Russia considers exempting group visas for Vietnamese tourists

Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said on March 23 that Russia is interested in promoting to attract more tourists from Vietnam, thereby researching policies to facilitate entry, according to Vietnam News Agency.

Mr. Reshetnikov commented that Vietnam is a fast-growing economy, with a large population and a growing middle class, leading to large tourism demand. Russia is ready to expand and adjust the entry mechanism for Vietnamese tourists, including the possibility of applying a visa-free regime for tourists traveling in groups.

Currently, each year there are about 15,000 Vietnamese visitors to Russia, in the opposite direction, the number is 600,000. According to Department of Statisticsin the first two months of the year, nearly 250,000 Russian visitors came to Vietnam, 3.3 times higher than the same period in 2025, becoming the sending market with the highest growth. To narrow this gap, Russia plans to promote its image in Southeast Asian markets through the “Discover Russia” project.

General Director Nguyen Huu Cuong of Trang An Travel, a company with more than 10 years of experience bringing Vietnamese tourists to Russia, said that if the policy of loosening or exempting group visas is applied, the proportion of Vietnamese tourists will increase by 40-60% next year. By the end of the first quarter, Trang An Travel recorded a 30% increase in the number of Vietnamese visitors to Russia compared to the same period last year. “The Russian market is gradually heating up after a long period of freezing due to the epidemic and the unstable world economic and political situation,” Mr. Cuong said.

Comparing between countries with similar architectural and cultural strengths, Russian visa has an outstanding competitive advantage in transparency and processing time. Vietnamese visitors can apply for a Russian e-visa (from August 1, 2023). The current procedure is to maximize “facilitation” instead of causing difficulties for tourists.

Compared to applying for a Schengen visa, the US or Canada, Mr. Cuong believes that applying for a Russian visa is “easier” because the waiting time for results is quick and the pass rate is high.

Besides, Russia is one of the “specially attractive” destinations for Vietnamese tourists thanks to its vast culture, history and nature. In addition, maintaining direct flights and friendliness in diplomatic relations between the two countries are “soft” but extremely key values ​​that help customers always put Russia as a top priority.

Currently, Russia tours cost from 55 million VND, 7 days 6 nights journey, passing through two cities Moscow – Saint Petersburg, visiting iconic destinations such as Red Square, Kremlin, Winter Palace.