Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked relevant agencies to study the reopening of commercial routes between Vietnam and Japan, South Korea and other places with a high safety factor.

Vietnam will study the reopening of commercial routes between Vietnam and Japan, South Korea. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

According to the conclusions of the prime minister at a government meeting on Covid-19 prevention and control last week, Mr. Phuc stressed the importance of resuming air flights to Japan and South Korea to restart sending Vietnamese workers to those countries.  

The PM agreed to the proposal of the Ministry of Planning and Investment to allow the entry of business executives of South Korean enterprises who make short business trips in Vietnam according to the list submitted by the South Korean Embassy in Hanoi, as well as for other specific investors.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is assigned to handle the flights to bring Vietnamese citizens back home as well as to facilitate the entry of experts, investors, and skilled workers. Each flight must have a specific plan to ensure safety, including isolation, suitable for each group of arrivals.

The head of the government agreed to expand paid quarantine and all incoming people must pay quarantine fees from September 1 while the state budget will still bear the cost of medical examination and treatment under the Law on Infectious Diseases Prevention and Control.

From late March, Vietnam stopped all inbound and outbound commercial flights. Recently, a number of foreign airlines have resumed air travels to Vietnam, but only for taking goods in and passengers out of Vietnam. 

Vietnam continues to conduct repatriation flights according to the plan of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with priority given to passengers who are in difficult circumstances, experts, high-tech workers. All incoming people must undergo quarantine for 14 days.

In mid-July, the Ministry of Transport sought prime ministerial approval for reopening international flights to a number of Asian destinations with two flights on each route per week. The proposed priority destinations include Guangzhou (China), Seoul (South Korea), Tokyo (Japan), Taiwan (China), Vientiane (Laos), and Phnom Penh (Cambodia).

The ministry expects 2,500-3,000 passengers would arrive by air in Vietnam per week, besides special flights for repatriation and business purpose approved by the transport authorities with a total of 1,000-1,500 passengers.

Passengers, in order to be qualified for boarding, must have a valid visa and comply with quarantine measures issued by Vietnam's Ministry of Health.

As of August 31, Vietnam recorded 1,040 CoV positive cases, of them 32 have died, 695 recovered. The outbreaks in Danang, Quang Nam and Hai Duong provinces have been put under control, with no new cases recorded in the community.