The new reciprocity arrangement, which is expected to enter into force in late May or early June, will benefit American and Vietnamese tourists and business travellers, generating new opportunities for trade, investment and tourism. The successful arrangement underscores the commitment of the US and Việt Nam to improve their bilateral relationship by expanding existing trade and economic opportunities and developing people-to-people ties.
Based on the arrangement, Việt Nam will issue multiple-entry visas valid up to one year to US citizens who wish to travel for short-term business or tourism and who otherwise meet the requirements to enter Việt Nam. The previous maximum validity for Vietnamese visas issued for these purposes was, in most cases, three months with just a single entry. The US will continue to issue multiple-entry visas valid up to one year to Vietnamese citizens entering the US temporarily for business (B-1) or tourism (B-2).
While the US and Việt Nam will, in principle, issue maximum validity visas to each other’s citizens, each side may limit visa validity and entry times for individual applicants on a case-by-case basis in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
In FY2015, the US Mission to Việt Nam issued a record number of non-immigrant visa applications for Vietnamese citizens – nearly 75 per cent of these were for temporary business and tourism in the United States.
