People entering Vietnam will be exempted from immigration form procedures at border gates that are equipped with electronic passport readers, a Prime Ministerial document released on Monday has stated.

In the official document 4850/VPCP- QHQT, the Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of  National Defence in collaboration with the Ministries of Finance and Ministry of Public Security to promptly equip border gates managed by the Ministry of National Defence with electronic passport readers.

The Ministry of Public Security has been asked to issue new immigration and declaration forms at defence ministry managed border gates that haven’t been equipped with electronic passport readers.

The new immigration form will be abolished when these border gates upgrade their systems electronically.

The Government aims to streamline administrative procedures and promote tourism.

According to statistics of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, approximately 2.5 million tourists visiting Vietnam during the first half of 2010, an increase of 36 per cent compared to same period in 2009.

The number of foreigner tourists visiting Vietnam has increased from 250,000 in 1990 to 4.2 million in 2008. The sector plans to attract between 7-8 million foreign visitors by 2015.

Source: VNS