With the social distancing orders loosened on April 23 after Covid-19 was contained, airports in Vietnam became busier in May, with air passengers jumping 14.3-fold from a month earlier to a total of 2.88 million.

Source: Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. Chart: Nhat Minh.

The revival of the aviation industry was a result of efforts by the government and the tourism industry to encourage businesses to offer promotional packages that stimulate the demand of domestic travelers while borders remain closed to foreigners.

However, compared to the May 2019, the number of passengers fell 70% due to the suspension of foreign entry and travel restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

In May, the number of international passengers dropped 97.6% year-on-year to just 78,000 while the number of Vietnamese passengers decreased by 56.6% to 2.8 million. 

In particular, Vietnamese airlines transported 78,000 international passengers and 2.8 million domestic passengers in May.

Source: the CAAV. Chart: Nhat Minh.

On May 25, the government decided to issue e-visas for citizens of 80 countries from July 1. This would lay a foundation for welcoming foreign tourists again.

Vietnam is expected to be the first countries in the world to open up to foreign tourists, according to WeSwap, the UK’s largest P2P travel money provider. 

Vietnam has had one of the lowest cases and death rates in the world, despite sharing a long border with China. The country has had just over 320 cases and zero deaths. It has gone 41 days without community infection as of May 26.