Vietnamese Prime Minister signed Wednesday a directive to waive visa requirements for citizens of 5 European countries, starting July 1.

The visa-free travel policy will be applicable to German, French, British, Italian, and Spanish visitors, with an allowed 15-day stay for each entry, according to the document.

Viet Nam will waive visas for the 5 countries for one year from the directive’s effective date. These countries do not have a similar policy for Vietnamese citizens, however.

International tourists pass an immigration check to enter Thua Thien-Hue Province

The Southeast Asian country currently applies a one-sided free-visa policy to 8 countries, including Japan, South Korea, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, and Belarus.

Viet Nam also has a visa-free policy for 9 other Southeast Asian countries, including Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines.

According to the new directive, foreign tourists who visit Phu Quoc Island, off Kien Giang Province, will not need to apply for a visa if they stay there for 30 days at most.

This measure will hopefully enable Viet Nam to win back international tourists, at a time when the country’s foreign tourist arrival numbers have repeatedly slumped for 12 consecutive months.

(Source: tuoitrenews)