Foreign tourists on cyclo rides in the historic downtown district of Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Khánh Hoà

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is actively considering new visa policies to serve tourists’ demand and meeting Việt Nam’s development needs.

Deputy spokesperson for the foreign ministry Phạm Thu Hằng made the statement on Thursday during the press conference held in Hà Nội, in response to questions over Việt Nam’s falling number of international arrivals. The country has only received three million foreign tourists so far this year, against the original target of five million for the whole of 2022, taking into account the fact that the international tourism peak season is in the latter months of the year.

“From March 15, 2022, the Government of Việt Nam has decided to restore pre-pandemic immigration policies, including the procedures and processes of granting visas in accordance with the 2014 Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Việt Nam, and its amendments in 2019 along with other relevant guiding documents. This has created favourable conditions for tourists as well as experts and foreign investors to enter Việt Nam, contributing to economic recovery and development after the COVID-19 pandemic," Hằng noted.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently been very active in proposing the Government policies and measures to open the country and instructing Vietnamese representative missions abroad to thoroughly follow the policy of the Prime Minister on facilitating foreigners' entry into the country, according to the deputy spokesperson.

And all of the procedures are in accordance with the aforementioned rules on entry, exit, transit, and residence of foreigners, said Hằng.

“And we also take note of the challenges faced by foreign tourists during entry into our country,” the deputy spokesperson noted, in response to questions over reports of complicated, overly long and expensive visa procedures that citizens of Chinese Taipei have faced when entering Việt Nam for tourism purposes.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will coordinate with domestic authorities to research and report to the government on ways to further facilitate the entry of international tourists to Việt Nam, thus meeting the needs of foreign tourists and the requirements of socio-economic development of Việt Nam in the new period,” Hằng said. — VNS