Vietnam Tourism Reopening

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recently issued Plan 829/PA-BVHTTDL on reopening tourism activities under new normal conditions. It clearly states the solutions that businesses in the hospitality industry need to deploy in order to safely and effectively welcome domestic and foreign.

Plan to welcome guests safely needed

According to Plan 829/PA-BVHTTDL, travel businesses need to develop a plan to welcome guests safely and apply related regulations of the tourism, health and local industries. They also need to actively develop plans to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and handle cases of COVID-19.

Travel enterprises must notify tourists of regulations and requirements before the trip and guide visitors to comply with Vietnam's regulations to ensure safe tourism activities. They are also responsible for ensuring that travelers have medical or travel insurance that covers COVID-19 treatment with the minimum liability required.

In addition, businesses also need to actively coordinate with authorities in tourist management to ensure compliance with Vietnamese laws and local regulations. They are supposed to guide employees to strictly observe the regulations on prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic of the tourism industry, the health sector and functional agencies.

In order to ensure effective reception of guests, businesses need to actively check and review the quality and upgrade technical facilities and customer service, meeting the following conditions and current standards. They need to foster human resources to ensure timely service quality to meet the reopening of tourism; stimulate domestic and international tourism, connect destinations, develop new products, and improve the quality of tourism products and services.

Currently, Vietnam's provinces and cities have prepared plans to welcome guests, simultaneously launching attractive and preferential programs and products to attract tourists. For example, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lam Dong province has just issued a plan to organize the Golden Week of Lam Dong Tourism in 2022 from April 23 to 30, 2022 with the theme "Da Lat - Holiday paradise"; Hai Phong gives priority to renewing and developing tourism products, deploying Famtrip to survey tourism "Defensive Sea Frequency - New Perspective" with spiritual-cultural tourism destinations, agricultural experience tourism associated with OCOP products, and Hai Phong Food tour.

Businesses have simultaneously built new products to attract tourists, such as Vietnam Airlines applying fares on all domestic routes of Vietnam Airlines from only VND69/way or VND645,000/way including taxes and fees. Round-trip fares on international routes to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Europe, Australia and the U.S. are only from US$49 (about VND1,120,0000 or US$155 including taxes and fees.

International tourists not required medical isolation when entering Vietnam

According to Plan 829/PA-BVHTTDL of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism dated March 15, on reopening tourism activities under new normal conditions, international tourists only need to have tested negative for entry to Vietnam.

Specifically, international tourists entering Vietnam by air need to have a negative test result for COVID-19 (except for children under 2 years old) within 72 hours if using RT-PCR/RT-LAMP method or within 24 hours if rapid antigen test method is used and certified by the competent authority of the country performing the test.

For those entering via land, rail or sea, the above test is required. In case there is no negative test result, the test will be carried out at the border gate before entry. If the test results are negative, they will be allowed to enter and participate in tourism activities, if the test results are positive, they are supposed to follow the instructions of the health authorities.

Children aged under two are not required to be tested , even if they have not been vaccinated or have never been infected with COVID-19; they are allowed to enter and participate in activities outside the accommodation with parents or relatives.

In addition, tourists must make a medical declaration before entry and use the Medical Declaration Application (PC-COVID), and take preventive measures as prescribed during their stay in Vietnam.

If the travelers have symptoms of COVID-19 infection at the border gate (fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, stuffy nose, body aches, fatigue, chills, decreased or lost taste, decreased or lost sense of smell, feeling, headache, diarrhea, shortness of breath, respiratory inflammation, etc.), they must immediately notify the health agency at the border gate to take medical measures as prescribed.

Within 10 days from the date of entry, tourists self-monitor their health; if there are symptoms of COVID-19 infection, they must immediately notify the nearest medical facility for timely instructions and take preventive measures.

Travelers are also required to have medical or travel insurance that covers COVID-19 treatment with a minimum liability of US$10,000.

Giang Tu (Vietnam Business Forum)