A commercial flight from Seoul landed in Hanoi on September 25, becoming the first international commercial flight to Vietnam after six months of border closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vietnam Airlines operates the first international commercial flight to Vietnam. Photo: VNA

Passengers are Vietnamese nationals and South Korean experts and investors who boarded flight VN417 by Vietnam Airlines, the national flag carrier.

Travelers of the flight are those who met all requirements of safety namely holding a coronavirus-free certificate three days before the departure, having a verified quarantine facility in Vietnam, installing a contact tracing app, and health declaration.

After arriving in Vietnam, the passengers will be tested for SARS-CoV-2. Infected cases will be brought to medical centers for treatment while others will be quarantined at quarantine establishments and will be tested for a second time if they have Covid-19 symptoms or on the sixth day of arrival.

Those who test negative for the coronavirus in the second test will stay at the lodging facilities throughout the 14th day after entering Vietnam.

All crewmembers will also be quarantined and the plane is only used after being disinfected.

Passengers arrive in Noi Bai International Airport on September 25. Photo: VNA

Vo Huy Cuong, deputy head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAA), said this is not only the first international commercial flight to Vietnam after months but also tests the country’s capacity in international passenger transport.

The flight marks the recovery of the aviation industry in the government’s pursuit of dual goal that includes containing the virus and rebooting the economy.

Vietnam has gone more than three weeks without community transmission of coronavirus. The country’s total coronavirus cases stay at 1,069, including 93.45% recovered. The death toll remains at 35.

Basing on the domestic situation, the government has resumed international air routes from September 18 to ensure the economic recovery. Flights to and from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand are of the priority list.