The Vimo Technology Joint Stock Company (Vimo.vn) and Southern Airport Services Joint Stock Company (SASCO) have signed a cooperation agreement on launching electronic payment services for Asian tourists when travelling into Vietnam. From January 1, 2018, Asian travelers will be able to use electronic payments in Vietnamese currency (VND) at SASCO duty-free and retail shops in the international terminal of HCM City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Foreign customers can use WeChat Pay electronic accounts installed on their mobile phones to scan quick response (QR) codes and make payments quickly and conveniently. One of the advantages of QR code payment is that customers do not need to carry a wallet or multiple cards, so they don’t have to worry about the security of their card information at payment points. Nguyen Van Hung Cuong, SASCO’s deputy director, said that in accordance with the trend of electronic commerce, the company wants to catch up, leverage technology to optimise...

New rules could push thousands of freelance tourist guides out of work next year, creating a serious shortage in the industry, experts warn.   A tour guide at Thien Cung Cave, Ha Long Bay in northern Quang Ninh Province. - VNA/VNS Photo Tran Viet They say that the provisions on issuing tourist guide licenses in the Law on Tourism set impractical conditions that freelancers will not be able to meet, pushing them out of work, worsening the current shortage. The Law on Tourism stipulates that tourist guides should have labour contracts with authorized travel agencies, tour operators or firms providing tour-guide services; or be a member of a professional tour guide organisation. In addition, tour guides must have a contract or equivalent document on every trip.       Currently, carrying a tour guide card is the only requirement. New rules are needed Officials of the Viet Nam National Administration of...

South Korea will loosen visa requirements and issue e-visas for Vietnamese visitors as the number of Vietnamese tourists to the Northeast Asian nation is growing significantly. Le Thi Thu Trang, marketing director of the Korea Tourism Organization in Vietnam, said there have been 303,000 Vietnamese visiting Korea so far this year and the number may reach 330,000 at the end of this year, up by 90,000 over last year. Korea will grant e-visas for buyers of incentive tours, allow more companies to carry out e-visa procedures and offer tourists a visa-free stay in Seoul for five days if they travel to Jeju island previously. Trang told the Daily on November 15 that Vietnam ranks sixth among Korea’s biggest source markets. New policies are expected to be adopted next year to further expand the market. In July, Korea accredited 35 travel companies in Vietnam, meaning Vietnamese tourists visiting Korea via these firms could get visas faster. Normally it takes eight days to apply for a visa,...