Travel to Vietnam is expected to become slightly cheaper after the Southeast Asian nation on Monday night announced that all foreign visitors — including Taiwanese — are eligible to apply for a multiple-entry electronic visa, of which the validity has been extended to 90 days from 30 days.
The policy took effect yesterday after the National Assembly of Vietnam on June 24 passed amendments to the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam.
Before Taiwan was included in the e-visa program, Taiwanese who traveled to Vietnam needed to have a travel agency file visa applications on their behalf, which only permitted a single entry and was valid for 30 days.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The visa cost NT$1,300 to NT$1,500 per person, but travel agencies charged service fees, with the total cost ranging from NT$2,000 to NT$6,000.
Under the new policy, Taiwanese passport holders pay US$25 for an e-visa, without having to go through a travel agency.
An e-visa would normally be approved in about three work days after an application is submitted at https://dichvucong.bocongan.gov.vn/bocongan/bothutuc/tthc?matt=26277.
The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security Web site has Vietnamese and English-language versions.
Pin Kuan International Travel Service Co assistant manager Kevin Hsiang (向建倫) said that the new policy would make it more convenient to apply for a tourism visa, but business travelers would benefit the most, as an e-visa allows them to enter the country multiple times.
Visa application fees skyrocketed when Vietnam reopened borders for tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic, but that was only for people on tourist visas who were not part of a group tour, Hsiang said.
People on package tours paid NT$1,300 per person for visas, so the e-visas mean they would save about NT$500, he said.
Vietnamese government data for this year show that 6.6 million international tourists had visited the Southeast Asian nation as of last month, on track to reach its target of 8 million.
Vietnam had 18 million visitors in 2019, with Taiwan its fourth-largest source, the data showed.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
RSS