According to the announcement on the website of the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam on October 2, the type of visa issued electronically is for short-term stay, single entry for tourism purposes within 15 days and is only issued to Vietnamese passport holders residing in Vietnam. The issuance of electronic visas has begun to be implemented gradually among travel companies designated to organize package tours.

A source from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) in Vietnam told VnExpress that the new policy initially did not apply to independent travelers but was applied to authorized companies, and later to designated companies. Designated companies can only submit visas for tour groups, while authorized companies can accept applications for many purposes other than tourism, such as business trips and studying abroad. "An authorized company is usually also a designated company," a source from JNTO said.

Visa applicants must present at the airport a "Visa issuance notice" displayed on the screen of a mobile phone, iPad... connected to the Internet. PDF data, screenshots or hard copies are not accepted.

According to JNTO, with 397,000 arrivals in the first 8 months of the year, Vietnam is one of the 7 largest markets sending visitors to Japan. Responding to VnExpress on September 27, JNTO's chief representative in Vietnam, Yoshida Kenji, said that Vietnam has always been considered a key market for Japanese tourism. He expects the number of Vietnamese visitors to Japan this year to exceed the record of 2019 (500,000 arrivals).

On the other hand, Japan is also one of the markets sending the most visitors to Vietnam, with more than 414,000 arrivals in the first 8 months of the year, behind South Korea, mainland China and Taiwan.

Ms. Vu Bich Hue, Head of Communications at Flamingo Redtours, said that the new policy makes it easier to apply for group visas. "The price of tours to Japan this year is cheaper due to the depreciation of the yen, which will certainly attract more tourists to Japan," Ms. Hue said.

Phuong Anh