Vietnam to ease entry for foreigners without visa, overseas Vietnamese

Foreign visitors who do not have a visa will be allowed to enter Vietnam to work, attend conferences, seminars, study, and more, as Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has recently agreed to relax the entry procedures for international arrivals.

According to Minh's in-principle approval announced by the Government Office, foreigners entering Vietnam include those invited or guaranteed by agencies, organizations, or individuals in line with the law on foreigners' entry into, exit from, transit through, and residence in Vietnam.

However, foreigners wishing to come to Vietnam for tourism purposes in the short term are still welcomed under the pilot reopening program for international tourists.

Foreigners and overseas Vietnamese and their relatives with valid entry papers can enter the country without undergoing personal examination, visa granting, and visa exemption procedures again.

They also do not need to seek entry approval from ministries, sector watchdogs, or localities.

In terms of foreigners who have not got visas, provincial-level People's Committees will consider approving their entry so as to create optimal conditions for them to work, attend meetings, study, or engage in humanitarian activities.

Ministries, sectors, and central agencies will make decisions on the invitation and reception of foreigners coming to work with them, and be responsible for managing those individuals, according to the approval.

Deputy PM Minh requested the Ministry of Public Security review the newly added cases of entry bans and report them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to notify overseas Vietnamese representative agencies of the cancelation of their entry papers.

A representative of Vietnam Airlines said that the national carrier has implemented the aforementioned new regulations on international flights to Vietnam from Wednesday.

Statistics from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) showed that about 140,000 overseas Vietnamese have a need to return to their homeland to celebrate the 2022 Lunar New Year, which begins on Fenruary 1.

It is forecast that the number of international arrivals to Vietnam, including Vietnamese citizens, overseas Vietnamese and foreigners who are diplomats, public servants, experts, and investors, will exceed 30,000 passengers a week.

In order to meet that high demand, the CAAV has decided to increase the frequency of international flights to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore.

The aviation watchdog is seeking permission from the Ministry of Transport to organize flights from France, Germany, the UK, and Russia.

Vietnam partially restored regular commercial flights on nine international routes on January 1 to mainland China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, and the U.S..

After arriving in Vietnam, fully vaccinated people and those who have recovered from COVID-19 will have to self-isolate, either at home, hotels, or other facilities, for three days.

They will be tested on the third day.

If results are negative, they will be required to monitor their health for the next 11 days, be free to move about, and have to avoid large gatherings or crowded places.

Arrivals who are not fully vaccinated will be quarantined for seven days and be tested on the third and seventh days.

Arrivals must pay for their real-time RT-PCR tests.

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