Vietnam pilot scheme: 345 VN nationals arrive with ‘vaccine passports’
TWO international flights with fully vaccinated passengers eligible for the health ministry’s pilot programme of reduced quarantine landed at Van Don International Airport in the Vietnamese province of Quang Ninh on September 12.
A total of 345 Vietnamese citizens repatriated from the US departed from the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, transited via South Korean capital Seoul, and finally boarded two flights (VN5413 and VN5414) run by Vietnam Airlines.
Other than health checks and health declarations before the flight and compliance with Covid-19 measures during the flight, all passengers aged 18 and older must have proof of negative SARS-CoV-2 tests (using either the RT-PCR or RTLAMP methods) within 72 hours before departure and be certified by the relevant authorities of the countries where the tests are conducted.
They must also have received the full two doses of Covid-19 vaccines, with the second dose having been administered at least 14 days and no more than 12 months prior to entry. The vaccine certificates must be in line with the forms in the list of the foreign ministry’s recognised certificates.
Passengers under 18 years of age who have a negative PCR test within 72 hours before departure and are accompanied by relatives who meet the above conditions, are quarantined with their relatives for seven days in Quang Ninh province – down from 14 days and 21 days before, then continue to self-isolate at home for seven days and monitor their health for another 14 days from date of entry.
Previously, on September 4, Vietnam Airlines conducted the first pilot ‘vaccine passport’ flight for 300 repatriated Vietnamese citizens from Japan.
The third ‘vaccine passport’ pilot flight, which will depart from French capital Paris bringing back 300 Vietnamese citizens from various European countries, is slated for later this month.