Vietnam’s relevant ministries, branches and agencies continue studying a proposal on the resumption of international air services and the principles for gradually loosening immigration procedures to restore investment, trade and tourism activities, a foreign ministry spokesperson has said.

Welcoming back foreign tourists should be prepared with a focus on the safety of tourists. Photo: Vietnam News.

The decisions will be in line with the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country and around the world, Deputy Spokesperson of Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Doan Khac Viet said at a press meeting on May 28.

On May 26, the Ministry of Transport has requested the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) to submit the proposal by June 10 to seek the prime minister's approval.

Vietnam has kept its borders closed in the context of the complicated Covid-19 pandemic in the world and only authorized some repatriation flights to bring Vietnamese citizens home. Foreigners are allowed to enter in some exceptional cases.

In the first five months of 2020, international arrivals to Vietnam plunged 48.8% year-on-year to 3.7 million, according to the General Statistics Office. In May alone, the number of tourists fell 13.6% against April and 98.3% from a year earlier.

At a conference on stimulating tourism in the post-Covid-19 period on May 21, local aviation and tourism experts proposed resuming international air services with countries which have initially controlled Covid-19 like Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand.

Vietnam is expected to be among 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 rate of infection in the world and so far has reported no fatalities, despite sharing a long border with China. The country has confirmed 327 coronavirus cases as of May 29. It has gone 43 days without community infection.