Vietnam would continue to simplify visa procedures for foreign investors and experts entering Vietnam, but they will be subject to mandatory quarantine accordingly, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and delegations at the meeting. Photo: VGP.

As there have been no new Covid-19 cases in Vietnam for the past three months, the country has now put the pandemic under control, and therefore gains trust from both its citizens and the international community, Phuc said in a meeting with representatives of the Private Economic Development Research Board (Board IV) and the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) Vietnam on July 16.

During this process, the government has been making efforts to avoid a disruption to economic activities, Phuc stated.

While the Covid-19 pandemic remains complicated globally, the critical question would be how to prevent an economic collapse and support the Vietnamese business community, he added.

This is of particular importance as the private sector is one of the major driving forces for economic development, Phuc said, stressing the government would continue to create favorable conditions for investors and businesses.

At the meeting, business leaders said Vietnam has opportunities to attract investment as investors are looking to diversify their global supply chains. But to grasp this opportunity, Vietnam should invest in infrastructure, particularly industrial parks, to accommodate foreign companies.

Meanwhile, some suggested that the government should support investors and foreign businesses entering Vietnam, including customized protocol for highly skilled experts.

PM Phuc said the Vietnamese government gives priorities to attracting foreign direct investment in a new normal to support economic growth, but also strives to prevent a new Covid-19 wave in the country.

In this circumstance, Phuc said Vietnam is not opening its borders for foreign tourists at the moment.

Recently, the Ministry of Transport (MoT) has proposed the government to resume weekly commercial flights to China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Laos, and Cambodia from August.