HANOI, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam is reviewing visa policies, making its rules easier for foreign visitors in a bid to boost investment and tourism, local newspaper Vietnam News reported on Wednesday.

Electronic visa holders might be able to stay in Vietnam for up to 90 days from the current 30 days, according to a new draft law proposed by the Ministry of Public Security.

The Southeast Asian country may also ease more restrictions by extending the visa-free length of stay from 15 days to 30 days for citizens from countries that it has unilaterally waived visa requirements.

Vietnam already waives visa requirements for tourists from 25 countries and also grants a one-month single-entry e-visa to visitors from 80 countries.

The policies aim to attract foreign tourists to the country amid rising competition from other countries in the region after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Policy makers also said the policy relaxation will help attract more foreigners to visit the country and seek investment opportunities, creating a driving force to stimulate economic growth development.

Between January and February, the Southeast Asian country gained 3.6 billion U.S. dollars in revenue from 1.8 million foreign arrivals, with most of them from Asia.

Vietnam is targeting to earn 27.3 billion dollars in tourism revenue this year, equivalent to 90.3 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

The tourism industry accounted for 9.2 percent of the country's annual gross domestic product in 2019, with a record 18 million international arrivals and 720 trillion Vietnamese dong (30.2 billion dollars) in revenue, official statistics showed. Enditem

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