Vietnamese immigration officials have made it easier for American tourists to acquire visas with the introduction of an electronic visa system.

Previously, American travelers to Vietnam were usually limited to a one-or three-month, single- entry visas. Photo credit to the Viet Nam National Tourism Administration

American tourists, along with 39 other nationalities, can now apply for 30-day single-entry visas for a fee of $25.

Starting in August last year, Viet Nam began offering U.S. citizens multiple-entry one-year visas at a whopping fee of $135, rather than $25 for a single-entry visa as before.

The one-year, multiple-entry visa policy is in accordance with a mutual agreement between the 2 countries intended to attract more tourists to Viet Nam.

Viet Nam restored the short-stay visa option for U.S. citizens after a request from the U.S. itself, which said it did not conflict with the above agreement.

"This change is exactly what US travelers want because they usually just come to Viet Nam on one-week tours and then move on to other countries," Director of Viet Excursions Phan Xuan Anh told Saigon Times.

Viet Nam attracted 552,000 US travelers last year, 12.5% higher than the year before, accounting for more than 5% of the country’s total international arrivals, government statistics show.

Tourism revenue contributes around 6% to Viet Nam’s GDP and the government is determined to further expand this sector.

From February 1 this year, nationals from 40 countries have been able apply for e-visas to visit Viet Nam.

Last year, Viet Nam also extended visa exemptions with single-entry visits to citizens of Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK, and eased its visa policy for Chinese nationals.

(Source: VnExpress/International)