Fees for all visas into Vietnam will be increased by up to 80 per cent starting January 1, according to the government web portal.
Increases will be applied to both tourist and business travellers, and both single- and multiple-entry visas.
The price of a single-entry visa will go up from US$25 to US$45, while multiple-entry ones valid for one or three months will be increased from US$50 to US$65. The web portal states that the new prices of long-stay multiple entry visas will be US$95 for six months and US$135 for more than six months.
No visa is required for travel of less than 30 days for citizens of Thailand, The Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Laos. Visa exemptions also apply to travel under 15 days by nationals of Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.
APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) holders from Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies, meanwhile, do not need a visa to enter Vietnam for travel of less than 60 days.
"Definitely, this will affect leisure travel to Vietnam because the further increase to the visa fees will make them expensive compared with other short-haul destinations around Hong Kong," says Spencer Lau, Marketing and Sales Manager at Vietnam Airlines in Hong Kong.
He added that he doesn't expect the fee increment to have the same affect on business travel, however, which has been steadily increasing over the part two to three years, as the manufacturing industry has been shifting away from China and into Vietnam due to the lower land and labour costs available there.
For more information, visit the government web portal
Alex Andersson
