Hong Kong visa relaxation sparks surge of Vietnamese visitors

Nearly 5,000 Vietnamese visitors were granted “multiple-entry” visas to Hong Kong in the 16 months following the relaxation of entry rules, more than 15 times the total recorded in the preceding five years, according to the city’s security minister.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung informed lawmakers at a Legislative Council security panel meeting on Monday that the total number of such visas granted to applicants from Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar had also increased from 50 in the five years before the relaxation of criteria to 110, from the time the criteria was eased from last October until this February.

The Hong Kong government eased the application criteria for multiple-entry visas for visitors from some of the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in 2023 and 2024.

This allows individuals with a history of trouble-free travel to various countries to encourage them to visit the city.

Previously, the criteria for such visas depended on the applicant’s frequency of visits to Hong Kong and their adherence to the law during their stays. Generally, applicants were required to have made three or more visits to Hong Kong in the past 12 months

Authorities also extended the validity period for these multiple-entry visas for Asean countries from two to three years, with each permitted stay remaining at a maximum of 14 days.

“We believe that the relaxed criteria have strengthened the exchanges between Hong Kong and these Asean countries,” Tang said.