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Photo: There are 10 Autogate that have been installed and tested at the international terminal, Tan Son Nhat airport. Of these, 5 machines serve exiting procedures and 5 machines serve immigration procedures. (Lao Dong)

Autogate is an automatic entry/exit gate control system implemented at five international airports in Vietnam, namely Da Nang, Noi Bai, Cam Ranh, Tan Son Nhat, and Phu Quoc International Airport. Instead of queuing in line for ground staff to check manually, Vietnamese citizens and foreigners now can easily go through Autogate with advanced technologies including facial recognition, passport scanning, and extraction of information from electronic chips to autonomously ascertain the identity and details of passengers during entry or exit from the country. 

The Autogate application is hoped to help expedite immigration procedures, decrease the number of employees working at airport security desks, and improve security measures all at the same time.

The only limit in this initial phase (about 2 years) is that Autogate only allows Vietnamese nationals with valid passports (Diplomatic passport, Official passport, or ABTC card) and foreigners with valid residence cards or temporary residence cards issued by authorized Vietnam government agencies.

Instructions on using Autogate system in Vietnam's international airports (Data source: The Tan Son Nhat International Airport Border Gate Police)

After 6 months, most of the concerns and problems related to Autogate arising from… passports. Vietnameses came back to their home country from overseas often forgot to check whether their passports are chip based or not. If not, they have to register to use this system beforehand. 

“Normally, if a passenger registers at a convenient time such as morning shift, afternoon shift, or night shifts that are not too late, the leader on duty will immediately approve the request. In the case of passengers registering manually at the airport, too late at night, if the unit leaders are not awake at the right time, there will be no one to review”, said one staff working in Tan Son Nhat International Airport. 

Other problems such as scanning glitch, wrong data, inconsistent information, etc of the Autogate system have also caused confusion among Vietnameses and foreigners. The authority in Tan Son Nhat International Airport explained that the Autogate system requires a long time to perfect its data collection function, as well as the user's proper passport information. Namely, there are many cases where passengers have incompatible passport features, passports that are too old, or images that do not match their current face due to editing or aesthetic surgery, etc. 

Overall, Autogate may not have been meeting the expectations of Vietnamese nationals at the moment, especially foreigners who wish to enter Vietnam with ease; it is still in the first phase and there’s a chance to improve in the near future.

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Photo courtesy of VOI

In honor of The 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Kingdom of Oman, the two countries decided to sign a mutual visa waiver agreement for diplomatic, special, and official passport holders in Hanoi - the capital of Vietnam on April 28, 2022. 

Specifically, citizens of Vietnam and Oman who possess diplomatic, special, and official passports with a validity of at least six months will receive visa-free privileges, allowing entry, stay, transit, and exit for up to 90 days from the date of entry. This initiative aims to enhance economic and tourism collaboration between the two nations.

In Vietnam, Official Passports are issued to government officials abroad because of the state civil service. Diplomatic Passports are issued to government diplomatic officials traveling abroad on business. 

These kinds of passports are valid for 05 years from the date of issuance and are entitled to all countries. This passport holder has priority over the special port entry and priority visa-free entry under the provisions of the destination countries.

Diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Oman were established on June 9, 1992, leading to the formation of the Oman-Vietnam Joint Venture Investment Company (VOI) in 2008. 

This visa waiver policy of both countries has expressed clearly their goodwill and directions: opening the door for future meetings between officials of the two nations, as well as promoting each other’s tourism to respective visitors and travelers.

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Photo: Reuters

Hong Kong has always been one of the most significant comprehensive partners of Vietnam. Vietnam has previously advocated for more lenient visa policies with various partners, including Hong Kong, aiming to enhance trade, travel, and interpersonal exchanges. These measures are anticipated to foster a more amicable relationship and cooperation between Vietnam and its partnering countries.

In response, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has announced that Vietnamese citizens will be granted Multiple entry visas valid for up to 2 years, with a duration of stay for 14 days each entry. This policy has changed drastically as Hong Kong only allowed Vietnamese to apply for a single entry visa previously.

To be eligible for the policy, Vietnamese visitors must meet one of the following criteria: having traveled internationally a minimum of three times; visiting at least two different countries within the last three years; or having engaged in employment or training in Hong Kong within the past two years.

Hong Kong is also initiating a comprehensive program to attract skilled immigrants, which includes opening opportunities for individuals from Vietnam, Laos, and Nepal to pursue education and employment at its eight public universities.

In March of this year, the Hong Kong Tourism Board declared its intention to distribute 80,000 round-trip air tickets to residents in Southeast Asian nations, with 8,800 tickets allocated for residents of Vietnam. This endeavor is a component of a sponsored campaign by the Airport Authority Hong Kong, aimed at welcoming global tourists back after a period of over three years of Covid-19 restrictions.

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Photo: Collected

For the past few years, China and South Korea are always among top outbound destinations that have attracted many Vietnamese people to travel, especially for short-term visit purposes. In the latest statistics of the Korean Tourism Organization, Vietnam has ranked 5th worldwide and the leading spot in Southeast Asia for the number of tourists to the Republic of Korea (RoK) in 2023.

Therefore, the news of both China and RoK loosening their visa policy for several countries, including Vietnam, has brought considerable joy and excitement among Vietnamese people.

Specifically, China will cut visa fees by 25% for travelers from countries such as Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, from December 11, 2023, to December 31, 2024. The visa fee for Vietnamese citizens entering this country starts from US$45 - for a single entry visa. The world’s second-largest economy hopes that this new policy will help to boost China’s tourism and economy growth in general, which still has been detrimentally affected post Covid-19 pandemic.

As for RoK, tourist groups from Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia will not be charged eVisa fees starting from 2024. Together with the visa waiver policy of Jeju island for Vietnamese passport holders who travel by charter flights or under tourist groups, RoK aims to attract 20 million international tourists and create US$24.5 billion in tourism revenue in 2024. 

To facilitate seamless travel for tourists, the Korean Government and Ministry of Science and ICT will develop an application designed to assist foreign visitors in making reservations for public transportation. Additionally, efforts will be made to enhance the English services provided by navigation apps.

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