Russia eyes mutual travel visa exemption with Viet Nam

Russia’s Federal Agency for Tourism (Rosturism) on September 1 proposed a mutual visa-free group tourist exchange mechanism with India, Iran and Viet Nam, ahead of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
Head of the agency Oleg Safonov said that such a mechanism has been implemented between Russia and China since 2000 and has proved effective.
He expressed his belief that if the agreements are signed with India, Iran and Viet Nam, they will also produce positive results.
Statistics from the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) showed that Southeast Asia is currently an attractive destination for Russian tourists.
In the first half of this year, the number of Russian tourists to the region increased by 17 percent against the same period last year.
A total of 204,400 Russians visited Viet Nam in the period, up 21 percent year-on-year..