Coronavirus: Vietnam to resume flights from China, Hong Kong, Singapore and 13 other places from December

Travellers wanting to visit Vietnam must be fully vaccinated and have a negative test result 72 hours before arriving

Elsewhere, the reopening of the Singapore-Malaysia land border has sparked a rush for bus tickets, while 84 people at an Australian backpackers’ hostel have been forced into lockdown

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South Korean tourists arrive at Phu Quoc international airport on November 20, 2021. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 11:43am, 25 Nov 2021Updated: 9:33pm, 25 Nov 2021

Vietnam will resume international flights from 15 locations starting from December, nine months after they were suspended due to Covid-19, the government said on Thursday.

“Vietnam is expected to start reopening international routes in early December, including flights to Japan,” Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said during talks with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio in Tokyo, as quoted in a government statement.

Chinh, who left Tokyo on Thursday following a four-day visit, also said Vietnam and Japan were considering recognising each country’s respective vaccine passports.

Vietnam suspended all international flights at the end of March last year to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

According to a proposal submitted by Vietnam’s Transport Ministry early this month, Vietnamese and foreigners from 15 locations – namely China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, France, Germany, Russia, Australia and Britain – will be able to fly to Vietnam.

In order to enter the country, passengers must be fully vaccinated or possess a certificate of recovery from Covid-19 and a negative test result 72 hours before arriving. Arrivals will also be required to self-quarantine and have their health monitored for at least seven days.

The government will consider allowing citizens from other countries to enter Vietnam in the second quarter of 2022.

As of November 25, Vietnam had administered a single Covid-19 vaccine dose to over 68.5 million people out of a total population of 98 million. More than 46 million people are fully vaccinated.