During the holiday, numerous holidaymakers flocked to touristy localities such as Sapa Town in Lao Cai Province, Moc Chau District in Son La Province, the ancient imperial city of Hue in Thua Thien Hue Province, the coastal city of Da Nang, the ancient town of Hoi An in Quang Nam Province, and Da Lat City in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.
Foreign visitors in Da Nang City (Photo: tourdanangcity.vn)
Tourist attractions in southern region including Nha Trang City in Khanh Hoa Province, Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province, and Phu Quoc Island in Kien Giang Province also welcomed large numbers of vacationers.
In Hanoi, the municipal People’s Committee released a roadmap on recovering tourism and developing tourist activities in line with safe, flexible adaptation and effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic for the 2022 – 2023 period. Under the roadmap, Hanoi will reopen many tourist services, entertainment places, and religious establishments.
On February 8, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism proposed to the Government a new reopening scheme. Accordingly, the ministry has proposed to implement the second phase of the pilot programme on receiving foreign tourists from now to March 30, while conducting COVID-19 tests for tourists at their accommodations and expanding tourist destinations. International tourism activities, including both inbound and outbound tours, should be fully resumed from March 31, the ministry said.
Vietnam is among the countries with the highest COVID-19 vaccination coverage rates in the world. Vietnam is speeding up the implementation of a COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with the aim to give booster shots to all eligible adults within the first quarter of 2022. Although the number of daily COVID-19 cases continues to rise, the number of severe cases and deaths has decreased sharply, creating a firm foundation or Vietnam’s tourism recovery.
In the context when travel demand is soaring, Southeast Asian countries are racing to reopen their borders for international travellers. Recently, the Philippines officially announced its full opening to vaccinated foreign visitors, after a nearly two-year ban imposed due to the COVID-19. Therefore, reopening slowly could cost Vietnam great opportunities in recovering its tourism industry.
However, there are certain challenges in reopening. Currently, Vietnam has carried out COVID vaccination for children aged 5 to 11. Tourism is gradually reopening at a time when students of all grades return to school. Without close control, the number of COVID-19 cases, severe cases and deaths will increase again.
Therefore, to grasp the opportunities of reopening, those participating in the sectors must strictly and fully observe regulations on pandemic prevention and control to mitigate COVID-19 transmission. In addition, travel businesses and services need to ensure their product quality and tighten the high level of safety for customers.