The number of e-visa issues for foreigners entering Viet Nam has seen dramatic growth month on month, said Major General Le Xuan Vien, head of the Immigration Management Department in a press conference on 12 December.

International passengers arriving at Da Nang's Tien Sa Port

The press conference, held by the department, reviewed Viet Nam’s 9-month pilot e-visa scheme, and announced 6 more nations whose citizens are eligible to the scheme.

Since 1 February, the National Web Portal on Immigration has reported about one million visits; and approximately 96,500 foreign citizens were granted e-visas, 97% of whom got their e-visas through the portal, Vien unveiled.

Major General Le Xuan Vien, head of the Immigration Management Department, speaks at the press conference to review the 9-month pilot e-visa scheme. (Photo: VNA)

The country’s new e-visa scheme has been well-received by both people at home and overseas after 9 months of implementation, and particularly attracted greater attention from citizens in the US and European countries, he noted.

The immigration official added that Viet Nam provides both e-visa and visa-upon-arrival services.

Following the success of the scheme, the government has decided to expand it to visitors from 6 more countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UAE, India and the Netherlands.  Australians are the 7^th biggest group of foreign arrivals and among the top spenders.

Viet Nam began allowing tourists from 40 countries to apply for e-visas last February, with China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the US, the UK, Germany and Sweden - all major target markets for its tourism sector, among the 40.

Visitors can apply online for a 30-day, single-entry visa by paying a non-refundable application fee.  It will take applicants three working days to find out if their visa applications have been approved.

In order to help individuals and organisations easily find the information related to e-visas, the Immigration Department has set up an e-mail and ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ column in English, France and Spanish at the websites http://www.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn or http://www.immigration.gov.vn.

Visitors with e-visas can enter through 8 international airports, 13 international border gates on land, or 7 ports.

(Source: VNA/ NDO)