The Ministry of Health needs to issue new guidelines on quarantine to reflect this change no later than Dec. 15, Dam said at a meeting Wednesday. This would remove the current need for arrivals to be quarantined in designated facilities.

Passengers are seen at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, May 2021.

Only those who are not vaccinated need to be kept in centralized facilities and be inoculated there, he said.

Vietnam is now in different circumstances than before, Dam said, noting that despite the rising number of cases the country has been able to contain the disease and vaccination speed was rising.

In the latest wave that hit Vietnam in late April, more than 1.35 million cases have been reported and 1.03 million of them have recovered. So far 55.5 million people have been fully vaccinated.

Dam said the Transport Ministry and aviation authorities need to work on expedited resumption of international flights.

An official of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said at the meeting that they have connected with the "vaccine passport" system of other countries to ensure that all those who book tickets for Vietnam are fully vaccinated.

Those who are not vaccinated can only purchase tickets after they have registered to stay at a quarantine facility in Vietnam.

But several ministers expressed concerns about the ability of the country to contain the pandemic, especially as the Omicron variant is spreading.

The health ministry has since August required fully vaccinated passengers who are negative after a PCR test to be quarantined in a designated facility for seven days and to self-monitor their health for the next seven days.

The same regulation applies to those who have recovered from the disease for six months or less.

Vietnam has welcomed over 200,000 foreign experts and high-skilled labors since the beginning of the pandemic.

Travel agencies highly evaluate Luc Ngan’s tourism potential

(BGO) – The Tourism Information and Promotion Center in Bac Giang province (Center) on December 4 launched survey trip to several tourism destinations in Luc Ngan district with the participation from provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Tourism Association, Division of Culture and Information in districts and city as well as several travel agencies.

Vietnam approves ASEAN agreements aiming at facilitating traveling among member states

The Government has just issued Resolution 150/NQ-CP approving the ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Cross-border Transport of Passengers by Road Vehicles (CBTP).

Saudi Arabia to lift travel ban for arrivals from Vietnam

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior announced it will lift an entry ban on fully vaccinated expats from six countries including Vietnam from Dec. 1.

Conditions for international travel agencies to welcome international tourists into Vietnam

Temporary guidance No. 4122/HD-BVHTTDL dated November 5, 2021 from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requires international travel businesses participating in a pilot programme to welcome international visitors to Vietnam to ensure the implementation of the following tasks.

Domestic destinations suitable for solo travel

Solo travel is forecast to be a mainstream trend after the Covid-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, Booking.com statistics showed that only 17% of global tourists planned to travel alone; however, this number has almost doubled as 30% of global tourists and 29% of Vietnamese tourists say that they will plan a solo trip in the future. 

Source: VnExpress