HANOI, VIETNAM – More than 200 foreign tourists arrived on Vietnam’s largest island of Phu Quoc on Saturday, the first to visit the Southeast Asian country after nearly two years of border closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. -19.
Fully vaccinated travelers from South Korea will spend their stay in hotel resorts without the mandatory 14-day quarantine. They have been tested on arrival, and once a negative result is returned, they can participate in activities on the island including sightseeing, shopping and recreational events that require a vaccine certificate. .
Nguyen Trung Khanh, Chairman of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said: “The program is among the efforts to revive the country’s tourism industry, and at the same time open up and develop the economy step by step in the context of the new normal. “, Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, Chairman of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, welcomed the charter flight on the airport runway.
According to the Ministry of Health, all staff working in service facilities and 99% of adults in Phu Quoc have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The island is planning to vaccinate children aged 12 to 17 next month.
Vietnam closed its borders in March 2020, shortly after confirming its first COVID-19 case.
Since then, it has only allowed a handful of international flights per week with foreign experts, diplomats and Vietnamese citizens returning. Those international guests must undergo a 14-day quarantine at designated hotels or government-run facilities.
Vietnam is the latest Asian country to start opening its doors to fully vaccinated travelers. Thailand has started by restricting tourists to its southern island of Phuket before expanding to other areas, including Bangkok, as of Nov. 1, the Indonesian island of Bali has opened its doors to visitors. last month with some restrictions including testing and a 5-day hotel quarantine, and Malaysia opened up Langkawi Island under a pilot bubble program.
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