Vietnam will resume international flights from November

Vietnam is preparing for the resumption of scheduled international flights from November 2021 after months due to Covid-19.

Foreign visitors enjoy their stay in Vietnam. Photo: VNA

The Ministry of Transport will submit to the government a resumption plan before November 5 as requested by Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh earlier this week.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) needs to speed up the mutual recognition of vaccine passports with other countries.

The Ministry of Health is asked to cooperate with other ministries to finalize the paper and digital vaccine passport templates.

In welcoming foreign visitors, the Vietnamese authorities are required to facilitate them in finishing procedures and prioritize Vietnamese returnees for family reunification, and those coming to seek investment opportunities and for conferences.

Incoming people need to show proof of full vaccination or being recovered from Covid-19. Overseas Vietnamese are not requested to show visas.

The MoFA will decide who will come with diplomatic purposes and guide repatriation flights of Vietnamese citizens.

Authorities need to reply to people in need within five working days after receiving all required papers.

So far, Vietnam has accepted vaccine passports from 72 countries and is working with 82 other countries on the issue. In addition, a number of countries have accepted vaccine passports from Vietnamese visitors. It’s the foundation for the country to pursue its recovery plans.

Resuming tourism under preparations

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), it will resume international flights to repatriate Vietnamese citizens and welcome foreigners to some tourist attractions like Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, Da Lat, among others.

On Oct 28, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) said Phu Quoc, the largest island and one of the tourist attractions in Vietnam, is expected to welcome international visitors in late November. Visitors from Australia, Europe, Northeast Asia, and the US are on the priority list. 

On Oct 25, the Airports Council International (ACI), a global trade representative of the world’s airport authorities, provided Phu Quoc International Airport with Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) certificate that recognizes airports' health measures align with the ACI Aviation Business Restart and Recovery guidelines. The move enables the terminal to proceed with visitor welcoming plans.

Authorities in Phu Quoc are speeding up the vaccination for residents and preparing for the plans.

On Oct 28, Danang, one of the famous coastal cities with world-class beaches, also planned to open to international visitors from November.

To prepare for the move, the MCST has built a digital tourism map of Vietnam, website: https://travelpass.tourism.vn, and hotline 1039 to facilitate visitors.

Local experts said the “travel bubble” is the best choice for the tourism industry in the context that Covid-19 remains detected elsewhere. Vaccination and strong enforcement of safety measures are the essential factors for the sector to reopen services. “Travel bubble” is known as travel corridors and corona corridors, are essentially an exclusive partnership between two or more countries.

Since April 2020, Vietnam has closed doors to international visitors.

Before Covid-19 flared up globally, Vietnam welcomed 18 million international tourists, earning VND726 trillion (US$31.56 million).

Before welcoming international visitors, many parts of Vietnam have been open to domestic tourists since September.

In the first nine months of this year, Vietnam’s tourism revenues were VND137 trillion ($5.95 billion), falling 41% from the figure recorded in the same period last year.

Vu The Binh, deputy head of the Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA), said “We have prepared for domestic tourism, and everything seems to be ready. Revenues of domestic tourism, though is small, would inspire the entire industry.”