Van Don airport welcomes 345 passengers from US under "vaccine passport" policy

Two Viet Nam Airlines flights carrying 345 Vietnamese from the U.S. arrived at the Van Don International Airport on Sep. 12. These citizens are fully vaccinated and will be quarantined for seven days instead of 14 days as part of the country’s pilot ‘vaccine passport’ policy.

The first flight No. VN5413 carrying 191 passengers landed at the aiport at 11.18 am and the second one No. VN5415 carrying 184 passengers arrived at 12.21 am.

All of these entrants aged 18 and over were required to show proof of negative RT-PCR/RT-LAMP COVID-19 test result issued within 72 hours before departure. They also undertook preventive measures during the journey.

These passengers were taken to Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hạ Long where they would undergo the mandatory quarantine period. They shall have to isolate at home for another seven days after this period.

All of them, deemed at low risks for Covid-19 infections, had to undergo procedures similar to normal repatriation flights like body temperature checks, submission of health declarations, wearing face masks and keeping a safe distance at all times.

They were also divided into groups of old people, the disabled, pregnant women, children under 12 and other classifications to ease customs procedures at the airport.

“As part of a closed tourism pilot program for international visitors who receive full doses of Covid-19 vaccine, these flights carrying passengers with "vaccine passports" to Van Don airport would lay the groundwork for nationwide deployment. Van Don Airport is ready to welcome flights when domestic and international routes are reopened, contributing to trade and economic recovery after the pandemic, Pham Ngoc Sau, Director of Van Don International Airport, said.

From Feb. 2020 to Sept. 2021, Van Don Airport has welcomed 232 flights carrying 46,722 passengers from 15 big aiports worldwide.

Van Don International Airport has wrapped up neccesary procedures to be accredited under the Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) program of Airports Council International (ACI). The AHA program has developed to support airports around the world in demonstrating to passengers, staff, regulators and governments that they are prioritizing health and safety in a measurable and an established manner in their ongoing fight against Covid-19 pandemic.

The Van Don Airport had welcomed its first international flight under the vaccine passport policy from Japan earlier this month. The government has approved pilot implementation of a vaccine passport program in the northern province of Quang Ninh, home to the nation’s first private airport. Accordingly, the Covid-19 vaccinated or recovered entrants will be quarantined for seven days on arrival.

Vietnam has closed its borders and canceled all international flights since March last year. Only Vietnamese repatriates, foreign experts, diplomats, investors, students and highly-skilled workers have been allowed to enter Vietnam with stringent quarantine requirements.