On the morning of February 21, the National Administration of Tourism announced the latest points in the plan to welcome international guests, expected to apply from March 15.
This is a proposal of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and consults with ministries and branches before officially announcing it. It stipulates that tourists can come to Vietnam by land, sea and regular international flights, instead of only by air as in the pilot.
Two Spanish tourists on Bui Vien Street to cheer for the Vietnam football team in 2019. Photo: Phong Vinh
Regarding entry regulations, visitors from 12 years old to Vietnam must have a certificate of full dose of Covid vaccine. -19 or recovered. A negative test result for nCoV is required, but the rapid test method is accepted within 24 hours and RT-PCR 72 hours before departure. Health insurance with content to pay for Covid-19 treatment, the minimum level is reduced to 10,000 USD instead of 20,000 USD as in phase 2 pilot.
After entry, travelers traveling by air will undergo rapid testing at the airport. where to stay and get results in 24 hours. Customers traveling by land or sea are tested quickly at the border gate. Children under 12 years old, elderly people over 65 years old who have not been vaccinated can enter the country, but must be accompanied by a guardian, and regulations on testing and purchasing health insurance will apply. After being negative, can travel freely, positive cases are isolated and treated.
Visitors need to install the Covid-19 app and stay connected during their stay in Vietnam. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also proposed to exempt entry visas like before 2020.
Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director General of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism emphasized that an open visa policy will attract tourists back. . Regulations on visas and applications on entry will be announced later by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In addition, Mr. Khanh also said that after entering Vietnam, visitors can travel as domestic tourists according to regulations, without testing, except for cases of epidemiological investigation coming from regions 3 and 4 of Vietnam. Currently, localities are required to announce the opening of tourism activities and welcome guests according to each epidemic level.
Director General of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh during the information session about the proposal of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Photo: Minh Khanh
The Director General also said that he is coordinating with localities to check and fix facilities that may deteriorate after 2 years, to ensure service for tourists. At the same time, the tourism industry continues to organize training programs and apply support policies to attract resources.
Regarding communication, VNAT continues to promote the "Live Fully In Vietnam" campaign and works with CNN, CNBC... to promote to target markets. In the coming time, Vietnam will participate in tourism fairs in Northeast Asia, Europe, especially Russia to promote products.
"Improving the competitiveness of the key destination is not about price but the quality of services and products. This year the tourism industry strives to welcome 65 million visitors, including 5 million international visitors," said Mr. Nguyen. Chongqing said. In 2021, Vietnam will serve 40 million domestic tourists and 3,800 international tourists under the pilot program with vaccine passports.
The government has agreed to reopen all tourism on March 15, and ministries and branches are now coordinating to develop detailed instructions.
