A pilot program granting tourists 30-day electronic visas has been expanded to include 35 additional nations and territories.
To bolster tourism and in response to positive results, passport holders from developing countries in Europe and elsewhere are now able to apply online for single-entry visas at a cost of US$25 beginning February 1 of this year.
The e-visa application process, which takes three days, has been extended to nations such as Brazil, Iceland, Portugal, Switzerland, Serbia and Chinese passports from Hong Kong or Macau. The complete list of 35 countries can be viewed here.
The program began in February 2017 with 40 countries and was extended an additional two years this past fall. In December 2017, six more countries were added, including Australia and India. Authorities also increased the number of places of entry to 16 boarders gates and nine ports, up from 13 and seven, respectively.
As of August 31, 2018, 241,875 people have entered Vietnam with e-visas. When it was first announced, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc explained that VND200 billion (US$8.96 million) would be dedicated to expediting the project's implementation.
The move coincides with Vietnam's ambitious aims for international visitors. The country aims to attract US$35 billion in tourism revenue by 2020. European guests bring in an average US$1,316 per trip while overall foreign visitors spend US$900, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
