On October 12, on behalf of the Government, Deputy Prime Minister Phan Van Giang signed Resolution No. 325 on visa exemption for citizens of the People's Republic of China holding valid ordinary passports traveling in tour groups to Vietnam during the Vietnam - China Tourism Year 2026 - 2027.
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| Chinese tourists traveling in tour groups to Khanh Hoa. |
Accordingly, Chinese tourists (excluding holders of passports from the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions) traveling in tour groups of 2 or more people and participating in package tours of no more than 30 days organized by Vietnamese international travel enterprises are exempt from visas when visiting Khanh Hoa. Tourists must fly directly from mainland China to Cam Ranh International Airport, and must enter and exit through this same border gate. The policy applies from October 12, 2026 to the end of December 31, 2027.
The Government assigned the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to lead the formulation of documents guiding the procedures and implementation methods for the program, including criteria and principles for selecting and managing participating international travel enterprises; coordinate with localities to implement and manage tourists effectively; and at the same time lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote communication so that the policy achieves the highest efficiency. The Ministry of Public Security will lead the guidance on entry, exit, and residence procedures for tourists eligible for visa exemption under the resolution.
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| Ruili Airlines operates flights from Kunming (China) to Cam Ranh. |
According to the Statistics Office, in the first 9 months of 2026, Vietnam welcomed 17.7 million international visitor arrivals, an increase of 14.5% compared to the same period in 2025. Of which, China continued to be the largest source market with more than 3.9 million arrivals, up 1.5%. For Khanh Hoa alone, the number of Chinese tourists is still considerably lower than during the pre-Covid-19 peak period, currently ranking behind visitors from South Korea and Russia. The visa exemption policy is expected to help bring the influx of Chinese tourists back to Khanh Hoa in the final months of 2026.
