VietNamNet Bridge – Russian visitors holding ordinary passports will be allowed into Vietnam for a stay of 15 days without entry visas from early next year, the Prime Minister has decided.

Russian visitors holding ordinary passports will be allowed into Vietnam for a stay of 15 days without entry visas from early next year.

Minister-chairman of the Government Office has signed a document communicating the decision by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, stating that visa exemptions will apply for Russian nationals who come to Vietnam for all purposes. The decision, issued following a proposal by the Ministry of Foreign Affair, will take effect on January 1, 2009.

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The fresh decision was immediately applauded by the national tourism authority as well as travel companies, saying it would serve as a strong boost to tourist arrivals from Russia seen as a potential source market for Vietnam’s hospitality industry.

“It’s good news. The country’s tourism needs favorable conditions like that for developing the Russian market,” Vu The Binh, head of the travel department under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, told the Daily last Thursday.

Hoang Thi Phong Thu, chairwoman of the Lanta-An Travel, a 50-50 joint venture between Vietnam’s Anh Duong Co., Ltd. and Russian tour operator Lanta-Tur Voyage, said the decision would be a strong boon for the tour operator in its business.

“We’ve pleased with the decision. Normally, we need around one week to make visa procedures for our guests. The new decision will make it easier for more visitors to travel to Vietnam,” she said.

Thu said the 15-day stay is enough for Russian travelers to take trips in Vietnam.

“In my company, guests who come by charter flights often take 12-day tours, and others choose two-week trips,” she said.

The tourism industry is making marketing and promotion activities in Russia. Vietnam started the first road show in Moscow last Tuesday, while the second program took place last Thursday in St. Petersburg. In the trip, local tourism officials and tour operators met with Russian companies to sound out business cooperation opportunities.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh saw the trip as a good chance to increase the number of Russian visitors to Vietnam from nearly 70,000 this year to 100,000 next year.

“It’s a good market because the travel purchasing power of Russian travelers is high,” he told the Daily before starting the promotion trip to Russia. He said that the country’s tourism would call on Russian airlines to launch new services to Vietnam in the future.

“We are lacking air routes linking the two countries for tourism development. We will call on more Russian airlines to open new services,” he said.

(Source: SGT)

Update from: http://english.vietnamnet.vn//travel/2008/09/804967/