The Ministry of Transport has proposed to the prime minister a three-phase plan to resume all international commercial flights starting from 2022. Illustrative photo
In the first phase which will start from the first quarter of 2022, Vietnam is set to resume flights to 15 countries and territories including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Australia. These are key aviation markets to Vietnam and all have higher Covid-19 vaccination rates than Vietnam. It is expected that about 12,000 passengers will be transported to Vietnam a week on these flights.
During the first phase, passengers are required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or have a certificate of recovery from Covid-19 within six months. They must prove that they have already paid seven-day quarantine costs at a designated quarantine facility in Vietnam.
Passengers that are not fully vaccinated are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine and have a confirmation that they have already paid quarantine costs at a designated quarantine facility in Vietnam.
In the second phase which will start from the second quarter of 2022, a vaccine passport model will be applied. Passengers having a vaccine passport or a certificate of recovery from Covid-19 within six months will be required to self-quarantine at the place of residence instead of a designated isolation facility. The expected time for self-quarantine will be between three to seven days according to the guidance from the Ministry of Health.
Other cases would undergo 14-day quarantine at a designated isolation facility and have a confirmation that they have already paid isolation costs.
In the third phase, passengers may not be required to show their vaccine passport or self-isolate if herd immunity is achieved in Vietnam. This will also depend on the results of negotiations on mutual recognition of vaccine passports between Vietnam and other countries.
Vietnam closed its doors to foreign tourists and cancelled all international flights in March last year to contain Covid-19, allowing only Vietnamese repatriates and foreign experts and highly-skilled workers to enter.
The country now only operates one-way flights to carry passengers from Vietnam to Asian and European destinations.
