The South Korean government will consider extending the policy to other Vietnamese provinces if the implementation of the policy goes smoothly.
On November 26, Do-hyun Kim, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Vietnam, announced that starting from December 3, the C-3 visa for short-term visitors will be granted to permanent residents of Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hanoi, VnExpress reports.
The visa will be eligible for five years and doesn't restrict the number of entries into the country. Each entry will last up to 30 days.
Other applicants from ASEAN countries, including Vietnam — who are professionals, such as a lawyer, doctor or professor, or who have obtained a four-year bachelor's degree from South Korea or a graduate degree from other countries — are also eligible for a 10-year multi-entry visa from December 3.
Jeong Woo-jin, Deputy Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Ho Chi Minh City, told Tuoi Tre that the new visa policy is an effort to increase tourism and promote business exchanges between the two countries. Woo-jin hopes that Vietnam will relax its visa policy towards South Korean residents in the near future.
The new policy is also a reciprocal gesture towards Vietnamese football fans, who are extremely fond of Park Hang-seo, the South Korean head coach of the Vietnam men's football team.
"The Vietnamese show affection towards Mr. Park, and the Korean government reciprocates that love of the Vietnamese people," Ambassador Kim told the news source.
[Photo via Creative Commons]
