Vietnam gives green light to foreign tourists, limited destinations

As the Southeast Asian country steadily reopens its tourism sector amid the pandemic, Vietnam is receiving foreign tourists starting from November for the first time since Spring 2020.

The daily newspaper Nguoi Lao Dong says two flights carrying foreign visitors from Japan and South Korea arrived in Khanh Hoa Province on the south-central coast on Thursday. About 430 travellers from the US are slated to arrive in Hoi An, a Unesco World Heritage Site in Quang Nam Province in the same week by charter aircraft.

The renowned Phu Quoc Island in the Gulf of Thailand is also expecting about 250 international tourists by the weekend, according to a second story in the newspaper.

However, a notice on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s website reads that foreign tourists must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before a trip or have recovered from Covid-19 no more than 6 months before departure. Visitors must have tested negative for the coronavirus within 72 hours after departure, and are only allowed to visit authorised destinations and service facilities as part of organised tours.

The transport ministry has recommended a three-phase strategy to restore regular foreign flights next year and the first phase will start in the first quarter of 2022, with flights arriving from France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, and Cambodia.

SOURCE: Bloomberg