Beginning in November, Vietnamese tourists traveling to Japan will be issued electronic visas.

DNHN - Visa applicants must present the "Visa issuance notice" displayed on the screen of an Internet-connected mobile phone, iPad, etc. at the airport.

According to the announcement of the Japanese Embassy in Hanoi and Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, Japan will issue electronic visas (e-visa) to Vietnamese tourists from November 1, 2023.

This is the most recent initiative by Japan to simplify procedures for tourists and stimulate tourism demand. Currently, Japan's e-visa service is extended to 12 countries and regions, including the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, Cambodia, China, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, and Taiwan. United States and United Arab Emirates.

Specifically, according to an announcement on the website of the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, the type of visa issued electronically is a short-term, single-entry visa for tourism purposes within 15 days, and it is only issued to Vietnamese passport holders residing in Vietnam. The issuance of electronic visas commenced one by one among the travel agencies authorized to organize package tours.

Visa applicants must present the "Visa issuance notice" displayed on the screen of their Internet-connected mobile phone, iPad, etc. when checking in at the airport. PDF files, screenshots, and physical copies are not accepted.

According to the Japan Tourism Promotion Agency (JNTO) in Vietnam, the new policy initially does not apply to self-sufficient travelers, but it does apply to entrusted companies and will eventually apply to sole companies. determined. The designated company can only submit visas for tour groups, whereas the entrusting company can accept visas for a variety of purposes besides tourism, such as business travel or studying abroad.

According to the Japan National Tourism Organisation, with 397,000 visitors in the first eight months of the year, Vietnam is one of the seven largest visitor markets to Japan.

Japan is also one of the markets that sends the most visitors to Vietnam, with over 414,000 visitors in the first eight months of the year, trailing only Korea, mainland China, and Taiwan.

According to data from the Japan Tourism Board, in the first eight months of 2023, visitors from Vietnam will be among the ten largest tourist markets.

In particular, Vietnamese tourists ranked seventh, behind Korea, mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, and the United States, and ahead of the Philippines, Australia, and Singapore. In August 2023, there will be 50,000 Vietnamese tourists in Japan, a 16.5% increase from the same month in 2019 (before the pandemic). In eight months, Japan welcomed 397,000 Vietnamese visitors, an increase of 17.4% over the same period in 2019.

Notable is the fact that, among the 10 largest tourist markets in Japan over the past eight months, Vietnamese visitors grew the most compared to pre-pandemic levels at 17.4%. In the top 10, only three markets saw an increase in visitors to Japan compared to before the epidemic: Vietnam, Singapore (16.8%), and the United States (14%). Other significant Japanese markets, such as China, fell by 81%, Thailand by 28%, Taiwan by 22%, Australia by 13%, and South Korea by 8.6%.

Phuong Linh (T/h)