Vietnam, Russia promote visa-free travel to boost two-way tourism

Vietnam has unilaterally exempted Russian passport holders from visas for stays of up to 45 days under a policy issued in August 2023, which has helped drive a sharp increase in Russian arrivals.

Vietnam welcomed more than 1 million Russian visitors in the first eight months of 2026, up 165.7 percent year on year, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.

In this context, the two countries are working toward visa-free travel for Vietnamese citizens visiting Russia, with negotiations initially focused on an agreement covering Vietnamese tourists traveling in organized groups, Ambassador Khoi said.

He also noted that many Vietnamese students are choosing Russia as a destination for their studies, as education and training cooperation between the two countries has achieved substantive results.

The move comes as direct air connections between the two countries are being expanded, helping reduce travel costs and facilitate tourism exchanges.

Vietravel told Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper that it has recently seen stronger interest from Vietnamese travelers in Russia, with around 10-15 tour groups departing for the country each month nationwide, particularly from northern Vietnam.

Russia offers a range of attractions familiar to Vietnamese travelers, including Moscow and Saint Petersburg, as well as cultural and historical landmarks.

Vietravel is also offering year-round products, from traditional routes such as the Golden Ring, Russia-Belarus itineraries and Volga River cruises to winter tours covering Moscow, Murmansk and Saint Petersburg, featuring experiences such as viewing the Northern Lights and riding snowmobiles.

The company said visa-free travel for Vietnamese tourists traveling in groups would be a positive step for bilateral tourism.

The policy would remove one of the major barriers to long-haul travel by reducing visa procedures and costs, allowing travelers to prepare trips more easily and potentially shorten the time needed to book tours, the company said.

It would also enable travel companies to offer more competitive Russia tour packages, increase departure frequencies and diversify their products.

The company said that if visa facilitation is accompanied by stronger air connectivity and greater cooperation between businesses from the two countries, the Russia market could enter a new growth cycle for Vietnamese tourists.

According to Nikita Kondratiev, director of the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects under Russia's Ministry of Economic Development, the flow of Vietnamese tourists to Russia has increased recently, with the number rising 21.4 percent year on year in the first six months of 2026.

Regarding the surge in Russian tourist arrivals in Vietnam, Kondratiev told Russian news outlet News.ru that the number of Russian visitors to Vietnam could reach a record 1.5 million in 2026.

The projected figure would nearly double the 700,000-800,000 Russian visitors Vietnam received annually in 2018-19, before the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

In addition to Vietnam's visa-free policy, which has helped boost Russian tourist arrivals in Vietnam, Kondratiev attributed the surge to the maintenance and expansion of direct flights between the two countries, as well as greater access to QR-code payments and MIR bank cards at some locations in Vietnam.

The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism also attributed the surge to Vietnam's reputation as a safe, friendly and attractive destination in Asia, along with increased frequencies of direct charter flights from Russia to Vietnam.