Breaking Update September 16th,
Vietnam has postponed the re-opening of commercial international flights to an unconfirmed date as authorities finalize COVID-19 health protocols.
Original Story now continues.
Vietnam is resuming international flights for up to 5000 travelers per week to 6 Asian cities, state media reported on Thursday.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) is proposing the resumption of flights to Guangzhou, Seoul, Vientiane, Phnom Penh, Taipei and Tokyo, Giao Thong newspaper reported.
This will be the first easing of COVID-19 related flight restrictions for business travelers after months of lockdown.
The flights will allow for up to 5000 travelers to travel between Vietnam and the 6 Asian cities.
All travelers will undergo a mandatory 14 day quarantine upon arrival with the exception for trips that are under two weeks according to the health ministry.
Vietnam is looking to begin revitalizing its economy after being decimated by the pandemic.
Vietnam Airlines said it would lose 4 billion in revenue this year according to state news.
Vietnam Airlines and discount carrier Vietjet were named as the two airlines that would serve the relaunched international routes but strict limits will be placed on the number of visitors to Vietnam.
Vietnam began blocking flights from some countries in January before completely shutting down its borders in March as the virus continued to spread around the world.
The first international flights will be to Japan and the Republic of Korea with four trips per week for each route, CAAV Director General Dinh Viet Thang said.
Vietnam is not yet open for general tourism.
On Wednesday, the Vietnam government announced that foreigners stranded in the country will be granted an automatic visa extension good until September 30th, 2020.
Vietnam has successfully managed COVID-19 in contrast to many countries curbing the number of cases to 1046 since the pandemic began. Strict lockdown measures, quarantines and contact tracing have helped keep the number of confirmed cases down.
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