- Vietnam has announced a pilot visa-free policy for Chinese tourists travelling to Khanh Hoa province, effective from October 12
- The policy applies to Chinese citizens with valid ordinary passports who travel in groups of two or more under package tours
- Chinese tourists must fly directly to Cam Ranh International Airport and are permitted to stay for up to 30 days
Vietnam has announced a pilot policy granting visa-free entry to Chinese tourists who wish to visit Khanh Hoa province, in a move tied to the Vietnam-China Tourism Cooperation Year 2026-2027.
The Vietnamese government made the announcement on 12 October, framing the policy as part of a broader push to strengthen bilateral tourism and deepen people-to-people ties between the two neighbouring countries.
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Vietnam: Who qualifies and how it works
The visa-free arrangement covers Chinese nationals who hold valid ordinary passports, though it explicitly excludes holders of passports issued by the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions. To benefit from the exemption, eligible travellers must arrive as part of a group of at least two people on a package tour organised by a licensed Vietnamese international travel service provider.
All travel must be routed through Cam Ranh International Airport in Khanh Hoa, via direct flights from mainland China. Tourists are required to enter and exit through the same port, and the maximum permitted stay is 30 days. Khanh Hoa province, home to the popular coastal city of Nha Trang, is the sole designated destination under the scheme.
Vietnam and China strengthen tourism ties
The policy is part of a wider pattern of reciprocal travel arrangements between the two countries. China's National Immigration Administration separately announced on 20 August that Vietnamese citizens, along with those from Kyrgyzstan, may now transit through China visa-free for up to 240 hours, or 10 days, across 65 designated ports. Vietnamese nationals also qualify for a 30-day visa-free stay in Hainan Province, provided they hold a valid ordinary passport and carry a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region.
The scale of tourism movement between Vietnam and China underscores why both governments are investing in easing travel. China remained Vietnam's single largest source of international visitors in the first three quarters of the year, with more than 3.95 million arrivals, representing a 1.5 per cent increase compared with the same period the previous year. In the other direction, Vietnam ranked as China's fourth-largest source of foreign visitors during the first half of the year, contributing 2.7 million arrivals.
Officials on both sides have described people-to-people exchanges as a central pillar of the Vietnam-China relationship as the two nations enter what they characterise as a new phase of development.
In a similar report, Legit.ng published that the government of Vietnam announced the countries whose citizens can visit without a visa application in 2026.
China waives transit visa requirements
In a similar report, Legit.ng previously reported that China announced its new visa-free transit policy for citizens of Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan, allowing eligible travellers to stay for up to 240 hours.
The move comes as Vietnam rises to become China’s fourth-largest tourist source market, overtaking countries such as the United States, Japan and Australia in the first half of 2026.
Source: Legit.ng