Vietnam News Today (December 24): Embassies Propose No Quarantine for Vaccinated or Recovered Foreign Arrivals

A health worker comes to a house in HCMC's Thu Duc City to deliver drugs to a Covid-19 patient, September 3, 2021. Photo: VnExpress

Vietnam records 16,367 new local Covid cases

Vietnam on Thursday recorded 16,367 new local Covid-19 cases, bringing the total infection tally in the new wave to around 1.6 million cases.

The three localities with the highest numbers of cases are Hanoi with 1,774 cases, Ca Mau with 11,167 cases and Tay Ninh with 949 cases.

280 deaths were added to the national database on Thursday, with 44 in Ho Chi Minh City, 38 in Dong Nai, 28 in An Giang, 17 in Binh Duong, 15 in Dong Thap, 14 each in Tay Ninh and Tien Giang, 13 in Long An, 12 in Can Tho, 11 in Vinh Long, 10 in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, nine in Kien Giang, eight in Ca Mau, six each in Khanh Hoa and Soc Trang, five each in Hanoi, Hau Giang and Bac Lieu, four in Binh Thuan, three each in Binh Dinh and Binh Phuoc, two each in Lam Dong and Tra Vinh, and one each in Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Phu Tho, Da Nang, Gia Lai and Dak Nong.

The total number of deaths so far is 30,531, or around 1.9 percent of all infections, cited VnExpress.

10,944 Covid-19 patients were announced recovered on Thursday, bringing the number of recovered cases to over 1.1 million.

76.5 million people have received their first Covid-19 vaccine shots, 64.1 million people have received their second shots, and over 1.7 million people have received their third shots.

Vietnam, Germany boost co-operation in science and technology

The Vietnam-Germany Innovation Network (VGI) and Bach Khoa Hanoi Technology Investment and Development One Member Company Limited (BK-HOLDINGS) signed an agreement on December 22 to strengthen co-operation in the fields of science, technology, and innovation.

The agreement was inked online at the headquarters of the Vietnamese Embassy in Berlin in the presence of representatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Startup Support Center (NSSC), and a support network of Vietnamese science and technology offices abroad.

Under the agreement, both sides have agreed to provide information and consultancy on activities related to science, technology, and innovation, including the organization of co-operation programs and the implementation of joint projects.

Addressing the event, Tran Hai Thanh, first secretary in charge of science and technology at the Vietnamese Embassy in Germany, highlighted support of the intellectual network and Vietnamese community in Germany for the development of science and technology at home.

Representatives of Vietnamese Embassy in Germany and the Vietnam-Germany Innovation Network in Berlin at the event. Photo: VNA

The diplomat added that over recent times the VGI has attracted the participation of numerous experts, intellectuals, and scientists, many of whom have contributed to connecting Vietnamese technology experts in Germany with German individuals, groups, and companies to support sci-tech development in Vietnam, according to VOV.

The newly-signed agreement is expected to connect Vietnamese intellectuals abroad, optimize human resources, promote innovation and start-ups at home, while simultaneously ramping up co-operation in science, technology, and innovation among partners of the two countries, he noted.

Embassies propose no quarantine for vaccinated or recovered foreign arrivals

Expressing support for Vietnam's resumption of international flights, several embassies have proposed that people fully vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 are exempted from any quarantine requirement.

At a Wednesday meeting between Deputy Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuan and diplomatic representatives of certain countries on the resumption of international flights, embassies of several countries said they support Vietnam's strategy to adapt to the pandemic as well as the plan to resume international flights.

Foreigners arrive at HCMC's Tan Son Nhat Airport in March 2020. Photo: VnExpress

The resumption would help boost Vietnam's economic relations with other countries and generate business and travel opportunities, they added.

However, they also said that Vietnamese authorities should consider changing the country's immigration and visa policies back to what they were before the pandemic appeared, including removing quarantine requirements for entrants who test negative for the coronavirus and have either been fully vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19, reported VnExpress.

Currently, all arrivals except for children below two must test negative for the coronavirus and those who have either been fully vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 would have to be "home quarantined" (self-isolation at accommodation of choice) the first three days. Others would have to self-quarantine for seven days.

