Vietnam Travel Firms Optimistic About Southeast Asia Joint Visa Initiative
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Vietnam travel firms back a joint Southeast Asia visa plan, easing travel across 6 nations to boost tourism and attract more international visitors. 
Vietnamese travel businesses are eagerly anticipating the launch of a new Southeast Asian joint visa initiative, known as "Six Countries, One Destination." This effort aims to simplify travel between six nations—Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, and Myanmar—by offering a unified visa system modeled after Europe’s Schengen visa.
During the 44th-45th ASEAN Summit held in Laos on October 9, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra discussed plans to collaborate with other relevant nations to pilot the initiative. If adopted, travelers will be able to explore multiple countries within Southeast Asia without needing separate visas or permits, potentially revolutionizing regional tourism.
Tu Quy Thanh, director of Lien Bang Tourism Company, believes this is the ideal time for Southeast Asian nations to unite in attracting international visitors, particularly in the post-pandemic recovery phase. "Tourism has not returned to its peak of 2019, the year before Covid. Countries need to work together toward a common goal to develop tourism together," Thanh said.
The region has yet to fully recover from the decline caused by the pandemic, with The Diplomat magazine attributing this to the slow return of Chinese tourists. Chinese visitors were a key factor in the pre-pandemic travel boom in Southeast Asia. Vietnamese businesses reported that during Chinas recent National Day holiday, the number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam was only about 10% of pre-Covid levels.
Travel firms see great potential in the new visa initiative. Pham Anh Vu, deputy general director of Viet Travel Company, noted that long-distance travelers often look to extend their visits to neighboring countries after touring Vietnam. "Currently, we assist tourists with visas for Cambodia and Laos, but if this new visa is approved, they could easily extend their trips by three to four weeks, visiting multiple countries in the region," Vu explained.
Hoang The Hau, director of Dai Viet International Tourism, sees the potential for new types of tourism, such as caravan tours where travelers drive through two or more Southeast Asian countries. He believes this type of adventure will be in high demand if the visa process becomes more streamlined.
Currently, Vietnams visa policy is seen as more restrictive compared to other countries in the region. While Vietnam offers visa waivers to citizens of 25 countries, Malaysia and Thailand offer waivers to 162 and 93 countries, respectively. Many in the industry believe this joint visa could help address these competitive disadvantages and drive more international tourists to Vietnam and the broader region.
The pilot visa program is still in the planning phase, but if successful, it could mark a major turning point for Southeast Asian tourism.
Vietnamese travel businesses are eagerly anticipating the launch of a new Southeast Asian joint visa initiative, known as "Six Countries, One Destination." This effort aims to simplify travel between six nations—Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, and Myanmar—by offering a unified visa system modeled after Europe’s Schengen visa.
During the 44th-45th ASEAN Summit held in Laos on October 9, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra discussed plans to collaborate with other relevant nations to pilot the initiative. If adopted, travelers will be able to explore multiple countries within Southeast Asia without needing separate visas or permits, potentially revolutionizing regional tourism.
Tu Quy Thanh, director of Lien Bang Tourism Company, believes this is the ideal time for Southeast Asian nations to unite in attracting international visitors, particularly in the post-pandemic recovery phase. "Tourism has not returned to its peak of 2019, the year before Covid. Countries need to work together toward a common goal to develop tourism together," Thanh said.
The region has yet to fully recover from the decline caused by the pandemic, with The Diplomat magazine attributing this to the slow return of Chinese tourists. Chinese visitors were a key factor in the pre-pandemic travel boom in Southeast Asia. Vietnamese businesses reported that during Chinas recent National Day holiday, the number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam was only about 10% of pre-Covid levels.
Travel firms see great potential in the new visa initiative. Pham Anh Vu, deputy general director of Viet Travel Company, noted that long-distance travelers often look to extend their visits to neighboring countries after touring Vietnam. "Currently, we assist tourists with visas for Cambodia and Laos, but if this new visa is approved, they could easily extend their trips by three to four weeks, visiting multiple countries in the region," Vu explained.
Hoang The Hau, director of Dai Viet International Tourism, sees the potential for new types of tourism, such as caravan tours where travelers drive through two or more Southeast Asian countries. He believes this type of adventure will be in high demand if the visa process becomes more streamlined.
Currently, Vietnams visa policy is seen as more restrictive compared to other countries in the region. While Vietnam offers visa waivers to citizens of 25 countries, Malaysia and Thailand offer waivers to 162 and 93 countries, respectively. Many in the industry believe this joint visa could help address these competitive disadvantages and drive more international tourists to Vietnam and the broader region.
The pilot visa program is still in the planning phase, but if successful, it could mark a major turning point for Southeast Asian tourism.
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