Full international tourism reopening

The Government has agreed with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s proposal to fully reopen international tourism in the new normal from March 15.

According to an announcement regarding Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam’s meeting on plans for tourism reopening last Tuesday, the Government has decided to allow reopening of international tourism from March 15, stop application of visa issuance restrictions and resume e-visa issuance and unilateral and bilateral visa exemption as in the pre-Covid-19 period.

It has asked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to coordinate with relevant agencies to announce plans for international tourism reopening and issued detailed guidelines for implementation.

International arrivals to Vietnam will not have to book designated tours as applied during the pilot international tourism reopening. They will only need to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination or recovery and negative Covid-19 test results within 24 hours (for rapid tests) and 72 hours (for RT-PCR tests) before departure. All foreign tourists must install and activate medical control apps. They have to pay US$30 per person to enjoy the insurance benefits worth US$10,000 for Covid-19 treatment in Vietnam in case of infection. Children aged 12 and older must get two Covid vaccine shots.

International air passengers to Vietnam must undergo Covid-19 tests at the airports if they show symptoms, while those traveling overland will undergo Covid tests at border gates. The Government has also asked relevant agencies to report on the policy to stop visa issuance restrictions from March 15 and apply e-visa issuance and visa exemption as in the pre-pandemic period.

Before the Covid-19 outbreak, Vietnam exempted visas unilaterally for citizens from 13 countries (Japan, Republic of Korea, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Belarus, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy) and bilaterally for people from 88 countries and territories.