Starting January 1, 2022, Vietnam plans to reopen commercial flights to certain destinations deemed safe, like Bangkok, Beijing/Guangzhou, Phnom Penh, San Francisco or Los Angeles, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, and Vientiane. There would be four flights per week to each destination and an estimated 14,000 arrivals a week in the first phase of the reopening project.

Vietnamese FDI attraction to recover next year

Despite a sharp fall in foreign direct investment attraction globally, FDI inflows in Vietnam remain stable in 2021 and are anticipated to bounce back next year as soon as the Covid-19 pandemic is completely brought under control, according to economists.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment reports Vietnam has attracted US$26.46 billion in FDI attraction during the past 11 months, a year-on-year rise of 0.1%.

Most notably, the government’s strong commitments to accompany and support FDI businesses have built up investors’ confidence in the national business climate.

There is positive outlook for FDI inflows in Vietnam next year. Photo: diendandoanhnghiep.vn

Most recently, Danish toy production company LEGO Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to pour US$1 billion into its first-ever carbon neutral factory to be built in the southern province of Binh Duong.

During a recent trip to India and the Republic of Korea (RoK) made by National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, Dai An Group also signed an MoU with India’s Sri Avantika Contractors Ltd for the construction of a US$500 million Pharmaceutical Park.

Meanwhile, Saigon Telecom Technology Joint Stock Company (SAIGONTEL) and India’s Ecologic Engineering Company inked a co-operation agreement in the fields of infrastructure, industry, and innovation development, with the total investment value of up to US$4 billion.

Billionaire Prashant Ruia, who owns Essar, a multi-industry corporation with an annual profit of about US$2.2 billion, also expressed a strong desire to invest in the Vietnamese market, especially in the oil and gas sector.

The Minitry of Planning and Investment says Vietnam remains attractive destination for foreign investors that continue to focus on developing digital infrastructure and boosting the semiconductor field, cited VOV.

It’s noteworthy that the country’s foreign investor sentiment indicator in September reached 939 points, representing the highest score since November, 2019, and a rise of 27.9% against the same period from last year.

Economists point out that the recovery trend of the global investment flow will open up a wealth of opportunities for Vietnam in the time ahead.

Thargbodee Serng Adichaiwit, vice president of the Thai Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (ThaiCham), projects that the Vietnamese economy is likely to grow double next year, and that Thai investors would soon resume injecting huge money in the country moving forward.

Nguyen Anh Duong, head of the General Research Department under the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), believes that Vietnam’s fast rebound, coupled with the recovery of the Asian production network as a whole, will significantly contribute to accelerating FDI attraction.

Duong says foreign investors will gain plenty of business opportunities from new-generation free trade agreements, especially from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), thereby making investment decisions to diversify production bases as the region's economy bounces back.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in particular are expected to experience a boom next year as the RoK and Japanese investors are keen on investing in the Vietnamese market, according to the auditing and consulting firm KPMG.

Quang Ninh to reopen to int’l tourists in first week of next year

The northern province of Quang Ninh plans to reopen to international tourists from the first week of next year.

As scheduled, the first delegation from the Republic of Korea will arrive at Van Don international airport on January 7, 2022.

The province has chosen pilot tourism models to serve foreigners, including cruise tour on Ha Long Bay, Tuan Chau international tourism resort in Ha Long, Yen Tu relic site in Uong Bi city, and Mong Cai – Tra Co tourist site in Mong Cai city.

Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh. Photo: VGP

It also named qualified hospitality providers in the first stage, including FLC Grand Ha Long hotel, Tinh Nghia tourism, trade and transportation JSC, and Viet Way company.

Quang Ninh is one of the five localities nationwide to be suggested by the Vietnam Administration of Tourism (VNAT) to welcome foreigners on a trial basis, based on its high vaccination rate, pandemic response capacity and attractive tourism experiences, VNA reported.

Recently, the provincial People’s Council has issued the policy of reducing entrance tickets to well-known destinations by a half, including Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh Museum and Yen Tu relic site, starting from January 1 to June 30, 2022.

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