New visa policy comes into force in Vietnam: Tourists can now enter, exit for unlimited times within 90-day validity

A new visa policy came into force in Vietnam on August 15, opening up opportunities for tourism development, according to the state's news agency.

Under the amended law that was approved in late June, the e-visa validity period is extended to 90 days from 30 days. Within 90 days after the e-visa is granted, foreigners can enter and exit Vietnam for unlimited times, without having to apply for new visas.

The law also permits citizens of countries entitled to Vietnam's unilateral visa exemption to be granted a temporary residence period of 45 days, instead of 15 days like in the past.

As soon as the law was adopted in late June and took effect on August 15, foreigners' searches for Vietnamese tourism hotspots have soared.

Online travel platform Agoda recorded in mid-July a surge of 33 per cent in the number of searches by international travellers planning long holidays in Vietnam, compared to the two weeks before that.