Thousands of foreign tourists are now stranded in Vietnam after the government imposed several travel restrictions. The country’s Prime Minister has declared Covid 19 as a nationwide epidemic and has put the country on lockdown.
The coronavirus pandemic has prompted the Vietnam government to impose travel restrictions by preventing the entry of all foreign visitors. However, a group of Korean travelers has arrived in the country recently. They consist of 340 Korean entrepreneurs representing 140 different companies. These Korean businessmen were given a special entry permit, which allows them to enter the country despite the travel ban.
So far, they were the biggest group of travelers that the Vietnam government has allowed into the country ever since the nationwide lockdown was imposed.
The group flew from Incheon International Airport via two chartered flights courtesy of Korean Air. They arrived in Van Don International Airport, which is located at the Quang Ninh Province of Vietnam. This was according to Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
These groups of businessmen are representatives of 143 Korean companies. 127 are Small and Medium Enterprises, 9 are large conglomerates while the rest belong to the finance and public sectors.
Most of these Korean visitors are essential personnel for factory operations and management and in the construction sector.
Before boarding their flights, all Korean visitors were asked to undergo coronavirus testing. This is to ensure the safety of everyone and to prevent the entry of the dreaded virus to the country. All the results turned out negative, which is why they were allowed to board their flights.
When they arrived in Vietnam, the airport immigration officials issued them with an entry visa. Furthermore, they will be asked to stay in a hotel for two weeks in order to undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine. Thus, they can only attend to their business transactions starting May 13.
Vietnam has so far been successful in containing the spread of the coronavirus. In fact, the country was among the countries in Asia that has the lowest number of confirmed coronavirus cases. So far, they have not reported any casualties of the disease. Since April 16, Vietnam has not reported any new cases of Covid 19. This is all thanks to the country’s early response to the pandemic. They are also among the first countries to impose a nationwide lockdown.
Part of its efforts to contain the virus is the temporary suspension of all foreign entries. These include Korean nationals who enjoy visa-free entry to Vietnam. The temporary ban on the entry of all foreign nationals started last March 22. At the start of April, Vietnam has also canceled the entry of all foreign airlines.
Seoul has negotiated with Hanoi to issue a special permit that would allow the group of Korean businesspeople to enter the country. The negotiation has been successful, which explains the arrival of Korean visitors.
Despite the countrywide lockdown, Vietnam has revealed that they are willing to grant special permits on a case-to-case basis. Most of these permits were given to groups of people that need to do essential business trips to the country. The recent group of Korean businesspeople who arrived in the country is employees of different Korean companies, including large conglomerates, such as LG Electronics and Samsung.
The Korean businesspeople were the first batch of foreign nationals that Vietnam has allowed to enter in groups of hundreds.
According to the Foreign Ministry Official, most of the small and medium-sized foreign companies have difficulties in negotiating their special business trips to Vietnam. This is why they have to do the negotiation on their behalf. Thankfully, Vietnam has given them a package entry permit that allows both small and large companies to send their employees.
Last April 3rd, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc have discussed on the phone the need to allow business travel for those business people who belong to the essential industry sector.
After the discussion, Korea’s Foreign Ministry, along with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, as well as the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry have arranged for the special permits.
Thus, 340 businesspeople were able to enter Vietnam last Wednesday. They represent hundreds of Korean based companies that need to do essential business in Vietnam.
Vietnam, which is home to 97 million people, has only confirmed 270 cases of coronavirus. Of these, 220 were able to recover fully and none has succumbed to the disease.
On the other hand, South Korea has seen a massive peak in its number of cases in late February. However, through extensive testing and quick contact tracing, the country was able to flatten the curve. In the past couple of weeks, it has only reported an increase of 15 cases. Aside from Vietnam, the Korean government has also been consulting with other countries to request a special entry permit.
Thousands of foreign tourists are now stranded in Vietnam after the government imposed several travel restrictions. The country’s Prime Minister has declared Covid 19 as a nationwide epidemic and has put the country on lockdown.
Getting a visa to Vietnam these days is so easy. Aside from offering free visa entry to certain nationalities under the visa waiver program, Vietnam also offers an electronic visa and visa on arrival to most foreign visitors.
It seems that the COVID-19 is not showing signs of slowing down. The pandemic still continues to unfold in a worrying manner leaving world leaders grappling with solutions to address this very complex catastrophe.
Last Monday 09 Mar 2020, the government of Vietnam has announced that they are temporarily suspending visa-free travel from eight European countries. This is amid the growing concerns over the spread of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The 2019-nCoV coronavirus has become one of the biggest threats in the travel industry not only in Vietnam but around the world as well. It has so far affected various sectors in the industry, including aviation, hospitality, tourism, tours, etc.