As part of its three-stage vaccine passport programme, Vietnam has
started welcoming back fully vaccinated foreign travellers from selected
countries to five provinces this month, with further destinations
slated for reopening at the end of the year.
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is calling the
campaign "Live Fully in Vietnam", which comes off the back of the
country being named “Asia’s Leading Destination” at the 2021 World
Travel Awards.
Khanh Hoa province on the south-central coast, the southern resort
island of Phu Quoc, and UNESCO-listed Hoi An on the central coast are
the first to receive international travellers. Arriving on charter
flights, guests are required to stay at designated resorts, book tour
packages with designated agencies, and have travel and medical
insurance.
The
provinces of Kien Giang in the southern Mekong Delta Region, and Quang
Ninh in the northeast have also received government approval to restart
international tourism.
A total of 15 five-star properties on Phu Quoc have been proposed by
local authorities to receive international guests. Seven will be
selected for the first phase of the vaccine passport programme spanning
20 November to 20 March 2022, with the remaining eight added for the
second phase.
Among Phu Quoc’s designated resorts are Movenpick Resort Waverly Phu
Quoc, and Movenpick Villa and Residences Phu Quoc. General manager Le
Thi Hai Chau reportedly commented that South Korea and Europe are
currently the island’s most promising markets.
In Hoi An, renowned for its charming Ancient Town, authorities have
selected three five-star resorts to receive foreign guests, one of which
is Hoiana Integrated Resort.
Hoiana
President and CEO, Steve Wolstenholme, said that for the vaccine
passport programme’s first phase, the resort is expecting to welcome
foreigners from stable markets such as Northeast Asia, Europe, the US,
the Middle East, and Oceania.
“Reopening tourism activities for international visitors to Vietnam
via tour packages and charter flights is a strategic decision to
gradually support and revive Vietnam’s tourism industry, as well as to
demonstrate our readiness to welcome international guests safely,” he
said.
“We believe this is the first step on the path to welcome back more visitors safely in the next phase of the programme.”
Nationwide, 34.39% of the population had been completely vaccinated
as of 14 November. Quang Nam province, home to Hoi An and My Son, an
ancient Hindu temple complex also accessible to vaccinated tourists, has
announced plans to immunise 90% of its population by mid-November.
From December, one of Vietnam’s most popular attractions,
UNESCO-listed Ha Long Bay, known for its jade waters and towering
limestone islands, is also expected to reopen.
Depending on vaccination progress and pandemic developments in
Vietnam and the rest of the world, it has been reported that regular
international flights into the country may be resumed from the third
quarter of 2022.