Hong Kong’s eased visas rules for Vietnamese ‘first step’ to more travel relaxations and better access to inflow of talent, country’s consul general says
- Vietnamese nationals will be eligible to work in Hong Kong under series of employment programmes after policy shift announced by city leader
- ‘With this lifting of restrictions in Hong Kong, companies have access to the huge human resources that Vietnam has,’ Pham Binh Dam says
Hong Kong’s move to relax tough visa rules for Vietnamese nationals entering the city for work or travel cleared a long-standing “obstacle” that has hampered economic opportunities and bilateral ties, the country’s envoy to the city has said.
The relaxation came as the city works to strengthen ties with the Southeast Asian nation and tap growing business opportunities, with a Vietnamese Association of Hong Kong to launch soon.
Vietnamese Consul General Pham Binh Dam, speaking to the Post on Friday, said the new measures were a “first step” towards further relaxation of rules for travellers, and that Hong Kong’s economy would benefit from the inflow of Vietnamese talent.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced in his policy address on Wednesday that visa rules for Vietnamese nationals entering Hong Kong for travel, business and employment would be relaxed.
“The visa restrictions have been standing as an obstacle,” Pham said. “With this lifting of the restrictions in Hong Kong, companies have access to the huge human resources that Vietnam has.”
He added that the earlier restrictions were akin to “sanctioning the whole country”.
“That issue will no longer stand as the sticking point in the relationship,” Pham said. “We are entering a new period, in which all possibilities are open.”
Bad for business and fun? Hong Kong’s visa rules send Vietnamese visitors elsewhere
Under the new arrangements, Vietnamese nationals will be eligible to work in Hong Kong under the series of employment programmes offered by the city, such as the General Employment Policy, Quality Migrant Admission Scheme and Top Talent Pass Scheme.
Pham said that allowing Vietnamese talent into Hong Kong would help the city as it seeks to diversify its economy, and that he expected the IT sector to benefit the most from the changes.
A new multiple-entry visa will also allow Vietnamese travellers to visit the city for a maximum of 14 days each time. Before the announcement, visitors arriving for business or tourism were limited to single-entry visas, valid for two weeks and seven days respectively.
To be eligible for the new visas, travellers must have visited two or more countries at least three times in the past three years or have studied, worked or received training in Hong Kong in the past two years.
Pham acknowledged the requirements were steep for the multi-entry visa, but that he expected further easing in a “shorter time”.
“Having such a policy is a first step,” he said. “I imagine behind that, other measures will continue to be formulated to make it easier.”
Vietnam is Hong Kong’s seventh-largest trading partner, and bilateral trade grew at an annual rate of 11.8 per cent between 2017 and 2021, according to official statistics.
But people-to-people flows have long been hampered by strict visa policies stemming from the refugee crisis of the 1970s and 1980s, when tens of thousands descended on the city fleeing the Vietnam war.
Vietnam landed on a list of restricted countries whose nationals were unable to be legally employed in Hong Kong, and student visas were only made readily available beginning in 2021.
Linh Doan, the head of the project and corporate group in Asia for law firm WFW, was recently nominated to chair the Vietnam Association Hong Kong, a new organisation to connect the Vietnamese community and foster development opportunities.
“In my opinion this is the most significant development in Hong Kong-Vietnam relations,” Doan told the Post.
Doan faced those restrictions head-on when her former employer sought to transfer her to the city in 2008. She said the company had to appeal to the Immigration Department for her to transfer, and even then she was told her approval was an “exception.”
“It was almost impossible,” she said.
Doan said that Hong Kong’s strict visa rules had driven more Vietnamese nationals to regional rival Singapore, where they had visa-free travel, but that the changes would help Hong Kong tap into “natural advantages” such as its geographic proximity and ability to connect Vietnam to China and other East Asian countries such as Japan.
“This news is a game changer for attracting talent to Hong Kong from Vietnam, putting it on an equal footing with Singapore policy-wise,” she said.
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Anton Pham, the CEO of Hong Kong-Vietnamese technology solutions company Tekcent and general secretary of the Vietnamese Association, was thrilled about the possible business opportunities the announcement offered.
“Now we can bring a lot of our talented staff into Hong Kong, to work on Hong Kong projects and contribute to the economy,” he said.
He said Vietnam’s emergence as a regional hub for technology development, as well as its growing middle class would “massively benefit” the Hong Kong economy as it seeks to rebuild its talent pool, diversify its economy and tap into new markets.
“It’s a booming economy so having Hong Kong access, it is important.”
