No visa required for Chilean tourists

The government has given the nod to visa-free entry for Chilean visitors holding ordinary passports under a draft agreement between the two governments.

According to a resolution signed by prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is assigned to join hands with relevant agencies to hold negotiations with the Chilean side.

The foreign minister is authorised to sign the agreement on visa-free entry for ordinary passport holders with Chile on behalf of the government. Now, holders of diplomatic and official passports are exempt from visa.

According to several international travel firms in HCM City, Chile is still a new source market for Vietnam, so there have been few tourists visiting there. At present, many companies are promoting this market, but they often target Chile and other South American countries altogether when organising marketing activities.

Bui Viet Thuy Tien, director of Asian Trails Co. Ltd, said this September her company would organise a trans-Vietnam trip for representatives of some 12 tour operators from Chile, Brazil and Argentina to study local tourism. Vietnam is getting increasingly attractive to tourists from this region, she said.

“We have a very small number of tourists now, but see this market potential, so we start to launch marketing activities. Tourists from this country like sea and high-grade services, which we can satisfy,” said Tien.

Currently, South American visitors must fly with Singapore Airlines or Qatar Airways to come to Vietnam. In the coming time, some air carriers from the Middle East like Emirates and Etihad Airways will open air routes connecting South America and Vietnam, which is believed to help lure more tourists.

Those holding passports of Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Laos enjoy visa exemption when staying less than 30 days in Vietnam. The visa-free stay for tourists from the Philippines is 21 days and Brunei 14 days.

Visitors from Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russia and Finland are not required to obtain visa for a less-than-15-day stay in Vietnam.

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Category: Legal