Vietnam sets new entry rules as int’l commercial flights resumes

Those who enter Vietnam on regular commercial flights will have to pay for pick up and drop off services as well as fees for quarantine at hotels and COVID-19 testing.

Rosy Huong

huongthhd@gmail.com October 30, 2020 | 07:26

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The passengers who travel to Vietnam for diplomatic and official purposes, and stay in the country longer than 14 days will receive free testing. Photo: VNA

Those who enter Vietnam on regular commercial flights will have to pay for pick up and drop off services as well as fees for quarantine at hotels and COVID-19 testing.

This is one of the immigration and COVID-19 prevention and control regulations to be rolled out by the Ministry of Health (MoH) after Vietnam resumes international commercial flights.

These regulations have received the feedback of relevant ministries and agencies, said Hoang Minh Duc, deputy head of the General Department of Preventive Medicine under the MoH.

The passengers who travel to Vietnam for diplomatic and official purposes, and stay in the country longer than 14 days will receive free testing.

However, only those coming from countries, territories and areas that have well contained the pandemic like Thailand, Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (the Republic of Korea), Taiwan (China), Guangzhou (China), Vientiane (Laos), and Phnom Penh (Cambodia), are subject to the regulations.

The list of the eligible countries, territories and areas will be decided by the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers and the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The regulations target three groups, with the first comprising Vietnamese citizens and their foreign family members. The second group gathers foreign investors, corporate managers, high-tech employees, experts and their family members whose stay in Vietnam for at least 14 days, along with international students.

The foreigners who come to Vietnam for diplomatic and official purposes, and the foreign experts who stay in Vietnam less than 14 days form the last group.

Apart from the above-said groups, other groups eligible to the regulations will be decided by the PM the Deputy PMs and the Committee.

A medial worker is taking samples for COVID-19 testing. Photo: VNA

Upon entry, the passengers included in the first group who will undergo concentrated quarantine for at least 14 days, must present valid passports, immigration permits issued after March 21 (for foreigners), negative COVID-19 test certificates, using RT-PCR/RT-LAMP technique, issued by competent health authorities from 3-5 days ahead of their departure.

They are also required to present confirmation letters of quarantine facilities, make e-health declaration within 12 hours before departure, send copies of negative COVID-19 test certificates to tokhaiyte.vn, and install Vietnam Health Declaration and contact-tracing applications.

For the second group, along with concentrated quarantine regulations, test results and confirmation letters of quarantine facilities, the passengers must have health insurance or commitments to paying treatment costs in case of COVID-19 infections made by host agencies, organisations and schools.

The third group are also required to fully observe regulations on immigration and medical quarantine./.

One new imported cases of COVID-19 was recorded in Vietnam from 6am to 6pm on October 28, raising the national count to 1,173, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The patient is a 43-year-old Vietnamese man who returned from Angola on Flight VN8 on October 20 and was sent to a concentrated quarantine centre in northern Bac Ninh province upon his arrival.

Of the total case, 691 infected the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 domestically, with 551 reported since July 25, when the new outbreak began.

As many as 1,062 patients have recovered. Death toll remains at 35.

Among the patients still under treatment, six have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, two twice and eight thrice. Currently, there is no patient in critical conditions.

There are now 14,819 people having close contact with confirmed cases or coming from pandemic-hit regions under quarantine, including 175 in hospitals, 13,523 in other quarantine sites, and 1,121 at home or accommodation facilities./.