Vietnamese tourists watch cherry blossoms in Seoul, South Korea, April 2024. Photo by Kim Anh
South Korea’s Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun Cheol on Dec. 31 announced that the country will extend the waiver of visa processing fees for group tourists from six Asian countries, including Vietnam, for another six months.
Under the plan unveiled by the minister, the exemption of processing fees for the C-3-2 short-term group tourist visa, which was scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, 2025, will be extended until the end of June 2026.
The beneficiaries include tourists from Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
According to Koo, the measure aims to maintain the positive recovery momentum of the tourism sector. Currently, the processing fee for the C-3-2 visa is 18,000 KRW (US$12.45).
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the number of Vietnamese tourists visiting South Korea in 2025 was estimated to be approximately 550,000, a 9% increase compared to the previous year.
In 2026, South Korea aims to welcome around 600,000 Vietnamese tourists, surpassing the pre-pandemic level of 2019.
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