{"id":2261,"date":"2020-05-28T17:41:03","date_gmt":"2020-05-28T09:41:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=2261"},"modified":"2020-09-14T22:34:30","modified_gmt":"2020-09-14T14:34:30","slug":"international-air-routes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/international-air-routes\/","title":{"rendered":"Vietnam Is Preparing To Reopen International Air Routes, With COVID-19 Kept In Check"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vietnam to reopen international air routes<\/h2>\n
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Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country has had to suspend entry for all overseas arrivals since late March.<\/p>\n

Now, with the pandemic kept in check, the Vietnamese authorities are making moves to prepare to ease restraints on borders again. This week, the Transport Ministry has proposed the reopening of certain international air routes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Plans for international flights to be submitted before 10th June<\/h3>\n
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The second half of March was a decisive time for the fight against COVID-19 in Vietnam. With the number of infections escalating in the country on a daily basis, many of whom came from other countries, the Vietnamese government issued a directive that banned all overseas arrivals<\/strong>, including Vietnamese nationals, from entering the country.<\/p>\n

It was not until late April, when the domestic COVID-19 situation was under control thanks to the nationwide social distancing policy, that Vietnam started repatriating citizens stranded in other countries on government-facilitated flights.\u00a0 For foreigners, however, its borders remains closed to date<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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\nOverseas arrivals have been banned from entering Vietnam since late March<\/em>
\n(Photos for illustration purposes only)<\/em>
\nImage credit:\u00a0@dorbjorn<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Since then, with Vietnam continuing to stay clear of new COVID-19 infections in the community for 42 days<\/a> in a row, the government has slowly been easing restraints on movement, allowing non-essential businesses to reopen<\/a> and making effort to reboot the domestic tourism industry<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now, in an attempt to restore the economy, the Transport Ministry of Vietnam has proposed the reopening of certain international air routes. It has requested that the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) come up with a specific time frame for resuming international flights before 10th June,<\/strong> in a report to submit to Prime Minister Nguy\u1ec5n Xu\u00e2n Ph\u00fac.<\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: S\u00e2n Bay Qu\u1ed1c T\u1ebf N\u1ed9i B\u00e0i – H\u00e0 N\u1ed9i – Vi\u1ec7t Nam<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Mr. \u0110inh Vi\u1ec7t Th\u1eafng, Director General of CAAV, noted that Vietnam\u2019s airlines are prepared to resume international flights. However, the reopening times of specific air routes will be decided by the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control<\/strong> based on its evaluation of the COVID-19 situation in other countries.<\/p>\n

So far, CAAV has also received proposals from various Taiwanese and Korean airlines to fly to Vietnam.<\/p>\n

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The tourism industry prepares to welcome foreign visitors<\/h3>\n
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\nB\u00e0 N\u00e0 Hills in the central city of \u0110\u00e0 N\u1eb5ng, a major tourist destination of Vietnam<\/em>
\nImage credit: @edwscissorhands<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Last week, Mr. Nguy\u1ec5n Tr\u00f9ng Kh\u00e1nh, Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), also told VNExpress<\/a> that the tourism industry was preparing to welcome foreign visitors from countries that have managed to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak effectively.<\/p>\n

According to Mr. Kh\u00e1nh, if the pandemic is contained in certain key markets by September, VNAT will propose launching promotions to attract visitors from these markets in the fourth quarter of 2020. He said if that\u2019s the case, the primary targets of these promotions will be Southeast and Northeast Asian countries<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

However, he also added that the first priority of Vietnam\u2019s tourism industry until the end of the year will be domestic tourism<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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International flights to Vietnam to resume<\/h3>\n
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The resume of international flights will be a major step in restoring the economy of Vietnam, which has taken a hit due to COVID-19. However, it has to be done with caution to minimize the risk of a new wave of infection.<\/p>\n

With the plan expected to be submitted to the Prime Minister by 10th June, we\u2019ll probably see more announcements then. Stay tuned for more updates.<\/p>\n

For more stories, check out:<\/p>\n