Macao could soon be easing visa procedures for Vietnamese nationals by introducing online applications and a visa-on-arrival scheme, Vietnam Net reports.
The state-backed portal says Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng told the Vietnamese consul general in Hong Kong and Macao he was ready to welcome more tourists, labourers and business people from the Southeast Asian nation.
The consul general, Pham Binh Dam, met with Ho earlier this week to discuss ways to grow two-way tourism and increase the flow of Vietnamese workers to Macao. He highlighted cultural similarities and transport links between the territories – noting there was great potential for further cooperation.
[See more: The Vietnamese: Inside Macao’s second biggest foreign community]
The Vietnamese are the second biggest foreign community in Macao, after Filipinos. There are about 7,800 Vietnamese non-resident workers in the SAR.
At the meeting, Ho praised Vietnamese workers for the contributions they have made to the SAR’s economy. He described them as highly skilled, hardworking, adaptable and good with languages.
Ho added that he was impressed by Vietnam’s post-pandemic recovery and noted that the country’s rapidly growing economy had caught the eye of many Macao business people and investors.
