Only 40% of international air routes linking with Vietnam resumed

About 80% of domestic flights have been restored, but only 40% of international routes linking with the country have resumed compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to the Vietnam Civil Aviation Authority (CAAV).

Dinh Viet Thang, head of the CAAV, said at a meeting in Hanoi Friday that the country had targeted resuming all the routes by the year-end, "but these efforts have been hindered with monkeypox prompting countries to tighten travel rules."

In its second-quarter consolidated financial statement, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines said the international market has not recovered as expected, especially Northeast Asia (South Korea, Japan) - a major revenue source before the pandemic.

In July, which marks peak summer holiday season, the number of aviation passengers grew 5% month-on-month and 38% of pre-pandemic levels, CAAV data shows.

The number of international visitors to Vietnam reached 352,600 in July, up 49% month-on-month and 47.2 times year-on-year, the General Statistics Office reported.

In the first seven months of the year, the country received 954,600 international visitors, 10 times year-on-year, but down 90.3% compared to the same period in pre-pandemic 2019.

Vietnam has yet to record monkeypox cases, but high risk is projected.

Do Hong Hien, an epidemiologist at WHO in Vietnam, said the arrival of the disease in the country is just a matter of time. "There may have been community transmission and authorities need response measures to screen, prevent infections, and protect the health of workers who are at high risk."

Countries next to Vietnam such as Thailand and Singapore have already logged monkeypox cases.