Da Nang offers South Korean tourists free Covid tests en route home

They will be tested for free from now until the end of this month when they arrive at the international passenger terminal.

Those who test positive for Covid will be monitored and treated in accordance with health ministry protocols.

The move aims to attract more tourists from the Northeast Asian country as the South Korean government currently requires those returning from abroad to submit a negative PCR test result within 48 hours or a rapid antigen test conducted within 24 hours before departure.

South Korea is one of the largest tourism markets for Da Nang, famous for its long, sandy beaches.

In 2019, the year before the onset of the pandemic, Da Nang welcomed 1.7 million tourist arrivals from South Korea, accounting for half of total Korean visitors to Vietnam.

Vietnam allowed free-quarantine entry for all foreign arrivals and resumed visa exemption for South Korean tourists from March 15.

The country also removed pre-departure Covid testing requirement for foreign arrivals.