Published on:
Hanoi (AFP) – Vietnam announced the end of quarantine for international travelers on Wednesday, as it seeks to revive its tourism industry after two years of strict Covid-19 restrictions.
The only virus requirement for visitors will be a negative Covid test, the country’s health ministry said in a statement.
The communist state’s tourism sector was worth up to $32 billion a year before the pandemic, but it came to a halt during the pandemic as the government restricted travel.
Virus curbs have been slowly eased in recent months, with visitors returning since November to play golf at resorts, under a bubble arrangement.
Vietnam also announced the resumption of 15-day visa-free travel for citizens of 13 countries: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Britain, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Belarus. .
The country, which has a population of 97 million, is still reporting nearly 200,000 new Covid cases a day as the Omicron variant spreads.
But the Ministry of Health says the situation “remains under control”, with hospitalization and death rates remaining low.
Officials attribute this to the high vaccination rate, with 98% of adults fully vaccinated according to the Health Ministry.
The country is working to deploy booster shots to the population while preparing to vaccinate children and young adolescents.
© 2022 AFP
