Myanmar and Vietnam are two of the most popular countries to visit in Southeast Asia these days. Both countries are rich in historical and cultural attractions. In Myanmar, visitors can visit the ancient city of Bagan and marvel at its temples and stupas. Vietnam, on the other hand, is home to the Halong Bay. It’s a beautiful bay surrounded by thousands of towering limestone cliffs. In an effort to boost the industry of tourism, both countries offered 30-day free visas for each other.
With the visa waiver program, citizens of Vietnam can now visit Myanmar without the need of a visa. The program will allow Vietnamese visitors to stay in the country for up to 30 days. On the other hand, Burmese citizens can now come to Vietnam without the need of a visa. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the program will be rolled out on January 1st, 2020.
Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the Prime Minister of Vietnam, came to Myanmar last Tuesday to sign the visa policy agreement. In preparation for his visit, discussions have already been held in Myanmar concerning tourism promotions. They have also discussed trade and investment between the two Southeast Asian countries.
With this new visa-free policy, it will now be easier for citizens of both countries to stay in each other’s country longer. The two countries are close to each other and will only take less than 2 hours flight away. With this new visa-free program, citizens of Myanmar and Vietnam will no longer have to go through the hassles of applying for a visa just to visit each individual country.
According to some of the tourist agencies in Myanmar, Vietnam is currently their top destination. Their tours to Vietnam are full for the entire year. They are hoping that by offering a 30-day free visa, more and more Burmese citizens will be encouraged to visit Vietnam.
It was just a few years ago when Vietnam started offering direct flights to Myanmar. This has brought a large number of Vietnamese travelers to the country. With these new direct flights, it’s now cheaper for Vietnamese travelers to visit Myanmar. The airlines offering direct flights to Myanmar have offered low-cost fares and rolled out several promotions to lure travelers. Along with this, travel and tour agencies have also offered cheap tour packages for Vietnamese travelers.
Over the past few years, more and more Vietnamese are going on holiday. While most of them would explore the local attractions, a few of them would choose to go abroad. Now that their neighboring country of Myanmar is offering a free visa for them, it’s highly possible that most Vietnamese would choose Myanmar for their next holiday destination.
Myanmar has eased the visa requirements for most Southeast Asian citizens. Except for Malaysia, citizens of Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, and now Vietnam can enter the country visa-free. Thais are the number one foreign visitors of Myanmar from Southeast Asia. Next to Thais are Vietnamese.
On the other hand, there is an increasing number of Burmese travelers that have come to Vietnam for a holiday in recent years. The number is especially at peak during the holiday season. Aside from Vietnam, Burmese travelers would also prefer to visit Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and other neighboring countries. Recently, the demand for travel packages to South Korea, Japan, India, and the UK has also increased among Burmese travelers. This data was revealed by Myanmar’s Ministry of Hotel and Tourism.
The free-visa policy for citizens of Myanmar will only be rolled out on January 1st. For now, the only way that Myanmar citizens can enter Vietnam is by applying for a Vietnam Visa. There are various options when it comes to this. If you are planning to stay in the country for only 30 days, the 30-day single-entry electronic visa is highly recommended.
There’s also an option to apply for a Visa on Arrival. This is recommended if you plan to stay in the country for more than 30 days. With the Vietnam Visa on Arrival, you can choose to apply for 90-day multiple visas. To apply for the Visa on Arrival, you need to request a pre-approval letter online. Once the letter is approved, it will be sent to your email. All you need to do is to print it and bring it on your trip to the country.
Upon arriving at the Vietnam airport, head to the visa counter and hand your passport and the letter. Provide other requirements as well and pay for the processing fee. Once your visa is approved, it will be stamped on your passport and you can now enter Vietnam for your holiday.
If you’re visiting Vietnam for a holiday, you might be happy to know that the country is extending their visa exemption program. So if you are a citizen of Finland, Belarus, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, South Korea, Japan, and Russia, you can visit the country visa-free for the next 3 years.
Here’s good news to foreign travelers visiting Vietnam. The country has now extended its visa exemption program for citizens of 13 more countries.
Recently, Vietnam’s National Assembly has called for an amendment to the current immigration law of the country (New Immigration Law of Vietnam). And for the first time, Vietnam’s Immigration has finally allowed foreign visitors to change their status while still in the country.
All visitors travel to Phu Quoc Island can stay in the island up to 30 days without a visa. Visitor who want to stay for 30 days visa-free in Phu Quoc island are required to stay within the island for maximum 30 days then exit to for home country or another countries.
From 01 Feb, 2019, Vietnam Immigration Department has added more 35 countries to the Vietnam e-visa program, including Hong Kong (China) and Macau (China). But until now the Vietnam e-visa system is just updated for old version of Hong Kong passport – passport number starts with letter “K”.
From 01 Feb, 2019, Citizens of Hong Kong can apply for Vietnam eVisa online. Below is everything you need to know about Vietnam eVisa for citizens of Hong Kong (China).