On Thursday, the municipal Department of Tourism held a forum to seek tourism firm opinions about a Covid-19 vaccine passport application for foreign tourists from later this year, instead of from next year as scheduled before.
Foreign tourists in HCM City before the Covid-19 pandemic
Under the draft plan, the city will receive foreign visitors again in three phases. The first will start in December for visitors who book full-package tours.
The second phase will be from January 2022 when visitors, after going on full-package tours in HCM City, can also participate in programmes that combine multiple destinations such as Kien Giang, Khanh Hoa, Danang, Quang Nam and Quang Ninh. Other localities can be added if they meet all the government’s conditions to welcome international visitors again.
In the third phase, the city’s tourism sector will fully reopen to foreign travellers. However, the starting time of this phase will depend on the pandemic situation and a review of the results of the first two phases.
Phan Thi Thang, vice chairwoman of the HCM City People’s Committee, said that the city needed to prepare to receive international tourists again.
The Vietnamese government has just approved the proposal from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to allow five localities including Kien Giang, Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam, Da Nang, and Quang Ninh to welcome back foreign tourists from November 1 after a long suspension due to Covid-19.
Under the ministry's pilot plan which was approved by Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh on November 2, foreign travellers coming to these five places are required to be fully vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with the last dose to be given at least 14 days and not more than 12 months from the time of entry.
The vaccination certificate must be issued by a competent authority in the country where the vaccine is administered. The vaccine must be approved for use by either the World Health Organisation, the US Centres for Disease Control, or the European Medicines Agency of the Ministry of Health.
They also need to test negative for Covid-19, using the RT-PCR method or rapid tests within 72 hours before their arrival.
In addition, they must have medical or travel insurance and participate in package tours offered by the travel agency.
