Vietnam is launching a new 10-year golden visa scheme in a bid to attract new international residents, professionals, and investors and boost the country’s travel and tourism sector. The announcement comes amid good economic signs in the southeast Asian nation, sparking hope that high-net worth individuals will see the visa programme as a decade-long opportunity.
The Financial Express reports three categories of visa set to come on offer: an extendable five-to-10-year golden visa; an “investor visa” which also lasts 10 years and provides the chance to become a permanent resident after five; and a “Talent Visa” targeting professionals in growth industries.
Reducing bureaucracy is a key part of the plan. Applications for the visas will be able to be completed online, authorities say, and no embassy appointments are needed. This reflects broader moves to make life easier for tourists and business arrivals on short trips for whom visa arrangements are also being rationalised and digitised.
The aim is to address how far Vietnam’s tourism sector still lags behind its regional neighbours. Tourism represented just 7% of Vietnamese GDP in 2023 and 8% in 2024, below the worldwide average of 10.3%, and far behind Thailand (23%), the Philippines (22.5%), and Cambodia (25.8%).
International Tourist Arrivals by Continent – January to April 2025
| Continent | Tourist Arrivals |
|---|---|
| Asia | 5,963,492 |
| Europe | 1,038,922 |
| Americas | 428,095 |
| Oceania | 225,308 |
| Africa | 17,572 |
The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism expects the suite of visa changes to help it meet a target of up to 23 million foreign arrivals in 2025—an achievement that would be a 31% increase over 2024, when about US $30 billion in tourism revenues were recorded. Official figures show the country is already on track to beat that if foreign visitors continue to arrive at the first quarter rate of more than 7.67 million in the first four months of the year.
International Tourist Arrivals to Vietnam 2020 to 2025
| Year | Tourist Arrivals (in millions) |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 3.71 |
| 2021 | 0.07 |
| 2022 | 0.19 |
| 2023 | 3.68 |
| 2024 | 6.20 |
| 2025 [first 4 months] | 7.67 |
Year-on-Year Growth (2024 to 2025): +23.8%
The largest source markets for Vietnamese tourism are China, South Korea, and Taiwan. US and Japanese visitors rank fourth and fifth. Movement has been seen in the European market, especially since the introduction of visa exemptions that in early April 2025 added Belgium to growing list of more than a dozen European Union or Schengen Area nations who already benefit from visa-free travel to the socialist republic. Those changes have pushed UK arrivals up by 20.7%, French visitors up by 24.7% and German incomers to 18.8%.
Promotional campaigns present Vietnam as a culturally dynamic and vibrant place to live, leaning heavily on the appeal of cities such as Da Nang, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, where foreign settlers can find amenities they expect, including international schools.
