vietnam become more friendly and open in the eyes of international tourists and investors.
In reality, each policy of simplifying visa procedures, loosening and exempting visas for some countries has brought positive and clear results in the growth of the number of visitors. Not only that, Vietnam also welcomes more investors, entrepreneurs, and super-rich people to experience and work, contributing to promoting economic development and enhancing the country's position," said Mr. Hoan.
According to Mr. Nguyen Cong Hoan, considering the visa exemption policy for billionaire visitors to Vietnam also shows that our country is ready with services and 5-6 star quality experiences to welcome high-end visitors.
Mr. Bui Thanh Tu said that extending the visa period also supports the organization of tours, helping customers have more options, stay longer and spend more in Vietnam.
According to Kien Giang Tourism Association, there are still many international tourists coming to Phu Quoc during the April 30 holiday this year. In addition, domestic tourists this year have also begun to increase, showing clear signs of increasing compared to 2024.
Mr. Nguyen Vu Khac Huy - Permanent Vice President of Kien Giang Tourism Association - said that the visa exemption policy for countries when traveling to Phu Quoc is clearly a very favorable thing to implement and promote the development of the international tourist segment. According to Mr. Huy, if the visa exemption period is extended, it will create much more favorable conditions, creating a stepping stone to move towards large markets. In particular, Phu Quoc tourism industry in particular and Kien Giang in general are also aiming for the country's major event, APEC 2027. This is an opportunity for Phu Quoc to welcome a "huge" number of international visitors beyond expectations, Mr. Huy shared more. Tran Trang
Da Nang pioneers in stimulating tourism in 2025 with expanded visa exemption policy
Da Nang is actively implementing a tourism stimulus campaign in 2025 with the theme "Enjoy Da Nang 2025 - Multi experience", aiming to welcome more than 11.9 million visitors, achieving revenue of over VND 36,000 billion. The locality also expects the visa exemption policy to be a strong lever, attracting international tourists and promoting the remarkable development of the tourism industry.
The Da Nang tourism stimulus program 2025 includes two main activities: "Enjoying Da Nang in its full experience" with attractive incentives for all markets and "Return to Da Nang" (I Love Da Nang) exclusively for international visitors.
Ms. Truong Thi Hong Hanh - Director of the Department of Tourism of Da Nang City - affirmed that the city will diversify tourism products, focusing on MICE tourism and wedding tourism, while committing to ensuring service quality, meeting the increasing needs of tourists.
My Linh
