The Government of Vietnam has confirmed a further extension of its visa exemption programme for United Kingdom passport holders - valid for single-entry stays of up to 15 days - for three more years. First introduced in 2015, the policy also applies to French, German, Spanish and Italian nationals. This latest extension, until 30 July 2021, is the longest extension period yet.
According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, over six million people visited the country in the first five months of this year, representing a 27.6 per cent increase on last year's figures. In its Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2017 Vietnam report, the World Travel & Tourism Council has also forecast that Vietnam's annual tourism revenues will continue to grow by six per cent by 2027, to VND398,329 billion (USD17.9 billion).
National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines operates the UK's only nonstop scheduled services to Vietnam, with daily Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flights from Heathrow T4 to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, offering SkyTrax 4-star rated service across three cabin classes. The flights are carefully scheduled to offer convenient overnight journeys in both directions, and offer excellent onward connections domestically within Vietnam, to Indo-China and to 30 destinations in Asia and onward to Australia.
