Passengers from Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and Danang City once arriving in Hanoi will not have to undergo centralized quarantine for a week when they travel to the capital city, the Hanoi People’s Committee decided in the late afternoon of October 11.

Accordingly, passengers from the two above-mentioned cities will only be required to monitor their health at home for seven days at home.

A foreign passenger on Vietnam Airlines' flight VN216 from HCMC to Hanoi on October 11. Photo: Quy Nguyen

Hanoi lifted its quarantine mandate after reaching an agreement with the Ministry of Transport under which only one return trip will conduct per day until October 20 with planes carrying only 50% of their passenger capacity.

However, Hanoi said people coming from high-risk areas would have to self-monitor their health for 14 days. They will be tested on the second and seventh days.

Hanoi officials said district authorities will compile the list of arriving passengers for isolation and health observation at home and help health workers to take samples for testing.

The entire cost of transporting passengers to the locality and testing is borne by the passengers.

Two days ago, Hanoi required people arriving from HCMC and Danang City by air to stay at centralized quarantine facilities or at one of 20 designated hotels for seven days and be tested, all at their own cost.

The Ministry of Transport requires all passengers to be fully immunized at least 14 days or have recovered from Covid-19 in the previous six months before boarding a flight. Everyone should also furnish Covid-19 negative results obtained 72 hours before boarding.

Currently, Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi receives only flights from HCMC and Danang. Hanoi has proposed that the Ministry of Transport should keep suspending railway passenger transport to the capital city, as well as flights from other localities to Noi Bai International Airport. The municipal authorities will continue to evaluate the pandemic risks based on Covid-19 vaccine coverage to make further adjustments to transport plans.