DANANG, Vietnam (April 30, 2019) The country’s E-Visa programme was launched in February of 2017 to make entry into Vietnam simple and easy. And it has proven to be a very successful initiative.

Prior to the launch of this programme, travellers to Vietnam had to apply for an Approval Letter which was then either used for a Visa on Arrival or was used to apply to the local Vietnamese Consulate for an Advance Visa. Both these processes involved more documentation and communication exchanges and was considerably more complex than the current online system.

“The E-Visa has really simplified travel to Vietnam,” said Jogeswari Peddi, Director, Golftripz. “It is now an easy process of uploading the passport copy and photo of the traveller, which is approved within 3 working days. We’ve recommended this to several clients and we’ve actually seen the number of travellers to Vietnam increase because of this facility. It encourages golfers, who are unable to plan early, to consider Vietnam as an option.”

Citizens of 80 countries only can apply for an E-Visa, including Australia & New Zealand in the Asia Pacific, Germany, the UK & Netherlands & many more in Europe, India, Myanmar, South Korea and Japan in Asia amongst others and several South & North American countries such as Canada and the US.

8 international airports in Vietnam are geared to accept e-visas. Apart from the Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang Airports, which see heavy traffic, smaller airports like Nha Trang, Phu Quoc and Hai Phong are also welcoming tourists on e-visa. In addition, 23 seaports in Vietnam are equipped to handle immigration via the online process. All e-visas are issued as single entry visas for a maximum stay of 30 days.

The recently concluded event by Golftripz, the Vietnam Golf Trophy, Danang, saw 97 participants from over 5 countries including Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and India. While citizens of ASEAN countries do not require a Vietnamese visa, Australians, Indians and other nationalities were happy to avail of this service.