Several countries around the world are now slowly reopening their borders after closing in March when the Covid-19 pandemic started. Vietnam is also planning to open its borders to more foreign visitors soon.
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam has to close its borders to foreign visitors. But now that the world is trying to go back to normal, Vietnamese authorities are slowly and cautiously opening the borders. For now, the only foreigners that Vietnam will allow to enter are those who are visiting for business and other essential purposes. Also, authorities will only allow foreign visitors to come from countries that have been successful in containing the Covid-19 virus, such as Japan.
On the basis of reciprocity, authorities from both Vietnam and Japan came up with an agreement to allow for a short-term travel process. Also called the Priority Travel Regulation, this agreement will allow people from Japan to enter Vietnam and stay for less than 14 days.
The Priority Travel Regulation will take effect on November 1, 2020. It will give priority to visitors from Japan who are coming to Vietnam for a short-term stay in order to perform essential tasks, such as investment, trade, diplomacy, high-tech labor, public service, and more. These visitors will be exempted from the mandatory 14-day quarantine.
To ensure the process goes smoothly, the embassy of Japan will briefly introduce the process of implementing the Priority Travel Regulation. Those who are eligible for this program must stay in Vietnam for less than 14 days. They must be a resident or citizen of Japan and will enter Vietnam for essential purposes only, such as business managers, professionals, and public servants, as well as their relatives and family members.
Under the Priority Travel Regulation, here’s the process that visitors from Japan must follow:
1. Before entering Vietnam, visitors must have approval from the People’s Committee. The company or organization that will invite you to Vietnam must first request approval from the People’s Committee of the Province where the work program or place of stay is located.
2. Next is to get a visa approval order. Once the company or organization that will invite you to Vietnam receives the approval from the People’s Committee of the province, they will get a visa approval order from the Immigration Department, under the guidance of the Ministry Police.
The agency or organization that will welcome you into the country must submit the following requirements when asking for the visa approval order:
3. After about 3 working days, the company or organization that invited you to Vietnam will receive the visa approval order from the Vietnam Immigration Department. They will forward the visa approval order to you and you can now apply for your visa from a Vietnam agency in Japan. Take note that all foreign visitors under this program are required to have a visa, including those that were granted visa exemption prior to the pandemic.
4. When applying for a visa, you will also be required to submit international health insurance. The company or organization that invited you to Vietnam must also submit a document committing to pay for the treatment costs in case you get sick with Covid-19.
Once you have the visa, you can now purchase your plane ticket to fly to Vietnam. When buying your ticket, you will be required to present the following: A passport that’s valid for 6 months from the date of entry and your Vietnam visa, which has been approved under the work program.
When checking in for your flight, you will be required to submit a negative result of a Covid-19 certificate. It is important that you arrive in Vietnam 1 to 2 days before you start working to ensure that you have enough time to wait for the result of the Covid-19 test.
Upon your arrival in Vietnam, you will be required to present a negative Covid-19 certificate. You also need to submit an electronic medical declaration and get your body temperature taken. If you are showing any signs and symptoms of the disease, you will immediately be isolated.
All visitors must also wear the Bluezone, an electronic medical surveillance device while in Vietnam. After going through airport formalities, the company that invited you into the country must pick you up from the airport and take you to the approved accommodation using a private car.
When you arrive at your accommodation, you’ll be taken Real-time PCR sampling. If it returns negative, you will be allowed to move freely and start with your work or whatever the purpose of your visit. The test will be performed every two days during your stay in your accommodation. You will be tested again one day before you leave the country.
Several countries around the world are now slowly reopening their borders after closing in March when the Covid-19 pandemic started. Vietnam is also planning to open its borders to more foreign visitors soon.
Compared to other ASEAN nations, Vietnam has a relatively low rate of Covid-19 transmissions. While the healthcare systems of other wealthier countries have been collapsing, Vietnam has remained in full control.
Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic started, Vietnam has been closely monitoring the situation. The government’s proactive approach has truly paid off because Vietnam has one of the lowest numbers of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Asia, even though it’s located beside China, where the virus started.
Vietnam will be reopening its commercial routes on Sept. 15.
After several months of closing its borders to curb the spread of Covid-19 disease, Vietnam is finally opening to International travels on Sept. 15.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport has sent a proposal to the country’s Prime Minister about reopening international routes to foreign visitors. The initial plan is to resume flights to six international destinations.
Vietnam has so far been doing well in its fight against COVID-19. Compared to other Asian countries, Vietnam has a low number of confirmed cases and fatality rates.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has recently proposed to operate International flights on September 15 to six different countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Laos, and Cambodia. Other relevant agencies will also submit their plans to the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control regarding the said proposal.