France eases visas for Vietnamese tourists

April 21, 2015 | 20:43

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The French Embassy in Hanoi had recently signed an agreement with six Vietnamese companies to fast-track visa approvals for Vietnamese travellers.

The agreement allows Hanoi Red Tours, Naci Travel, Hanoi Iso Tours, Hanoi Tourist, South Pacific Travel and Vietfoot Travel to offer simplified visa procedures.

Representing France at the signing ceremony was the Minister of State in charge of foreign trade, the promotion of tourism and French nationals abroad, Matthias Fekl.

This is the first time that France has reached such a deal with Vietnamese tour agencies regarding simplification in visa granting policy in an effort to lure more Vietnamese visitors to the European country.

The deal enables groups of possible Vietnamese tourists to make priority appointments with the French Embassy, and simplified paperwork for those who have made it to Europe or several other countries before, he said at the meeting with French IT and technology firms.

The move is meant to keep up with the rising number of Vietnamese tourists to France in the past two years, with 24,269 visas granted in 2014, up 28.7 per cent compared with 2013, of which nearly 11,000 were tourist visas, an increase of 62 per cent, according to Jean-Noel Poirier, current French Ambassador to Vietnam.

By By Bich Ngoc

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