(VIETNAM) — Deputy Prime Minister Mai Văn Chính directed Vietnam’s security and foreign affairs ministries to develop proposals to expand the country’s unilateral visa waiver program as Vietnam pursues a national target of 25 million international visitors in 2026.
Mai Văn Chính, following a meeting of the State Steering Committee for Tourism, issued Notice No. 34/TB-VPCP on January 20, 2026, instructing the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to “study and propose more open visa policies, with a focus on expanding unilateral visa exemptions for major and high-potential source markets.”
Policy direction and tourism targets
The move signals a policy push toward attracting “high-quality” and “high-spending” travelers, with visa facilitation framed as a tool to support higher-value tourism segments such as business events, wellness, golf and longer-stay travel.
In a statement carried by Vietnam News on January 21, 2026, Mai Văn Chính linked visa policy to the government’s broader tourism target and the way ministries should approach the year ahead. “To achieve the target of welcoming 25 million international tourists. ministries, sectors, and localities need to thoroughly understand the spirit of: ‘High determination, decisive action, and tangible results’. shifting from a ‘recovery’ mindset to a ‘growth, competitiveness, and sustainable development’ mindset.”
Vietnam’s latest direction comes as the government tries to convert a post-pandemic rebound into a longer-term expansion plan, with tourism positioned as a “spearhead economic sector” in 2026, the first year of the 2026–2030 Five-Year Socio-Economic Development Plan.
Administrative tasks and entry procedures
Within that strategy, the government tasked ministries to address “bottlenecks and inadequacies” that hinder tourism, including steps tied directly to entry procedures. The focus, as described in the policy direction, includes simplified electronic visa processes and increased stay durations as part of a wider effort to attract higher-spending visitors.
The government’s language matters for travelers and tour operators because it describes work to “study and propose” rather than an enacted rule that immediately changes who can enter visa-free. Vietnam has already used time-limited visa-free measures in recent years, and this initiative frames a potential expansion, rather than announcing a completed expansion with new eligibility lists.
Unilateral waivers and practical meaning for travelers
For many travelers, the practical meaning of a unilateral waiver is straightforward: Vietnam chooses to grant visa-free entry to citizens of certain countries without requiring a reciprocal arrangement. That can reduce the paperwork burden for short trips and can make Vietnam more competitive against destinations offering easier entry.
Vietnam already has a unilateral visa-free policy window in place for a defined set of visitors, and officials have also highlighted electronic visa routes as a baseline option for many nationalities. Under Resolution No. 229/NQ-CP, Vietnam currently grants 45-day visa-free entry to citizens of 12 European countries, and that policy runs until August 14, 2028.
Arrival figures and operational capacity
Vietnam’s arrivals figures underscore why Hanoi is linking tourism growth with border and visa systems. The country welcomed 21.2 million foreign tourists in 2025, a 20.4% increase from 2024, marking the highest volume in its history.
Higher volumes can increase pressure on entry points, especially during peak travel periods, and Vietnam’s policy push also includes a capacity and modernization element. The Ministry of Public Security is accelerating the use of AI and digital signatures to shorten immigration clearance times at 83 eligible border gates.
For travelers, digital transformation at border gates can change how quickly people move through document checks and how consistently processes are applied across locations. Vietnam has not set out a single traveler-facing promise on waiting times in the policy details provided, but officials have tied technology and process changes to clearance speed.
Time-limited waivers and traveler planning
The initiative also has implications for what travelers should plan for when visa-free policies are time-limited. Windows that run to a fixed end date, such as August 14, 2028, can shape airline ticketing and itinerary decisions, because eligibility depends on nationality, entry timing and permitted length of stay, and because extensions and overstay rules can differ from traveler assumptions.
Vietnam’s policy direction on visas, combined with its focus on “high-quality” tourism, also aligns with new visa categories set to take effect later in the year. Effective July 1, 2026, Vietnam will roll out two new visa types under Law No. 118/2025/QH15.
