The Government requested the People's Committee of Kien Giang province and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to issue a specific plan to pilot international visitors to Phu Quoc.
On the afternoon of September 10, the Government Office informed Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam agreeing with the pilot plan to welcome international visitors to Phu Quoc, Kien Giang of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
The People's Committee of Kien Giang province is required to coordinate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to collect opinions from the people of Phu Quoc City through relevant organizations, social organizations and businesses to issue specific plans. The pilot organization must be carried out at an appropriate time, ensuring the feasibility and safety of Covid-19 prevention and control.
In addition to prioritizing the allocation of vaccines to Phu Quoc, the Ministry of Health shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with other ministries and branches in, providing specific guidance on the grant of vaccination certificates.
The beauty of the sea and island of Phu Quoc seen from above. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An
The plan to welcome international visitors to Phu Quoc is expected to be implemented from October, lasting for 6 months, the time can be adjusted depending on the actual situation. In the first phase (three months), Phu Quoc pilot welcomes 2,000-3,000 guests per month through charter flights; Serving guests within a limited range and locations. Phase two (three months), scale will expand from 5,000 to 10,000 guests per month; be able to pick up passengers via commercial flights; expand the scope and location to serve customers.
International visitors to Phu Quoc must have a certificate of full dose of Covid-19 vaccine or a certificate of recovery from Covid-19 recognized by a Vietnamese competent authority. For people who get vaccinated, the time to get the second dose is at least 14 days and not more than 12 months from the time of entry. Persons recovering from the disease from the time they are discharged from the hospital to the time they enter the country does not exceed 12 months. In addition, all visitors must have had a negative test result within the previous 72 hours. International visitors must come from countries/regions with high safety in terms of Covid-19 prevention such as Northeast Asia, Europe, America, Middle East, Australia...
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and other countries Stakeholders will decide on the selection of eligible businesses to participate in the pilot. Service providers need to ensure safety against Covid-19 for tourists and employees; In addition, professional and quality services for international tourists.
In particular, the international travel business unit must have operated for more than 3 years, the number of visitors must be at least 30,000 guests/year. Accommodation facilities are recognized as 3-5 stars, have a separate area for international guests so as not to affect other tourists and interact with the community. These places must have separate sampling and testing areas.
If the pilot plan comes to fruition, Phu Quoc will be the first locality nationwide to welcome international tourists back since April 2020 when international flights had to stop because of Covid-19. As of September 10, Vietnam has recorded more than 585,000 Covid-19 infections, of which more than 350,000 have recovered. In the past 7 days, the total number of infections across the country decreased by 5%, the number of deaths decreased by 6% and the number of recovered people increased by 11% compared to a week earlier.
