The government has agreed in principle to resume commercial flights to and from countries and territories deemed very safe with appropriate pandemic prevention measures in place.
The government office said on Friday that Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh had asked the Ministry of Transportation to submit a plan by November 5 to resume regular international commercial flights.
The Foreign Ministry will discuss with its partners ways to speed up recognition of vaccine passports, the office said.
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Passengers land at Van Don Airport in Quang Ninh province from France, September 23, 2021. Photo by VnExpress / Binh Minh |
Minh also accepted the policy of creating favorable conditions for the entry of foreigners into Vietnam, according to the categories approved by the Prime Minister, including people going to Vietnam to research markets, attend conferences, seminars and visit relatives; and Vietnamese living abroad with their relatives.
These people need a certificate of vaccination or a certificate of infection and cure from Covid-19. Vietnamese living abroad are exempt from a visa, according to a regulation published in 2015.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said last Thursday that Vietnam had accepted vaccine passports from 72 countries and territories and was discussing the matter with 80 others.
Vietnam’s vaccination certificate has also been recognized by some countries. This is a legal basis for reopening and bringing economic and social activities back to the new normal.
On October 22, in a draft plan sent to the Ministry of Transport for approval, the Vietnam Civil Aviation Authority proposed to launch pilot flights to transport foreign tourists to specific tourist destinations like Phu Quoc, Khanh Hoa and Quang Ninh during the first phase. should start this quarter.
Vietnam closed its doors to foreign tourists and canceled all international flights in March last year, allowing only Vietnamese returnees and foreign experts, as well as highly skilled workers, to enter strict quarantine conditions.
