Hội An To Welcome 200 US Visitors On 17th November Under New Tourism Sandbox Program

US tourists tour Hội An under sandbox program

Since March last year, Vietnam had been shutting down borders from international tourists with the aim of containing the coronavirus. With the Delta variant worsening the nationwide outbreak in April this year, the hopes of reopening to foreign visitors had become dimmer than ever.

To give the domestic tourism industry a boost, the Vietnamese government has allowed a gradual reopening of borders to fully vaccinated overseas travellers.

A few days from now, Hội An, one of Vietnam’s most famous tourist cities, will receive its first batch of foreign visitors in nearly two years.

200 US tourists will visit Hội An on 17th November

Image credit: Peter Borter

On 17th November, 200 fully vaccinated US tourists boarding a charter flight will land in the ancient city of Hội An, according to VnExpress.

No quarantine curbs will be imposed, but these tourists will remain in the designated blue zone throughout their journey here for the first seven days.

They will stay at Hoiana in Duy Xuyên Ward and tour strictly supervised tourist attractions, such as the ancient town, the Mỹ Sơn cultural heritage site, VinWonders Nam Hội An, and Vinpearl Resort & Golf Nam Hội An. During the seven days of the program, these tourists cannot leave the hotel or these designated attractions without informing their tour operators.

Mỹ Sơn cultural heritage site
Image credit: Du Lịch Giá Rẻ

Those who can’t follow the schedule must seek permission from those in charge to end their tour early.

When the program ends, some travellers will return to the US while the others will remain in Vietnam to visit their relatives.

All staff members who cater to tourists visiting the area under the sandbox program have also been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Hội An is one of the first towns to receive international tourists

Image credit: Jil Beckmann

So far, Hội An is one of the places in Vietnam, alongside Khánh Hòa, Phú Quốc, and Quảng Ninh, to receive international travellers boarding charter flights.

Hội An, a 5-centuries-old town in Quảng Nam, topped the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Cities List in 2019. Immensely popular with its well-preserved ancient architecture, serene roads lined with colorful lanterns, picturesque rural scenery, and a vibrant food scene, Hội An is one of Vietnam’s most-visited tourist destinations.

Vietnam to welcome vaccinated international travellers

Over the last 20 months, the Covid-19 pandemic has done a lot of damage to both domestic and international travel. Only 30% of the Vietnamese population have been fully vaccinated thus far, therefore public life across the country has yet to fully resume and cross-provincial tourism is not encouraged yet.

While it might take a while to see all tourist attractions in Vietnam reopen, it’s great to finally see the first batch of international tourists landing in the country since the beginning of the pandemic.

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Cover image adapted from: Marek Okon

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