On June 10, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Health and Transport to consider resuming air travel services to select destinations which are safe from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Passengers board a bus at a Vietnamese airport. Photo: Vietnam Airlines.

The possible desinations could be China, Taiwan (China), South Korea, Japan and Laos which have basically pushed back the Covid-19 pandemic.

The National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention Control is tasked with listing safe travel zones which includes countries and territories having gone through 30 days without reporting infection, as well as instructing isolation for people upon entry.

The government continues repatriating overseas Vietnamese who want to return home including businessmen, students, the elderly, people visiting relatives, and stranded tourists. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is required to publish criteria for repatriation and open registration for home returning.

Vietnam’s airlines are required to get ready to increase the frequency of commercial flights to bring Vietnamese citizens back home.

Experts, investors, senior managers, high skilled laborers are allowed to enter Vietnam on business purposes.

Localities are assigned to arrange paid quarantine places on a case by case basis and issue work permit.

The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs is assigned to accelerate sending laborers to those markets safe from Covid-19.

Vietnam has grounded international flights since late March to prevent Covid-19 infection.