Vietnam's failure to act on its rhetoric

Vietnam's failure to act on its rhetoric about simplifying its visa procedures, including those relating to visa-on-arrival, will see it fall further behind its neighbors in wooing visitors, a business grouping has warned.The Vietnam Business Forum, a consortium of international and local business associations and chambers of commerce, said in its annual report released last week that there has been "no progress" in ushering in a transparent,application for china visa in houston open, and effective visa-on-arrival system."It has been noted the 'visa-on-arrival' area at the airport provides no clear information on the necessary forms, policies, or fees; little English is spoken; and there is no queuing/numbering system in place," the report said.

This is in contrast to most other Southeast Asian countries, which have efficient visa-on-arrival systems that make it easy for tourists to plan their trips.For Vietnam, tourists have to apply for their visas weeks in advance, send their passports to the Vietnamese embassies or go online for letters to confirm their visas will be issued on arrival, and then end up waiting for a long time after arriving in the country."With the exception of Myanmar, Vietnam is the only country in Southeast Asia where visitors from major tourist nations … still have to go through a pre-approval process before traveling," the report said.Tourists also complain that when they go to Cambodia or Laos, they can simply turn up and pay US$25 on arrival while Vietnam charges almost double at $45 for a 30-day or 90-day single entry visa, the most expensive in the region.

But, admit experts and tourists, while visa fees are an issue they do not deter many people from coming. What does put off people is the lack of a true visa-on-arrival system as found in Cambodia or Thailand."So we consider that Vietnam is an exception rather than the rule and that its current visa policy is deterring foreign visitors rather than encouraging them," Kenneth Atkinson,china travel visa in houston head of the grouping's Working Group for Hospitality and Tourism, told Vietweek.At a biannual meeting with the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) last June, Vietnamese officials had promised several major improvements to the visa system.