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Photo: Vietnamnet.vn

Located in Southeast Asia with a long coastline of 3.260 kilometers and thousands of islands and archipelagos all across the nation, sea and island tourism has contributed 70% of Vietnam’s overall tourism activities. At the beginning of January 2024, Vietnam reported welcoming tens of thousands of international visitors at major seaports in Quang Ninh, Da Nang, and Phu Quoc.

Some traits commonly seen in marine travelers are a significant number of people in each group and limited time spent at each stop. Therefore, there is a demand for efficient, accurate, and secure organizational procedures.

The first challenge in developing this sea-based tourism industry is ensuring Vietnam’s ocean liners fulfill the expectations of foreigners, especially of high-end cruise tourism. According to experts, this niche market requires tailor-made seaport facilities to host, a skilled workforce to cater to affluent travelers, and effective promotions and campaigns to boost cruise tourism. 

This first step became extremely important when Da Nang city anticipated that it would host 45 ships with more than 40.000 passengers for the year 2024.

Then, what attracts foreigners to stay longer and come back for a second time? Therefore, a comprehensive strategy and blueprint is a key drive for advancing Vietnam’s sea and island tourism.

The introduction of entertainment options has been implemented including boat racing, sailing, windsurfing, beach volleyball, hot-air ballooning, gliding, as well as plane/helicopter tours. Along with the development of tourism infrastructure and transportation networks, there has also been a focus on establishing a network of coastal accommodations, which has significantly contributed to the attraction of millions of visitors annually. 

Islands and oceans not only offer necessary resources for survival, but also hold significant cultural traditions such as traditional celebrations, beliefs and practices, cuisine, and stories. These elements contribute to a rich array of offerings for the long-term growth of island and ocean tourism.

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According to Google’s market trend tracking tool, the search volume for inbound tourism in Vietnam was placed 6th worldwide, witnessing a surge growth rate of 75% in 2023. 

On the other hand, the top 10 outbound destinations that Vietnameses searched the most last year include the United States, Australia, Japan, India, South Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Germany, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) published that Vietnam had welcomed 12.6 million international visitors, which surpassed the target of eight million for the whole year 2023, but this figure only accounted for 70% of Vietnamese tourism revenue before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

With the exception of uncontrollable factors such as the influence of international markets, political conflicts, and the threat of environmental catastrophes caused by climate change, Vietnam’s tourism has not yet developed to its full potential by failing to streamline related industries and to improve tourism quality all across the country. 

Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) and authorities in charge must focus on organized tourism development planning, introducing more relaxed visa policy, renovating tourist sites, building infrastructure, enhancing human resources, and formulating an appropriate regulatory environment. In comparison, Thailand is the same Southeast Asian nation as Vietnam but its tourism industry is far more successful and sustainable. This “country of smiles” can be a perfect example for Vietnam to learn and grow on a global scale.

In 2024, Vietnamese tourism and related industries aim to serve 17-18 million foreign and 110 million domestic tourists, with the total earnings expected to reach around USD 34.5 billion.

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Photto: Unsplash

What is Special interest tourism?

Special interest tourism, or specialist interest tourism, is a niche and tailored form of tourism that focuses on specific hobbies, activities, or experiences of a particular group of tourists. In Vietnam, there are some types of special interest inbound tourism such as golf/sport tourism, health tourism, and traveling by private jet that have become more and more popular to foreigners.

Why the new proposal?

Up to now, international visitors traveling to Vietnam looking for a unique experience still have to apply for a visa, causing trouble and inconvenience since they only stay in Vietnam for a short term, especially when most of them travel by themselves without tours. It is also not consistent with the general international rules about visa policies. 

Seeing this opportunity, the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) has proposed to grant 30-day visa exemption for those kinds of tourism on the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam.

"Proposal to consider issuing visas at the border with a temporary residence period of 30 days and valid once on the basis of on-site personnel approval for both independent travelers and tourists traveling in groups", Mr. Hoang Nhan Chinh said.

Vietnam has seen more and more individual visitors. Therefore, requiring tourists to have a visa application at the international border gate creates additional services, causing inconvenience to international tourists who want to enjoy their interests in Vietnam.

What is more?

In addition, to attract foreigners to buy houses in Vietnam, high-tech workers working long-term in the tourism industry and foreigners working remotely (digital nomad) into Vietnam, TAB proposes to add a new type of visa granted to foreign individuals purchasing residential real estate in Vietnam, with a validity of 5 years.

Besides all the proposals, starting from August 15, 2023, the Government has decided to issue e-visas to all foreign arrivals at 42 ports of entry with a 90-day validity period, multiple entries. Furthermore, the temporary residence period for citizens of the 13 countries that Vietnam offers a unilateral visa exemption policy will be increased from 15 days to 45 days.

Article 1 of Resolution No.128/NQ-CP

"Visa waiver will be applicable to nationals of the Federal Republic of Germany, The French Republic, Italian Republic, Kingdom of Spain, The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Russian Federation, Japan, Republic of Korea, Kingdom of Denmark, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Norway, Republic of Finland, and the Republic of Belarus with a maximum temporary residence period of 45 days from the date of entry, no matter what visa types they currently hold or their purposes of entry, on the basis of eligibility for entry in accordance with Vietnamese laws."

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With the surging contribution of digital nomads’ income (people who do not work in a fixed place) and K-culture revenue to the GDP (Gross Domestic Production) of South Korea, this country has launched Digital Nomad visa in January and is planning to roll out the Hallyu visa for K-pop enthusiastics. 

Starting from January 1, 2024, remote workers no longer have to apply for Korean tourist visas or stay for up to 90 days without a visa, but they will be granted Digital Nomad visa (also known as remote work visa or long-term permanent resident visa) with up to 2 years validity.

What are the requirements for this type of visa?

  • Applicants are not allowed to seek employment within South Korea;

  • Applicants must be at least 18 years old, possess a minimum of one year of work experience in their current field;

  • Proof of finance of an annual income surpassing 84.96 million won (~$66,000);

  • Applicants must have a private health insurance with a coverage of at least 100 million won.

Digital Nomad visa is hoped “to make remote work and vacation of foreigners in Korea smoother”, said the South Korea Justice Ministry. Foreigners are once approved with this visa, can also bring along their spouse and children who are below the age of 18. 

However, this visa policy is still on a trial period, and is contingent upon the success to be made permanent.

Zerobaseone (ZB1) is a boy group formed out of 98 trainees in a survival program "Boys Planet" (Source: Collected)

Hallyu visa, or K-culture visa, is a part of South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's "Tourism Promotion Master Plan" - a five-year project to boost their cultural growth and tourism revenue, and undoubtedly the country’s economy in general.

This specific visa is aimed at young foreign individuals who are interested in Korean music, films, dramas, etc and want to pursue professional training at local performing arts academies in South Korea. The visa is valid for one year and renewable for another year. 

With an effort to attract more inbound tourism, in the Visit Korea Year 2023–2024 campaign, the nation has announced its intention to grant electronic visa waiver for more nationalities, raise the thresholds for immediate tax refunds on duty-free acquisitions, and enhance transportation reservation services and payment options.

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