Foreign tourists free to travel with negative Covid test

Foreigners entering Vietnam need negative Covid-19 test results, medical declarations and PC-Covid app to track their movements, but are quarantine-free starting from Wednesday.

As specified by the Ministry of Health, foreign entrants by air need to submit a negative RT-PRC test within 72 hours or a rapid test (antigen rapid test) in 24 hours of departures.

It is not mentioned whether the visitors have to submit the Covid-19 vaccination certificate or recovery certificate within six months.

These regulations also apply to entrants via land borders and sea routes. In the absence of a Covid-19 test, visitors must limit stopping and contact with others when traveling from the border gate to their residence in the first 24 hours. After a negative test result, they are free to travel. Children under the age of two do not need a Covid-19 test.

During 10 days of entry, entrants should self-monitor their health, notify the nearest medical facility if they have Covid-19 symptoms, and install the PC-Covid app, Vietnam’s national Covid-19 prevention and control application, during their stay.

Previously, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam reaffirmed the government’s dermination to fully reopen the tourism market, noting foreign and domestic tourists are treated alike.

“I declare we reopening our doors not just to international tourists, but also to international trade and exchange from March 15, as before Covid-19, with the spirit of treating foreign and domestic tourists alike in terms of anti-pandemic measures,” he said on Tuesday.

Dam added that the reopening of tourism follows a roadmap. “Any possible further spread of Covid-19 due to the move has been taken into account, with plans to ensure everyone’s safety.”

The government on Tuesday restored pre-pandemic immigration procedures for foreigners and overseas Vietnamese. Specifically, visa exemption is applied to citizens of Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Belarus.

Citizens of these countries are allowed to enter Vietnam for a period of 15 days, regardless of passport type and entry purpose. This policy will be effective from March 15, 2022 to March 14, 2025, with extension to be considered.

Vietnam unilaterally exempted these countries from visas from the end of 2019 to the time the pandemic broke out over two years ago.

Dam said he has noted down the opinion of ambassadors and businesses worldwide to consider expanding Vietnam’s visa exemption list.