Government
unlikely to relax visa regime, allowing other nations to get ahead in
attracting visitors
The Vietnam Business Forum, a
consortium of international and local business associations and chambers of
commerce, said in its annual report released last week that there has been
“no progress” in ushering in a transparent, open, and effective visa-on-arrival
system.
“It has been noted the
‘visa-on-arrival’ area at the airport provides no clear information on the
necessary forms, policies, or fees; little English is spoken; and there is no
queuing/numbering system in place,” the report said.
This is in contrast to most
other Southeast Asian countries, which have efficient visa-on-arrival systems
that make it easy for tourists to plan their trips.
For Vietnam, tourists have to
apply for their visas weeks in advance, send their passports to the Vietnamese
embassies or go online for letters to confirm their visas will be issued on
arrival, and then end up waiting for a long time after arriving in the country.
“With the exception of Myanmar,
Vietnam is the only country in Southeast Asia where visitors from major tourist
nations … still have to go through a pre-approval process before traveling,”
the report said.
Tourists also complain that when
they go to Cambodia or Laos, they can simply turn up and pay US$25 on arrival
while Vietnam charges almost double at $45 for a 30-day or 90-day single entry
visa, the most expensive in the region.
But, admit experts and tourists,
while visa fees are an issue they do not deter many people from coming. What
does put off people is the lack of a true visa-on-arrival system as found in
Cambodia or Thailand.
“So we consider that Vietnam is
an exception rather than the rule and that its current visa policy is deterring
foreign visitors rather than encouraging them,” Kenneth Atkinson, head of the
grouping’s Working Group for Hospitality and Tourism, told Vietweek.
At a biannual meeting with the
Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) last June, Vietnamese officials had promised
several major improvements to the visa system.
“This issue has been proposed by
donors to the government and the process is already underway,” Huynh Vinh Ai,
deputy tourism minister, had said.
The authorities promised to
introduce an online visa system that would enable registration for
visa-on-arrival. They also revealed plans to work with neighboring countries to
hammer out a single-visa policy that would enable tourists to travel freely
across Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
But all these plans have
remained “in progress,” the VBF report said.
The only commitment the
Vietnamese government has honored is the continued visa waiver for single-entry
visits of up to 15 days for Danish, Finnish, Japanese, Norwegian, Russian,
South Korean, and Swedish nationals.
Citizens of ASEAN (Association
of Southeast Asian Nations) member countries do not need a visa to enter
Vietnam.
The VPF report urged Vietnam to
expand the visa exemptions to countries that “can potentially account for
significant tourism revenue, such as the EU member states, the US, Canada,
Australia, or Hong Kong.”
It is in the context of changes
happening in Vietnam’s neighborhood that the rationale for doing so is evident,
experts say.
Last June, Cambodia, Indonesia
and the Philippines agreed to set up a common smart visa system modeled after
the Schengen visa issued by 25 European countries. Thailand inked a deal with
Cambodia on sharing visas starting last January.
Thailand also waives visas for
citizens of 55 countries and territories, while Malaysia, a leading tourist
attraction in the region, does so for 155.
ASEAN is also working on a plan
based on the Schengen visa to bring in more tourists as the 10-member bloc
looks to form an “economic community” in 2015.
The diverse region of around 600
million people boasts numerous exotic destinations including the jungle-covered
Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia to five-star beach resorts in Bali, appealing to
travelers from all walks of life.
ASEAN countries recorded around
77 million foreign visitor arrivals in 2011. Malaysia led the field, followed
by Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos,
Myanmar and Brunei.
But experts say the single visa
plan is unlikely to materialize anytime soon.
"The establishment of such
a visa will not likely occur in the next five years due to barriers of
technology, political issues, concerns of sovereignty and security, and the different
visa systems in the member states," ASEAN’s tourism strategic plan said.
Although Vietnam received a
total of 4.2 million foreign tourists in the first 11 months of this year, up
12.1 percent from a year ago according to latest government statistics, the VBF
report said: “We are seeing significant lower growth in arrival numbers
compared to our neighbors, including Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand, all of
whom have more efficient visa-on-arrival systems.”
If visas cannot be waived
outright for countries with large numbers of visitors, “then Vietnam’s present
visa-on-arrival system should be simplified,” it said.
There is no sign that the system
will improve anytime soon, and experts say they are not optimistic that Vietnam
will become more generous in waiving visas for a larger group of visitors.
In a country where the growing
backlash against the influx of illegal foreign workers has shown no sign of
letup, lawmakers have repeatedly urged the government to tighten controls on
foreigners overstaying their 15-day visa to usurp locals’ jobs or even commit
crimes.
While this move is apparently
aimed at unskilled Chinese workers and African nationals, the collateral damage
on those who are not targeted is inevitable, experts say.
At a recent session of
the National Assembly, Vietnam's legislature, lawmakers urged greater
caution in waiving visas for foreigners to strike a balance between “ensuring
national sovereignty” and “meeting the needs of international integration and
economic development.”
“We ask that the National
Assembly review the unilateral visa waiver for South Korean, Japanese,
Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, and Russians nationals,” Ha Huy Thong, a
lawmaker, said.
He said the exemptions have to
be evaluated for their impact on laws, consular security, and tourism so that
“we can propose appropriate solutions in the future.
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