At the meeting, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism emphasized that the reopening of tourism under new normal conditions must be based on Vietnam's reality, and refer to the experience of some countries in the region and around the world. As a result, representatives of a number of ministries and branches have focused on discussing detailed content, developing a plan to reopen tourism in the new normal conditions from March 15, in the spirit of the most urgent, adaptive flexible safety, effective control of the COVID-19 epidemic, quickly recovering tourism activities, associated with each step of socio-economic recovery.

Accordingly, the measures to restrict freedom of movement in Vietnam against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be lifted; along with that are solutions to prevent and control the pandemic under the direction of the Government, the Prime Minister, especially, strictly implement the 5K message anytime, anywhere.

Regarding the issuance of entry visas, Vietnam has exempted visas unilaterally for 13 countries and bilaterally for 88 countries and territories. However, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 since 2020 and the developments of the pandemic in other countries, the Government has decided to stop the visa exemption mechanism. Under the new normal conditions, Ministries and agencies have proposed the Government resume the visa issuance for international tourists including electronic visa, unilateral and bilateral visa exemption as from March 15th. There’s no need for international tourists to register with their tour operators when arriving in Vietnam but they will be required to meet the Ministry of Health (MoH)’s regulations.

Besides, instead of registering for tours and trips as in the previous pilot period, international visitors to Vietnam only need to fully meet the regulations of the Ministry of Health. Specifically, international tourists under 11 years of age are not required to get vaccinated against COVID-19, because Vietnam has not yet applied vaccination for this group. International guests aged 12 and over must receive at least two doses of COVID-19 vaccine with the second dose injected no more than 6 months, or have a certificate of COVID-19 recovery issued by a competent authority within 6 months and recognized by Vietnam. At the same time, foreign arrivals must have a certificate of a negative SARS-CoV-2 test result by RT-PCR technique issued within 72 hours before entry or 24 hours for rapid test. When entering Vietnam, they must install and use the health declaration application (PC-COVID) to make health declarations and monitor their health in accordance with local regulations.

For air passengers, suspected cases will be requested to take rapid COVID-19 tests after landing in Vietnam while others shall self-monitor health at the lodging facility within 24 hours and take rapid or RT-PCR tests within 14 days from the date of entry according to the guidance of the Ministry of Health. For international visitors entering via land, they are tested right at the border gate before entry.

Ministries and agencies agreed with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism that foreigners entering Vietnam must pay US$30 per person on average to enjoy the insurance benefits worth US$10,000 for COVID-19 treatment in Vietnam. In case a foreign tourist has tested positive for the virus, the accommodation establishment will be responsible for working with health facilities and local authorities on quarantine and treatment for him/her.

Speaking the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam noted that the tourism industry in particular and the country’s economy, in general, face many difficulties after two years of struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic. Each ministry and sector must bear responsibility in carrying out solutions to reopen tourism activities and ensure safety in pandemic prevention and control. Also, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is expected to collaborate with the Ministry of Health and relevant agencies in providing guidance on the issue and submit it to the Government for approval, he said.