He ordered the ministry to immediately arrange flights to transport Vietnamese workers to South Korea and Japan, the country's largest labor export markets, the Government Office said on Saturday.

Other flights should follow with specific safety plans, he said.

Aircraft at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, June 14, 2020.

Vietnam suspended all international flights on March 25 to stem the spread of Covid-19.

In July the ministry suggested resuming flights to mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Laos, and Cambodia at a frequency of one round trip per week. The government then agreed to resume commercial flights to and from China.

But the resurgence of community transmissions of the disease in late July put those plans on hold.

The Vietnam Aviation Business Association earlier this month called on the government to resume flights to countries that have contained the pandemic, and allow foreign tourists entry if they meet pandemic prevention requirements.

Those arriving from abroad on special flights currently undergo a two-week quarantine at free centralized facilities or at hotels by paying themselves, but the PM has decided to require everyone to pay from September 1. The government will continue to cover the cost of treatment for Vietnamese nationals. Foreigners have been paying for their own treatment.

On Sunday no new Covid-19 case was reported in Vietnam, the first such day since the second wave began on July 25. Its tally currently stands at 1,040 with 32 deaths.

The outbreak in Da Nang, Quang Nam, Hai Duong, and other localities is mostly under control, health officials said.

More flights to evacuate tourists from Da Nang amid Covid-19 fears

An increased number of flights will be operated to ferry home 80,000 people, mostly local tourists, stranded in Da Nang following the fresh Covid-19 outbreak there.

Da Nang stops receiving repatriation flights

Flights bringing Vietnamese back from other countries as well as those carrying overseas experts to Da Nang will be redirected to another location.

Over 50 more flights to be arranged to bring Vietnamese citizens home

From now to the end of August 2020, the aviation sector will continue working with diplomatic and military agencies to conduct 50 more flights to bring over 13,000 Vietnamese citizens home, according to head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) Dinh Viet Thang.

Vietnam set to resume flights to China

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has allowed the resumption of commercial flights to and from China after five months of shutdown to contain Covid-19.

Bamboo Airways prepares for direct flights to Japan

Bamboo Airways has been authorized to launch direct flights from Vietnam's Hanoi and HCMC to Japan's Tokyo and Osaka starting May 20.

Source: VnExpress