Previously, on December 8, 2023, in Hanoi, on behalf of the Government of Vietnam and the Government of Belarus, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Le Thi Thu Hang and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Evgeny Shestakov officially signed the Visa Exemption Agreement for Ordinary Passport Holders between Vietnam and Belarus.

According to the Agreement, citizens of both sides holding ordinary passports are exempt from visas for 30 days for each entry; the total time of residence in the territory of the other side does not exceed 90 days within 1 year.

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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko witnessed the signing and handover ceremony of the Agreement between Vietnam and Belarus on visa exemption for ordinary passport holders, December 8, 2023. Photo: Pham Hai

The signing of the Visa Exemption Agreement for ordinary passport holders between Vietnam and Belarus is a clear demonstration, marking a new step forward in the good traditional friendship between the two countries, while opening up many opportunities for extensive cooperation in many fields.

This is an effort of the Vietnamese Government in creating favorable conditions for international tourists in general, and Belarusian tourists in particular, to come to Vietnam, contributing to tourism development, enhancing cooperation, cultural exchange, market research and promoting the development of bilateral relations in many fields.

The Agreement also demonstrates the Vietnamese Government's desire to establish a suitable immigration mechanism on the basis of reciprocity and bilateral visa exemption with suitable partner countries to facilitate mutual travel of people from both sides.

Vietnam and Belarus have good political and diplomatic relations. The two sides regularly maintain delegation exchanges and contacts at all levels. In addition to traditional cooperation areas such as politics, diplomacy, economics, and trade; cooperation in many other areas such as security, defense, education, and culture is also of interest to both countries.

Vietnam and Belarus signed an agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders in 1993. Since 2015, Belarusian citizens (regardless of passport type) have been unilaterally exempted from visas when entering Vietnam.