New visa policy opens doors for longer and more interesting tours in Hanoi

Representatives of tourism authorities, travel agencies and hospitality businesses in Hanoi are offering new products to appeal to long-term visitors since the National Assembly approved extending the validity of e-visas from 30 to 90 days.

This year, Vietnam's inbound tourism is expected to receive many favorable signals.

The new visa policy, which came into effect on August 15, coincides with the "golden season" for inbound tourism and is expected to provide a significant boost to the industry, promote the development of tourism and other economic sectors, and facilitate recovery and growth.

In line with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's recent approval of a project to develop night tourism products and encourage international visitors to stay longer in Vietnam, the city government has issued a plan to organize a seminar on developing Hanoi's night tourism products in September; launch and operate an art light space called "Hanoi Night - The Touch of Emotions" in September; and hold an online review contest called "Welcome to Hanoi Night" in October.

With the new visa policy, tourists from certain countries can visit Vietnam with multiple entries, which is convenient for organizing tours throughout Indochina and Southeast Asia. They can visit Vietnam, then travel to other countries and return to Vietnam for another trip. Similar to what Thailand and Singapore are doing, this is an opportunity for Vietnam to tap the international market effectively.

At present, we have received many bookings from foreign partners, mainly from the UK, France and other countries. We are developing cultural experience products for guests traveling from Hanoi to other destinations, as well as some cross-Indochina tours to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

We promote many new tourism products in the city on our website and provide information to our partners, such as night tours, famous culinary addresses, attractive suburban tourist spots, and traditional handicraft villages in Hanoi.

With the new visa policy, Hanoi has many advantages in attracting long-stay visitors. To retain guests, it is crucial to develop new and attractive products.

At present, we are working with other units in Hanoi to create various attractive cultural and tourism events to promote the image of Hanoi as a safe, high-quality and attractive tourist destination, with the aim of keeping tourists longer.

In particular, Hanoi has great potential for suburban tourism. There are many exciting experiential activities, accommodations and resorts in the outskirts of Hanoi. Visitors can easily experience community tourism, ecotourism, handicraft village tourism, and others.

We will support businesses in organizing and implementing the development of products that connect downtown with Son Tay, My Duc, Ung Hoa, Ba Vi, and other suburban districts to offer visitors different experiences when they visit Hanoi.

Thank you for your time!