Important notice: Vietnam has made plans to resume tourism from March 15th: visas, entry, etc.

On the morning of February 15th, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Wu Dechen presided over a meeting at the government residence to discuss the plan of opening up the tourism industry in the context of Vietnam's safe, flexible and effective control of the epidemic and gradual socio-economic recovery.

At the meeting, the leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have informed us about making plans for resuming tourism activities. The department has hosted three seminars to solicit opinions from ministries, industries, localities and enterprises on the road map for resuming tourism activities under the new normal.

Van Hung Nguyen, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, said that the tourism industry under the new normal should be restored on the basis of being close to the actual situation in Vietnam and referring to the experience of other countries in the region and the world. Since November, 221, Vietnam has implemented a pilot program to receive international tourists. By February 2th, the program has achieved positive results, and the number of international tourists received by Vietnam has reached nearly 9,. Based on this result, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has agreed to allow qualified places to receive international tourists on a pilot basis.

At the meeting, representatives from various departments and industries held in-depth discussions in order to quickly restore the tourism industry in the spirit of flexible, safe and effective control of the COVID-19 epidemic from March 15th, and gradually realize social and economic recovery and development.

after the outbreak of the epidemic in 22, all restrictions on people's travel will be eliminated. At the same time, epidemic prevention and control measures will be taken in accordance with the instructions of the government and the Prime Minister of the government, and the 5K principle will be strictly observed.

Specifically, regarding visa issuance:

Before that, Vietnam implemented a unilateral visa-free policy for 13 countries and bilateral visa-free agreements with 88 countries and regions. However, due to the outbreak of the epidemic in 22, the government has issued a mechanism to suspend this visa exemption. Under the background of the new normal, all departments requested the government to allow all visa restrictions for international travelers to be suspended from March 15th and to return to the state before the outbreak (including e-visa, unilateral and bilateral visa exemption).

International travelers to Vietnam can enter the country as long as they meet the regulations of the Ministry of Health. Specifically, international travelers aged 12 and above must be vaccinated with at least 2 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, and the date of the second dose should not exceed 6 months from the date of entry into Vietnam, or they can hold a rehabilitation certificate issued by the competent authorities of the treatment country and recognized by Vietnam.

at the same time, passengers should provide airlines with negative reports of antibody detection within 24 hours before boarding or negative reports of RT-PCR nucleic acid detection within 72 hours before boarding. For countries with strict laws and regulations, the laws and regulations of these countries will apply; At the same time, install at least one health management application program specified by professional organizations in Vietnam, and passengers will continue to open the application software during their stay in Vietnam.

For international passengers entering the country by air, passengers with suspected symptoms must undergo COVID-19 inspection at the airport.

The rest of the staff must go directly to the registered residence, isolate themselves within 24 hours, conduct rapid detection or RT-PCR detection, and conduct self-medical observation under the guidance of the Ministry of Health within 14 days, strictly implementing the 5K principle.

for international passengers who enter the country by land, they must be inspected at border crossings before entering the country.

ministries and commissions agreed to the proposal of the Ministry of culture, sports and tourism. According to the proposal, international travelers entering Vietnam must prove that they have medical insurance covering COVID-19 with a quota of at least 1, US dollars. If the COVID-19 test results of international tourists are positive, the tourist accommodation reception unit must cooperate with local health departments and authorities to conduct isolation, management and treatment in a similar way to Vietnamese citizens.

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Wu Dexian stressed that after more than two years of epidemic prevention and control work, Vietnam's tourism industry and even the national economy have encountered many difficulties. In order to control the COVID-19 epidemic flexibly, safely and efficiently, every department and industry should pay close attention to the implementation of various measures in a highly responsible spirit, so as to open up the tourism industry and ensure epidemic prevention safety. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism cooperates with the Ministry of Health and relevant departments to formulate detailed rules for the implementation of opening up the tourism industry in a timely manner and report them to the Central Committee. (End)