Vietnam mulls visa exemptions for French citizens
Vietnam is considering lifting visa requirements for French citizens to lure more tourists from the European country, said a tourism leader recently. The Vietnam Tourism Association (VTA) has submitted the visa exemption proposal to the government, according VTA Chairman Do Van Hoang. France is currently one of the major markets for Vietnam to promote its tourism, Hoang said. Vietnam received over 30,000 French visitors in the first quarter of 2005, a surge of 26 per cent year-on-year, he added.
Also in an effort to boost tourism, Vietnam has decided to exempt visas for citizens from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland visiting Vietnam for up to 15 days, effective May 1. Last year, Vietnam unilaterally waived visa requirements for citizens from Japan and South Korea. Vietnam has reciprocal visa-free agreements with Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Laos, who are all members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
By The Vinh - Tuoi Tre / Thanh Nien - April 21, 2005
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