As close to the day of the 60th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory, the number of domestic and international tourists to Dien Bien are rising rapidly. According to the statistics of the Dien Bien province tourism, the average daily 4-5 thousand tourists visit the relics of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign on these days. Only from 15 March to 15 April, the number of visitors has reached more than 85 thousand visitors, including nearly 2 thousand international visitors. Continue reading
Category Archives: Vietnam visa news
e-vietnamvisa.com offers 20% discount of Vietnam visa to the return customers
Grateful to our customers who have been going with us over last 6 years, we would like to express our gratitude by offering a special program on Vietnam visa processing fee discounted up to 20% to the return customers.
This promotional program is granted to those who have applied for a Vietnam visa through our website www.e-vietnamvisa.com successfully at least 1 time. From the 2nd time, you are given a promotional discount code going with the registered email. When making an online application, you just need to provide these information and the processing fee will be discounted 20% automatically. The discounted amount will not be limited, depending on your application amount, and anyone who own this promotional code can enjoy it. Continue reading
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How long can I stay in Vietnam for tourist and business purpose?
Ten years ago, foreigners expecting to stay long in Vietnam can apply for 6 months or 12 months entry visa. At this moment, Vietnam immigration policies regulated that tourist visa valid until 30 days while business visas validity is 90 days.
You couldn’t stay longer than the validity stated in your visa except you have got your visa extended or renewed. Vietnam visa extension can be done easily when you are in Vietnam and in the most case, your visa stamped at Ho Chi Minh airport will have its extension much easier and cheaper than visa issuing in Hanoi airport. The processing fee for more 3 months visa extension will vary from $45 to $180 depending on your entry port, current visa and expected visa extension. To apply for Vietnam visa extension, please contact us for further information. Continue reading
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Cheapest cities in the world: Summer 2013
Based on hotel accommodation, taxi trip, cocktails and dinner for two, the cheapest cities in the world have just been revealed by the third annual TripIndex survey from travel giant TripAdvisor. And the cheapest destinations for summer 2013 in order are;
1. Sofia in Bulgaria
Sofia in Bulgaria
The cosmopolitan city of Sofia is capital of this Eastern European gem, which has attracted budget-conscious travellers for years. Bulgaria is better known for its beautiful beaches and superb skiing facilities, but following the revelation that it’s the cheapest city in the world right now, I predict Sofia city breaks to really take off! The compact city is home to the UNESCO listed Boyana Church which dates back to the 10th century. Then there’s the nature and adventure capital of Bulgaria; Mount Vitosha where keen hikers, climbers and skiiers will be in their element. And then there’s the superb Sofia Art Gallery which showcases unique Bulgarian art. Continue reading
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Vietnam travel firm wants visa waiver for Russians extended
A local beside three Russian tourists at the 2-4 Square in Nha Trang Town, the central province of Khanh Hoa
Vietnam’s tourism authorities should extend the visa waiver program for Russian tourists from 15 days to one month, a travel company’s representative told a conference on Sunday.
Longer free stays will attract more tourists, especially the elderly who want to avoid the winter in Russia for long periods and people who want to spend summer vacations with their children, said Mikhail Simonov, director general of Anh Duong Travel Company.
Simonov made the statement at a meeting on Vietnamese central coastal provinces’ tourism organized in Khanh Hoa Province, the Thoi bao kinh te Sai Gon (Saigon Times) reported.
According to Simonov, Russians consider Vietnam’s beautiful coastline an ideal destination for long vacations, as their home country is situated in the temperate zone.
In fact, more and more Russians have been extending their stays in Vietnam, he was quoted as saying.
One of the major tour operators focused on the Russian market, Anh Duong now operates 10-15-day tours for Russians to coastal destinations like Nha Trang, Da Nang and Hoi An year around.
The company operates two flights from Russia to Cam Ranh International Airport in Khanh Hoa province every day during the low season. The number of flights doubles during the peak season, which starts in October.
Official figures showed that last year over 174,000 Russian tourists visited Vietnam, up more than 71 percent compared to 2011.
Despite an overall decrease in international tourists to Vietnam over the first five months of this year, Russian tourism increased 57.8 percent over the same period last year, to nearly 137,000 tourists, the Saigon Times reported.
Focus on sea tourism
At the conference, Nguyen Van Tuan, general director of the Vietnam Administration of Tourism, urged central coastal provinces to focus on their beaches that have possibilities to develop high quality resorts and services,Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported.
He also advised them to develop island tours in combination with cruises.
According to Tuan, the provinces have become destinations among foreign tourists, but failed to offer unique experiences or apply effective marketing and management methods and thus, have not seen many tourists return for second visits.
Tran Du Lich, head of a consultancy group for the central coast area’s development and cooperation, agreed.
He said the area hosts beautiful and unique beaches, but considering their potential, the ways they are being used for tourism are not “remarkable.”
Most of the provinces offer a similar experience, so they failed to attract tourists, according to Lich.
Central coastal provinces need to invest and develop sea and island tourism to compete with other countries, said Tran Dinh Thien, director of the Vietnam Institute for Economics.
It was reported at the conference that the central coast tourism grew over 13 percent per year between 2008 and 2012.
Last year, the area attracted nearly 17 million tourists, including over four million foreigners, and earned over VND18 trillion (US$855 million) from tourism.
Source: Tuoitre
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Vietnam reviews visa exemption for seven countries
The Danish, Finnish, Japanese, Norwegian, Russian, South Korean, and Swedish visitors are being considered to have 30 days Vietnam visa exemption…
Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has instructed relevant agencies to report about the impact of the free visas visitors from seven countries have been enjoying before the government decides whether it will continue with the policy.
He instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to review the policy’s political, economic and security impacts and submit its findings to the government, VnExpress reported.
Between 2004 and 2009 Vietnam unilaterally waived visas for single-entry visits of up to 15 days for Danish, Finnish, Japanese, Norwegian, Russian, South Korean, and Swedish visitors.
At a recent meeting of the State Steering Committee on Tourism, many officials urged Vietnam to not only continue the exemption, but extend the length of stay to 30 days.
Earlier in April, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) for failing to take advantage of the policy to promote tourism, saying the underused policy had forced it to accept losses of US$50 million annually.
After that, VNAT proposed that the government continue the visa exemption because otherwise, Vietnam would become less competitive, as several other countries in the region waive visa fees to promote tourism.
Vu The Binh, VNAT deputy chairman, said nothing should be done to dissuade tourists from South Korea, Russia and Japan from coming to Vietnam. Last year, revenue from those tourists was $2 billion, of which the government collected $200 million in VAT.
Vietnam is not a very attractive tourism destination in the region and a visa requirement would worsen the situation, he said.