Some provinces across Vietnam have been open to visitors while some others plan to welcome tourists next months as the country’s daily infections hit the record low since it peaked early last month.

Vietnam saw 4,363 Covid-19 infections on Oct 5, lifting the caseload to 818,324. However, up to 91% of the total have recovered, leaving 71,000 active cases in the state with more than half of which in Ho Chi Minh City.

Visitors to Tuan Chau Tourism Complex. Photo: Baoquangninh

Being one of few localities leading the recovery plans, the northern province of Quang Ninh that is home to World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay was open to inner residents to the bay over the weekend.

It will allow visitors to Tuan Chau International Tourism Complex and Yen Tu, one of the most beautiful mountains in Vietnam in November. It expects to welcome two million tourists in the fourth quarter this year.

Today, the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, where is home to Da Lat, the city of Eternal Spring, announced its plan to receive visitors in November, two months after it offered tours to residents in the province.

Tourists to Lam Dong must own a “green Covid certificate” (double dosed), being recovered from Covid-19 no longer than 12 months, and negative RT-PCR/RT-LAMP testing result within 72 hours.

The local authorities also plan to welcome international visitors once the government allows it to do so.

Meanwhile, the central province of Khanh Hoa where is famous for Nha Trang coastal city has proposed the government allow it to welcome fully vaccinated passengers or those with vaccine passports.

Local authorities said Khanh Hoa has good conditions for the move as all its adults are single-dosed and will be fully inoculated at the end of November. The province is home to world-class islands and accommodates a series of resorts and five-star hotels.

At Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. Photo: Khanh Huy/ The Hanoi Times

In another move, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son today came to Phu Quoc, the largest island and one of the most famous tourist attractions in Vietnam, to check the pandemic fight there and examine conditions for welcoming visitors.

Phu Quoc is advised to build scenarios against Covid-19 once it is open for tourism. Earlier, the island was expected to welcome visitors in October, however, the outbreak has put brakes on its reopening plans.

Thanks to the drop in the infections and the increase of people discharged from hospitals, Ho Chi Minh City’s neighboring province of Binh Duong, the manufacturing hub, saw the withdrawal of around 5,000 health workers who came to support its pandemic fight over the past months.

Provincial Chairman Vo Van Minh said the local health workers are trained to take the anti-pandemic mission while mobile medical stations are important in treating confirmed cases without support by health workers outside the province.

Given the better containment of the virus, Ho Chi Minh City has opened some wholesale markets and wet markets to meet the rising demand for essential goods.

Meanwhile, the city received one million Pfizer vaccine doses to help it complete the inoculation campaign in which around 50% of its adults aged above 18 are double dosed.

Covid-19 cases in Vietnam. Source: MoH. Chart: Minh Vu