Foreign tourists are seen walking in Hoi An ancient city in the central province of Quang Nam before international arrivals were halted. (Photo: baochinhphu.vn)TheGovernment Office announced November 2 that Deputy Prime Minister Pham BinhMinh has approved a pilot plan to welcome international visitors as proposedearlier by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Fivepilot destinations to receive foreign tourists include Phu Quoc city in KienGiang province, Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam, Quang Ninh provinces and the central cityof Da Nang.
Theplan will be divided into three phases, starting from this November.
Inthe first phase that starts this month, designated places and tourismfacilities in Phu Quoc, Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam, Da Nang, Quang Ninh can receiveforeign tourists within package tourism programmes arriving via either charterflights or international commercial flights.
Inthe second phase that takes effect from January 2022, the scale of the pilotplan will be expanded by connecting destinations through regular charter andinternational commercial flights.
Thetourists could participate in travel programmes that combine multipledestinations after completing their tours at the first destination within sevendays. Five destinations – Kien Giang, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Quang Nam and QuangNinh – will be piloted first and some other localities will be added to theprogrammes later as long as the pandemic conditions permit and the localauthorities submit proposals to welcome international tourists.
Vietnam’stourism market will fully open to international tourists in the last phase, thestarting time of which will be based on the contemporary pandemic situation onthe evaluation of the two previous phases.
Theplan will apply to foreign tourists and overseas Vietnamese arriving from Vietnam’skey and potential tourism markets. They must prove certificates of taking fulldoses of the COVID-19 vaccination or COVID-19 recovery that are recognised bythe authorities in Vietnam, except children under 12 years old accompanied byparents or guardians. For COVID-19 recovery patients, the time from beingdischarged from the hospital to the time of departure must not exceedsix months.
Otherconditions include having negative results for SARS-CoV-2 test byRT-PCR/RT-LAMP method within 72 hours before departure and certified by theauthority of the country conducting the test (from time of sampling) and havingmedical or travel insurance that covers COVID-19 treatment with a minimumliability of 50,000 USD.
Touristswithin the pilot tours must have their temperature regularly checked and usethe IGOVN application during their stay. Masking is required, and there will beno quarantine mandate.
Onthe first day of entry, tourists will be taken to the accommodation facilityand have COVID tests. They could continue their stay if the tests provenegative; otherwise, they will be taken to a medical facility and the cost willbe covered by insurance or travel agency.
Withinthe first seven days, tourists must adhere to the schedule, ensuring pandemicprevention regulations and taking self-tests every two to three days. In caseof having any symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath or sore throat,they must notify medical staff for screening tests.
Afterseven days, those who continue to stay in Vietnam must test themselves forCOVID-19 and could travel to other localities within the programme if theresults are negative. Those who want to see their relatives in Vietnam need toregister with their tour operators.
ThePeople's Committees in the five pilot destinations must vaccinate locals andtourism workers while issuing detailed instructions for welcoming internationalguests in the locality.
Vietnamstopped receiving international visitors since the outbreak of the pandemic inMarch 2020 and only allowed foreign experts’ entry./.
VNA
