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.
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. They have also proposed a plan to isolate visitors and collect quarantine fees.
According to the proposed plan, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam will allow flights in and out of Vietnam to come from six international destinations. The routes will be distributed evenly on weekdays and will be limited to only two flights per day. This is to minimize the number of foreign visitors, which could potentially carry the coronavirus.
The proposed plan will take effect on September 15. According to the plan, Vietnam will open international routes to six destinations in Asia. These destinations include China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Laos, and Cambodia.
These flights will carry foreign visitors who will be coming to Vietnam for various reasons. Aside from civil servants and diplomats, these flights will also apply to Vietnamese citizens who are returning home. There are hundreds of Vietnamese workers in Japan, South Korea, and China. Some of them have lost their jobs due to the pandemic and are wishing to come home to Vietnam. Now that Vietnam is opening some flights to these countries, they will be able to go back and be with their family.
Foreign experts, investors, skilled workers, and employees of companies working on key projects in Vietnam can also take advantage of these flights.
The flights that Vietnam plans to open on September 15 will not be for the purpose of tourism. This means that tourists cannot take these flights yet because they will not be allowed entry to Vietnam. Even though Vietnam is so eager to welcome foreign tourists again to revive its economy, the government believes that it is not yet safe to do so.
The opening of the international routes on September 15 will still not apply to foreign tourists. Foreigners who have plans to visit Vietnam for a holiday may have to wait a little bit longer. Right now, several countries are still seeing hundreds of new COVID cases every single day. Vietnam does not want to take the chances by putting the health of its citizens at risk.
Foreign visitors who will be arriving in Vietnam on September 15 are required to follow quarantine regulations. After passing through immigration, all foreign arrivals will be put in isolation for 14 days. They will be tested for Covid-19 at least twice, and they will only be released from quarantine if both tests will turn out negative.
Vietnam will only shoulder the cost of testing and quarantine for returning Vietnamese citizens. Therefore, foreign visitors who are eligible to enter the country on September 15 will have to pay for the testing and quarantine. This applies to foreign skilled workers, experts, investors, entrepreneurs, and workers of key projects in Vietnam.
However, the quarantine rules will only apply if these visitors will stay in the country for more than 14 days. If they are coming to the country for only a short stay, then they are exempted from quarantine. For others who are staying longer, they will be quarantined the moment they arrive in Vietnam. After they pass through the immigration counter on arrival, these foreign visitors will proceed to isolation according to the regulations set by the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention.
The Prime Minister of Vietnam has requested the Ministry of Transport to coordinate with the Ministry of Health in the implementation of Medical Quarantine Requirements for all passenger arrivals. These requirements include temperature checks at the airport, using hand sanitizers, wearing facemask, and submission of the medical declaration form. These regulations must be put in place before passenger boarding.
The People’s Committee of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City has also announced that they have already prepared the necessary quarantine facilities that will be used to isolate foreign passengers. Everyone who will be arriving in Vietnam starting September 15 will immediately be placed in isolation, after exiting the immigration procedures at the airport. This is to avoid exposure to the public in case they have been infected with the coronavirus. The Ministry of Health will closely monitor the passengers while isolating and they will only be released if they will turn out negative after two Covid-19 tests.
With the proposal plan, Vietnam expects that the number of foreign arrivals in the country per week will be around 5,000. Hanoi will receive 2,200 passengers while Ho Chi Minh will have 2,450 passengers, and Can Tho will receive around 400 passengers. These cities have enough quarantine facilities to handle the maximum number of passengers.
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.
Even though Vietnam has been successful in containing the Coronavirus outbreak, it still has not opened up to international tourists. The Vietnamese government is careful enough not to allow another wave of infections, such as the case in Da Nang recently.
The Director-General of Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Authority has revealed that it has proposed to the Ministry of Transport the resumption of flights to Japan and South Korea. Such a proposal recommends having eight flights per week in and out of the said countries.
Due to the unpredictable and complicated nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam’s Health Ministry has put in place various initiatives to combat the spread of the disease. These measures have grown more stringent over time and are expected to change from time to time.
In order to curb the spread of Covid-19, Vietnam has decided to shut down its borders in March. The government also suspended all International flights and halted the issuance of new visas to foreign nationals.