New visa categories and changes in 2026
One category, the UĐ1 visa, is designed for highly skilled digital technology professionals and “distinguished contributors,” a group described as including billionaires, scientists and experts. A second category, the UĐ2 visa, is intended for the spouses and children (under 18) of UĐ1 holders, creating a dependent pathway that matches the principal applicant’s eligibility concept.
Vietnam also plans Special Visa Exemption Cards (SVECs) for high-profile investors and cultural figures. Unlike a standard visa, the SVEC concept is framed as a card-based exemption mechanism intended to streamline travel for eligible people, allowing stays of up to 90 days per visit for a total validity of five years.
Taken together, the government’s visa direction and the new categories suggest a tiered approach: wider facilitation tools such as unilateral waivers and e-visas for general travelers, alongside specialized routes for defined groups the government sees as economically valuable or strategically important.
What it means for U.S. travelers
For U.S.-based readers, Vietnam’s policy direction does not change what American tourists must do today. As of January 2026, the U.S. Department of State and Mission Vietnam confirm that U.S. citizens still require a visa to enter Vietnam for tourism.
That remains separate from U.S. entry policy, which operates its own Visa Waiver Program and does not include Vietnam. Officials have not announced any reciprocal waiver for Vietnam through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or USCIS, and the Vietnamese initiative described is unilateral and focused on Vietnam’s own entry rules.
The U.S. State Department maintains a Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions advisory for Vietnam, last reviewed December 16, 2025. Travelers who rely on government guidance often look first for entry requirements and document rules, which can be more immediately trip-critical than broader advisory language.
Mission Vietnam’s warning to U.S. travelers focuses on documentation at the point of entry. “You must have a valid passport and a visa (or pre-approval for a visa on arrival) to enter Vietnam. The U.S. Mission to Vietnam cannot assist U.S. citizens who arrive in Vietnam without required documents.” (Source: usembassy.gov, updated January 2026)
E-visa and multi-entry options
For American travelers, the most relevant near-term route remains electronic permission rather than a visa-free waiver. The government has described a 90-day multi-entry e-visa as the standard for U.S. residents as of early 2026, even as Vietnam explores broader exemptions for other markets.
Vietnam’s emphasis on “high-quality” tourism also signals that visa policy may move in parallel with efforts to shape what kinds of trips the country promotes, such as longer stays and travel tied to business events or premium leisure segments. The government has explicitly tied its 2026 push to attracting “high-quality” and “high-spending” tourists, rather than focusing only on raw visitor counts.
Operational challenges and traveler advice
At the same time, the arrival target sets a scale challenge. Vietnam aims for 25 million international visitors in 2026, meaning systems that worked at lower volumes may face greater operational demands, and that can put a premium on clearer rules, better digital processing, and predictable entry procedures for both visa-free travelers and e-visa holders.
For travelers trying to plan now, Vietnam’s directive to ministries is best read as policy intent and administrative momentum, not an immediate change in eligibility. A unilateral waiver expansion, if adopted, would still hinge on the final list of eligible nationalities, the permitted stay length, and how the rules are implemented at airports and land crossings.
Tourists and business travelers can also expect that modernization at 83 eligible border gates may affect the experience on arrival, particularly around the handling of passports, visas and clearance steps. Vietnam has tied the effort to AI and digital signatures, but it has not described a single uniform traveler process in the details provided.
U.S. citizens preparing for Vietnam trips in 2026 still need to treat visas as mandatory and should align flight itineraries with documentation timelines. Mission Vietnam’s caution centers on the practical point of entry: “You must have a valid passport and a visa (or pre-approval for a visa on arrival) to enter Vietnam. The U.S. Mission to Vietnam cannot assist U.S. citizens who arrive in Vietnam without required documents.”
Sources and official channels
Vietnam’s policy push is unfolding publicly through official channels including the Vietnam Government Portal and the Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while U.S. travelers commonly consult the U.S. Department of State – Vietnam Travel Info for entry requirements and official guidance before departure.
