Proposal to remove all visa restrictions, open tourism from March 15

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism proposed to reopen all tourism activities from March 15.

Yesterday (February 15), Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam chaired a meeting to discuss plans to reopen tourism activities in the context of safe and flexible adaptation, effective control of the Covid-19 epidemic, and step-by-step economic and social recovery.

International aviation has officially reopened since February 15, creating the premise for tourism to accelerate.

TL

Lift all travel controls

At the meeting, the leader of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that after 4 months of piloting welcoming international visitors, 9 provinces and cities have welcomed 9,000 international visitors. To date, the Ministry has allowed all qualified localities to pilot welcoming international visitors.

To help the tourism industry recover and develop soon, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism proposed to reopen all tourism activities from March 15.

According to this plan, international and domestic tourism activities will be fully reopened from March 15 by air, road and sea. Travel control measures since the outbreak have been lifted, along with strict implementation of disease prevention and control solutions, especially implementing 5K everywhere, at all times, at all stages.

International visitors to Vietnam do not need to register for a tour as during the pilot period, but only need proof of full Covid-19 vaccination or proof of recovery.

Regarding the issuance of entry visas, Vietnam previously granted unilateral visa exemptions to 13 countries and bilateral visa exemptions to 88 countries and territories. However, due to the Covid-19 outbreak since 2020 and depending on the developments of the pandemic in other countries, the Government has issued a Resolution to stop this visa exemption mechanism.

Under the new normal conditions, ministries and branches agreed and reported to the Government that by March 15, they will stop applying restrictive measures on visa applications for international visitors and implement them as before the Covid-19 pandemic, including issuing e-visas and unilateral and bilateral visa exemptions.

Recently, Vietnam has also completely lifted restrictions on destinations and international flight frequencies from February 15. This is considered an important prerequisite for the tourism industry to officially reopen from March. However, tourism businesses are still expecting an official announcement of the reopening time, as well as specific instructions to have enough basis to work with partners, develop plans, approach the market, and be ready to return.

Tourism industry is eager to remove all barriers to reopen from March 15.

PIETY

Visitors must pay an insurance fee of 30 USD/person.

Regarding entry requirements for international visitors to Vietnam, the Ministry of Health requires visitors to have a negative test result before boarding the plane (within 24 hours for rapid testing, 72 hours for RT-PCR), for countries with stricter regulations, the regulations of these countries will apply. In addition, at least one health management application must be installed according to the regulations of the Vietnamese professional agency and continuously turned on during the stay in Vietnam...

"International visitors aged 12 and above must be vaccinated with at least 2 doses, the second dose no more than 6 months old, or have a certificate of recovery from Covid-19 within 6 months. International visitors under 11 years old are not required to be vaccinated because Vietnam has not yet vaccinated this group," added Phan Trong Lan, Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine.

For international visitors entering by air, those with suspected symptoms must undergo rapid testing at the airport, the rest must return to their pre-registered place of residence, self-isolate for 24 hours and perform a rapid test or RT-PCR, continue to be medically monitored for 14 days according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health, and strictly follow the 5K. International visitors entering by road are tested at the border gate before entering the country.

The ministries and sectors also agreed with the proposal of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism that international visitors entering Vietnam must pay an insurance premium to enjoy the insurance level of 10,000 USD (average of about 30 USD/person) in case of having to treat Covid-19 in Vietnam. If an international visitor tests positive for Covid-19, the accommodation facility is responsible for working with health agencies and local authorities to quarantine, manage and treat them similarly to Vietnamese people.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/de-xuat-thao-toan-bo-gioi-han-ve-visa-mo-bung-du-lich-tu-15-3-1851430019.htm