Photo: SGGP

Vietnam is among more than 135 countries and territories whose vaccine passports, have been recognized by the UK, according to an updated list by British authorities on Thursday.

The recognition came two days after an online talk between Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his British counterpart Boris Johnson concerning the mutual recognition of their vaccine passports, Tuoi Tre said.

To qualify under the fully vaccinated rules for travel to the UK, people must have had a complete course of one of the four vaccines, including Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna, and Janssen, at least 14 days before their arrival, according to guidance published on the British government’s website.

The day of having the final dose does not count as one of the 14 days.

Other versions of these vaccines, such as AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxzevria, and Moderna Takeda, also qualify as approved vaccines.

A vaccine certificate must be issued by a national or state-level public health authority in English, French or Spanish, and provide the minimum information including the holder’s full names, date of birth, vaccine brand and manufacturer, date of vaccination for every dose, country or territory of vaccination and/or certificate issuer.

Fully vaccinated people must undergo a coronavirus test within two days after their entry and are subject to quarantine only when they get a positive test result.

People vaccinated with a two-dose vaccine (Moderna, Pfizer BioNTech, Oxford AstraZeneca, or a combination of them) must have had both doses to be considered fully vaccinated for travel to the UK.

This applies in all cases, even for people who have recently recovered from Covid-19 and have natural immunity.

Photo: Sky News

Those who have caught Covid-19 and have only had one dose of a two-dose vaccine must follow the rules for unvaccinated arrivals.

Where two doses of a vaccine are required for a full course, people can mix two different types of the vaccine from the above-mentioned vaccines, for example Pfizer and Moderna, and have the two vaccinations under two different approved programs, for example Australia and Japan, the UK and the U.S., or France and Canada.

People with an approved one-dose vaccine (Janssen) are considered fully vaccinated.

Earlier on Oct. 21, Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang announced temporary recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates issued by 72 countries and territories worldwide, including the UK.

“Vietnam’s vaccination certificate is currently recognized by a number of countries,” she added.

The UK is among countries that have donated the Covid-19 vaccine to Vietnam, with 415,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines handed over by the British Embassy in Hanoi to Vietnam’s Ministry of Health on Aug. 3.

Vietnam is considering mutual recognition of vaccine passports with countries in Southeast Asia, China, Japan, South Korea, the EU and the United States, the Government Office announced Sunday. Such mutual recognition is "very important and especially necessary in the current context." Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has assigned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to coordinate with the Ministry of Health and work with authorities in other countries on this issue. The government closed its doors to foreign tourists and canceled all international flights in March last year as a Covid containment measure. Only Vietnamese repatriates, foreign experts and highly-skilled workers are allowed in with stringent conditions. Vietnam recorded a 79% decline year-on-year in the number of foreign visitors in 2020 due to travel restrictions amid the pandemic. The nation welcomed just 3.83 million foreign visitors against a record 18 million in 2019, according to official data. Students stay at a Covid-19 vaccination point for health monitoring in HCMC's Cu Chi District, October 27, 2021. Photo: VNE

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