Vietnam and Northeast Asian countries eye to resume air links
The resumption of air travel on mutual basis will prioritize passengers on business purposes.
Governments of Vietnam and South Korea, Japan and China are discussing gradual reconnection of air services based on the demand of each side as well as in compliance with measures to prevent the outbreak of Covid-19, Spokesperson of Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang has stated.
| Vietnam's government considers resuming air travel services to select destinations which are safe from the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Vietnam Airlines. |
The resumption of flights on mutual basis will enable experts and business executives of those countries to return to Vietnam, and Vietnamese trainees and guest workers to travel to those destinations, Hang said in a statement on Thursday.
On June 10, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Health and Transport to consider resuming air travel services to select destinations which are safe from the Covid-19 pandemic. The possible destinations could be China, Taiwan (China), South Korea, Japan and Laos which have basically pushed back the Covid-19 pandemic.
The National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention Control was asked to list safe travel zones which include countries and territories having gone through 30 days without reporting infection, as well as instructing isolation for passengers upon entry.
At a meeting of the steering committee on Thursday morning, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was assigned to devise regulations to erect isolated facilities to house diplomats, investors and businesspeople who will enter Vietnam for a short stay.
On June 14, Vietnamese airlines announced plans to reopen international routes to destinations where the pandemic is under control from July 1, if authorized by the government.
As of June 18, the country has confirmed 335 cases and zero deaths. It has gone 63 days without community infection.
