When international tourism resumes

When international tourism resumes.

Việt Nam is putting measures in place to ensure the ‘absolute safety’ of residents and foreign tourists as the country is set to soon resume international tourism activities.

The deputy spokesperson for the foreign ministry Phạm Thu Hằng made the remarks on Thursday during the regular press briefing in Hà Nội.

The Vietnamese Government has agreed in principle with the tentative three-phase roadmap on taking in international visitors to Việt Nam, with phase 1 beginning in November, phase 2 beginning in January 2022, and phase 3 starting from the second quarter next year.

In phase 1, or the pilot period, foreign tourists would arrive in Việt Nam on ‘combo flights’ – where passengers pay fees for tickets, quarantine, and testing prior to departure – with charter and commercial flights to Phú Quốc City (Kiên Giang Province), Cam Ranh City (Khánh Hoà), Quảng Nam and Đà Nẵng – some of the country’s most popular destinations.

The visitors will need to possess all required medical documents at the request of the Vietnamese authorities, especially COVID-19 vaccination certificates or a proof of recent recovery from COVID-19.

On the issue of vaccine passports, Hằng said Việt Nam currently recognises vaccination certificates or vaccine passports of 72 countries and territories that were officially introduced to Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

People with these documents can use them directly in Việt Nam and can have their quarantine period reduced to seven days, in line with the Ministry of Health’s regulations applicable for fully vaccinated people or those who have recovered from COVID-19.

The Vietnamese foreign ministry’s representative also noted that negotiations are ongoing with 90 partners to have Vietnamese COVID-19 vaccine certificates recognised.