Foreign travellers to Vietnam often need a visa to visit the country. An exception applies for those visiting the island of Phu Quoc, since a visa waiver is in force on this island, Vietnam's largest. Travellers from all countries can stay there for 30 days without a visa.
Tourism in Phu Quoc
Phu Quoc is Vietnam's largest island, even if it is closer to Cambodia's coast than to the Vietnamese mainland. Phu Quoc is famous for its beautiful nature, among other many other things. For instance, a national park covers more than half of the island's surface. As a result, one of the most popular activities for tourists on the island is hiking through its natural beauty.
Not only the nature inland, but also Phu Quoc beaches are a popular attraction. In recent years, the Vietnamese government has invested a lot of money in the island with the intention of attracting more foreign tourists. The visa waiver, as well as these investments should facilitate that foreign travellers visit the island.
Visa exemption for Phu Quoc
At the beginning of 2014, the Vietnamese government lauched a visa waiver for the island of Phu Quoc allowing foreign travellers to stay on the island for up to 30 days without having to previously apply for a visa. Yet, in order to benefit from the visa waiver, travellers have meet a number of conditions:
- have a passport with a validity of at least six months on arrival in Vietnam;
- be able to produce a return or transit ticket for a destination other than mainland Vietnam;
- have never been deported by Vietnam nor wanted by Interpol.
Travellers wishing to stay longer than 30 days do need a visa, and the easiest way to fulfil this visa requirement is to apply for a e-visa Vietnam.
Visa exemptions for other nationalities
Many foreign travellers to mainland Vietnam need a visa to visit the country. However, travellers with British, German, French, Italian and Spanish citizenship can stay in Vietnam for a period of up to 45 days without a visa. For these travellers, thus, it does not matter if they are travelling to Phu Quoc or the Vietnamese mainland.
Applying for the e-visa for Vietnam
You can easily apply for the e-visa for Vietnam on this website. It takes no more than half an hour on average. You will need to fill in the form some personal details regarding the travellers. The most important data are the passport details. Also, you should indiciate the address of your first accomodation in Vietnam.
Once the payment has been made, you will need to upload some documents, such as a Documents need to be uploaded after payment. A sharp ID photo and passportscan or photo must be provided. It is recommended to take a new ID photo, as this should not be older than six months. You can use a selfie for this purpose.
After submitting your documents, your application will be forwarded to the Vietnam Immigration Department. It takes 13 days on average for the application to be processed. If the visa is granted, you will be able to enter and exit Vietnam within the dates specified on the visa.