Allow international flights this month: Transport Ministry

In a plan submitted Tuesday, the ministry proposed that the resumption be carried out in two pilot phases.

The first phase starting Dec. 15 will reopen flights between Vietnam and San Francisco or Los Angeles (the U.S.), Singapore, Bangkok (Thailand), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Vientiane (Laos), Beijing (China), Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (South Korea), and Taipei (Taiwan).

These are markets with the most important political and economic cooperation relations with Vietnam, with a high number of investors, experts, and workers wishing to work and explore business investment opportunities in Vietnam, the ministry said.

In addition, there is high demand for repatriation among Vietnamese citizens living, studying and working in the proposed destinations, the ministry said.

The first phase, lasting two weeks, will see four flights per week on each route in each direction, expected to carry 28,000 people to Vietnam. Airports that are allowed to operate in this period would be the Tan Son Nhat in HCMC and Noi Bai in Hanoi.

The number of routes suggested Tuesday is six less than the ministry’s previous proposal made last month, in which it sought to resume international flights from January next year.

The second phase will start next January, adding flights on routes connecting Vietnam and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Hong Kong, Paris (France), Frankfurt (Germany), Sydney (Australia), and Moscow (Russia).

For this phase, which will last a month, four airports will be added to the itineraries: Da Nang, Cam Ranh in Khanh Hoa Province, Phu Quoc in the eponymous island and Van Don in Quang Ninh Province.

Flight frequency will be increased to seven on each route in each direction, with around 160,000 people expected to arrive in Vietnam.

The ministry has also suggested that the Health Ministry be tasked with formulating guidelines on quarantine exemption for those entering Vietnam, and the Foreign Affairs Ministry with negotiating vaccine passport recognition with other countries and territories.

The ministries of Health, Public Security, Information-Communications should soon come to an agreement and publish the medical declaration software generally applicable to air travel in order to facilitate the health declaration process for passengers, the operation of businesses as well as monitoring and tracing of entries.

Vietnam closed its doors to foreign tourists and grounded international flights in March last year, allowing entry only to Vietnamese repatriates and foreign experts and highly-skilled workers.