Viet Nam to resume regular international passenger flights next year

The Government has decided to resume regular international passenger flights on a pilot basis from January 1, 2022, in a bid to boost economic recovery.

The decision was announced Friday following a meeting chaired by Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh on Thursday to discuss a plan on resumption of regular international passenger flights proposed by the Ministry of Transport.

Accordingly, first flights will be resumed to and from highly safe countries and territories such as Beijing/Guangzhou (China), Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (the Republic of Korea), Taiwan, Bangkok (Thailand), Singapore, Vientiane (Laos), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), San Francisco/Los Angeles (the United States).

The Government tasked the Ministry of Health to promptly issue regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control applicable to entrants.

Viet Nam closed borders to foreign tourists from March last year, allowing only its nationals, foreign experts, investors, and highly-skilled workers to enter.

So far, the country has acquired more than 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, of which 130,935,854 doses have been administered nationwide.

Thanks to rapid vaccination, the nation switched away from zero COVID-19 strategy to safe and flexible adaptation to the pandemic from October 11./