Brits can no longer get new visas to travel to Vietnam unless through government-approved tour companies amid fears over coronavirus, the Vietnamese embassy in the UK has said.
A spokesperson for the embassy said: "Because of covid -19 outbreak in some countries in Europe, the Embassy of Vietnam in London for the time being will not accept requests for visa processing until further notice."
The embassy added that people who want to go to Vietnam have to go through tour operators, who will confirm the arrangements with the Vietnamese government.
Once travellers have a letter of approval, they can then apply for a visa through the embassy.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was aware of the issue and would provide further clarification later.
Vietnam removed visa waivers from British citizens and people from seven other European countries on Monday. This will come into force on March 12.
The country had already stopped visa-free travel from South Korea and Italy.
Vietnam currently has 30 confirmed coronavirus cases.
Thirteen of these came from a flight from London to Hanoi in early March. Seven were British citizens.
The UK has over 300 confirmed cases, and six people have died.
