Vietnam is one of the countries that has opened its borders earlier than some others, Vietnam visa procedures are still difficult for foreigners to enter. This difficulty is not only for international tourists but also for experts, businessmen and foreign investors.

Visa procedures are also one of the factors that European businesses in Vietnam believe are making the environment to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) less attractive.

Want to invest but not easy

From March 15, Vietnam officially opened its doors to foreigners, including tourists, experts and foreign managers, to enter in the form of visa exemption, temporary residence card, permanent residence, etc. But according to businesses, so far, applying for a visa to Vietnam is still not easy even though this is a condition to stimulate tourists to come, develop investment and business...

Talking to Tuoi Tre news, Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Na Na, director of Hana Company - an enterprise specializing in providing business license registration services for foreigners, said that in the past time, many foreigners have had difficulty getting visas. to work and invest in business in Vietnam.

Specifically, according to Ms. Na, many Koreans want to enter Vietnam to do business, but encounter difficulties in the stage of "having an investment".

In the past, the regulations on granting investment visas were more open, but now, new regulations are applied after amending the law, so foreigners who want to have an investment visa for up to 1 year must have a capital contribution of less than VND 3 billion and a first visa. For a maximum investment of 3 years, the investment value must be from 3 billion VND or more.

For those who have lived in Vietnam, if they want to extend their visa, they must have a tax report and have a business operation for 3 years. "However, there are people who just opened their business for only 2 years, then closed the business, and it is difficult to apply for a visa or temporary residence card to continue to return to Vietnam," said Ms. Na.

The recent story given by Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, business director of Vivutravel, at a travel forum also received many shares from many units. Tuan said he did not understand why Vietnam was hesitant to reinstate its visa policies.

"We want to make a visa for a foreign partner to come to a meeting, but we have to go online to register for a number on the Immigration Department from 6 am and then next Thursday to submit the application," Tuan said.

Similarly, the deputy general director of a travel company with a strong visa service segment in Ho Chi Minh City said that a lot of visa applications that this unit makes for business and expert customers are rejected for unknown reasons. due to...

Recently, a Lebanese businessman opened a business in Vietnam with a staff of about 6-7 people, but his visa application still failed.

Due to the need to be present for internal training, the CEO had to take a detour by buying a 7-day package tour into Vietnam, paying a series of hotel costs, entrance tickets, vehicles... with sightseeing tour schedule.

Although he has entered Vietnam to solve his work, this businessman costs more.

Need to ease visa procedures

Not only is the granting procedure more difficult, but the time limit for issuing visas to Vietnam is also shortened compared to before the epidemic. According to the reflection of businesses, visas for experts and workers entering Vietnam to work were withdrawn from 6 months to only 3 months without any specific explanation.

"In theory, workers applying for a visa to Vietnam are usually stuck outside or authorizing a service company, but the Vietnamese side often requires the worker to submit an application or a guarantee company. regulations make it difficult," said another director of a travel company.

In a recent survey on Vietnam's business environment by Eurocham, about 8% of European businesses in Vietnam said that despite the successful opening and control of the epidemic, Vietnam needs to reduce visa procedures to attract more customers. foreign investors in. Visa barriers ranked 3rd among obstacles to improving the investment environment.

According to Mr. Varun Grover, in charge of the Booking.com platform in Vietnam, the only way for Vietnam to have a flow of international visitors and bring economic, commercial and commercial activities back to life is through import procedures. The scene must be airy, clear and convenient.

"If there is any advice right now, it is the visa story. Please increase the visa extension time to 3 months because this is a practical need," said Mr. Varun Grover.

The international opening together with the facilitation of travel plays a very important role in attracting foreign investment, local export activities and increasing foreign currency revenue for the country. In addition, if international tourism develops, it also helps to strengthen and develop economic relationships with countries around the world.

The most necessary recommendation at this time is to restore the visa exemption policy as before 2019. It must be convenient for guests to decide at the last minute. Many international visitors have a need to enter Vietnam for work, business, urgent partners, but the visa procedure is always long and difficult, leading them to choose another country.

Note: If you have difficulty in applying Vietnam visa, please contact Ms.Duong at Vivutravel (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). She is our Vietnam visa expert and always available to assist you.