Hanoi, 16 April 2022 (TDI): As announced by the Vietnamese Health Ministry, the country has begun distributing vaccine passports as of April 15th, 2022.
Vietnam’s government agreed to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism’s proposal to lift all the travel restrictions from April 15, 2022. Accordingly, the restrictions imposed on Vietnam visa issuance are unilateral, and bilateral visa exemption will be removed.
The Ministry of Health stated that people traveling to Vietnam needed to test negative for the virus before arrival. They will be quarantined within the country.
The Deputy Prime Minister required the relevant ministries to resume entry, exit, and visa procedures as they did before the pandemic. Hanoi authorities have allowed the reopening of bars, nightclubs, spas, karaoke, and parlors in April after a closure due to the pandemic.
Vietnam reopened international tourism with the help of the Ministry of Health instructions. It will lift restrictions on the frequency of regular international flights as per the Civil Aviation of Vietnam’s announcement.
Resumption of motorbike hailing service and movie theater will be allowed to reopen after more than six months of closure which was due to pandemic preventive measures.
Vietnam has sanctioned a vaccine passport following the standards issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Union (EU), which are followed by 62 nations.
The Passport will be available on PC Covid-19 or the digital health app. People can get their passports by accessing the Health Ministry portal and filling in the necessary information. They will then receive the passport by email.
Vietnam has reached mutual recognition of vaccine passports with 19 countries, namely Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Belarus, and Cambodia.
Likewise, it has the same understanding with the Philippines, Palestine, Maldives, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Turkey, Singapore, Saint Lucia, The Republic of Korea, Iran, and Malaysia.
The Development of the Vaccine passports
Vaccine passports have been piloted since March; around 1000 residents of Hanoi received one of the jabs at one of the city’s three major government hospitals.
Out of 26 countries surveyed, Australia had the highest average support for vaccine passports across nine scenarios where vaccine passports might be required. Australia had made it compulsory for people to show their vaccine certificates.
Vietnam announced an end to quarantine for international travelers as it seeks to restart its tourism industry after two years of strict Covid 19 measures.
According to the official notification where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam to the diplomatic missions of Vietnam in foreign countries had stated that from March 15th, 2022, the previous Covid Vietnam policy will be resumed.
- Resumption of issuance of Vietnam visa of all types and 5 years Vietnam visa exemption certificate in accordance with the Law on entry, ex, and residence of foreigners in Vietnam 2014, amended and supplemented in 2019 and its guiding documents.
- Resumption of the bilateral visa exemption policy.
- Resumption of 15-day unilateral visa exemption for citizens of 13 countries until March 14, 2025.
Some foreigners in Vietnam living abroad no longer need written permission from the Vietnamese authorities to enter the country as the government gradually eases travel restrictions.
COVID-19 in Vietnam
In Vietnam, Coronavirus broke out in June 2021, which was relatively a year after most East Asian countries had already suffered and experienced this pandemic.
Until June 2021, the country has regulated policies, cautiously, very articulately, and smartly against the virus. Vietnam implemented strict measures against the virus, followed by nightmarish lockdowns.
These measures proved their validation and kept the country safe from this pandemic. Moreover, all these precautionary measures led to the country’s economic growth.
Initially, Vietnam had no inventory for the vaccine. Vietnam kept the country in a strict lockdown while the government tried to bring in the vaccine. The entire year, the national GDP growth was recorded at 2.6%, which has risen back to its original percentage of 6%.
