Five Countries, One Destination

A Single Visa Scheme was called for implementation during the 3rd Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Co-operation Strategy (ACMECS) Summit held in Hanoi, Viet Nam last week. Delegates attending the ACMECS Business Forum on Friday agreed to promote a single visa for tourists to facilitate entry into five countries of Mainland Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam, and to boost tourism in the area.

Ayeyawady, Chao Phraya and Mekong are three "mother rivers" that culturally and historically unify these five countries in the heart of Southeast Asia.

The Ayeyawady flows through the Union of Myanmar, starting north of Myitkyina in Kachin State, and on its way south passes Mandalay as well as building up a huge river delta near Yangon to reach the Bay of Bengal. The Menam Chao Phraya is the lifeline of the Kingdom of Thailand fed by the Ping, Wang, Yom and Nan Rivers, which combine their waters at Nakhon Sawan to flow south passing Bangkok towards the Gulf of Thailand. The mighty Mekong River flows south from the high Tibetan Plateau in China to pass Shan State in Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and the southern part of Viet Nam to finally reach the South China Sea.

The five countries involved in this scheme are rich in tourism resources with well-known tourist spots in each country, like Ha Long Bay, Hue Imperial Town, and the Mekong Delta in Viet Nam, Luang Prabang and Wat Phu, Chamapasak in Laos, Siem Reap in Cambodia, Bagan in Myanmar, as well as Sukhothai and Ayutthaya in Thailand.

The Single Visa scheme will also allow a tourist with one visa to travel through five ACMECS countries and will finally help ACMECS countries to move towards the goal of "Five Countries, One Destination.”

As a pilot project for the ambitious ACMECS Single Visa Scheme, Cambodia and Thailand had already signed agreement on the implementation of ACMECS Single Visa for two countries last year. According to Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, Thailand is now amending laws and regulations in response to the agreement.

In addition to the single visa for ACMECS countries, delegates at the summit also proposed the issuance of an ACMECS Travel Card. Such an ACMECS card will be issued to people of ACMECS countries, first to business people for traveling within the five member countries, without applying for any visa, according to a proposal submitted by the ACMECS Business Council at the summit.