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The beautiful country is home to eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Image: Getty)
A beautiful country is set to welcome expats after announcing a new 10-year golden visa programme. Having transformed “from one of the world’s poorest countries to a middle-income economy in a single generation”, according to the World Bank, Vietnam is now trying to position itself as a global financial and tourist hub.
The World Bank called it a "remarkable development success story", where GDP per capita soared from less than $700 (£522) in 1986 to almost $4,500 (£3,359) in 2023, meaning Vietnam could become more attractive for foreign investors and expats. The Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board recommended to the government that the new visa program have three tiers, according to a report in Financial Express.
Vietnam could trial the golden visa in some major cities first (Image: Getty)
The first tier would be a golden visa, offering a stay of five to 10 years with the possibility to extend. The second would be a 10-year investor visa and the third is a five-year talent visa aimed toward professionals in specific fields.
Applications are not yet open and exact eligibility is not yet finalised, although the programme could be piloted in larger cities, such as Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, which leads to tourist hotspot, Halong Bay.
Vietnam is rapidly scaling up its appeal to international visitors, with a goal to attract 23 million international tourists in 2025, up from 17.6 million in 2024.
In March it expanded visa-free stays to include Polish, Czech and Swiss travellers for 45 days, and some 30 countries can travel to Vietnam for short stays.
The golden visa could also bring in more international interest as travellers have the option to travel long-term.
Hoi An was named as a UNESCO cultural world heritage site (Image: Getty)
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The south-east Asian country is home to eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Ha Long Bay which is famous for its boat cruises through the limestone karsts and emerald water.
It is also poised to take a significant leap in economic development with the establishment of an International Financial Centre in Ho Chi Minh City and a Regional Financial Centre in Da Nang.
The flight to Vietnam from the UK takes just under 12 hours, and there is a six-hour time difference.
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