Tourism officials in Vietnam push for a full reopening to foreign travellers on March 15
Vietnam plans to reopen borders for foreign travellers on March 15, although the date is not yet official. According to the local media outlet VN Express, a draft proposal is in the works to fully allow inbound and outbound tourism starting in mid-March.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is now getting input from relevant agencies before submitting the proposal to the Vietnamese government. But so far, the proposal says foreign tourists entering Vietnam by land, sea, or air will be required to present documentation certifying that they are either vaccinated against Covid-19 or that they recently recovered from an infection.
The proposal also says that tourists will need to show a negative result from a rapid antigen test done within 24 hours after arrival. (Thailand requires an RT-PCR test before departure, on arrival, and then again on Day 5 in the country.) Travellers would also need insurance covering Covid-19.
According to VN Express, travellers who are vaccinated will be able to book three-day tour packages with designated travel agencies while those who are unvaccinated will have to book tours at a minimum of seven days. Vietnam is also offering visa-free travel for a number of non-Asian countries, such as the UK, but for holidays lasting more than 15 days, a visa for Vietnam is still required.
Today, Vietnam lifted Covid-19 curbs on international flights from all markets, with no limits on flight numbers. The frequency of flights is said to be restored to pre-pandemic levels.
Foreign tourists have been allowed to travel to select provinces and cities in Vietnam under a vaccine passport programme which was launched by the government back in November, but only 9,000 people entered under the programme, with half of them being Vietnamese.
For a full reopening of borders to foreign tourists, PM Pham Minh Chinh has said in previous statements that the country should fully reopen in March or April, but no later than the end of April.
SOURCE: VN Express
