Tràng An Scenic Landscape Complex in the northern province of Ninh Bình. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Government has agreed with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s proposal to fully reopen international tourism activities in the new normal, starting from March 15 after two years of COVID-19-triggered border closures.

In the latest announcement issued on Wednesday regarding the Tuesday meeting on the reopening, Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam urged the tourism ministry to promptly finalise and make public a plan for resumption of tourism and provide detailed instructions for localities to implement the plan.

He tasked the ministry to issue protocols for welcoming back foreign tourists.

Đam also asked the ministry to work with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other ministries, agencies to design a new visa policy applicable to foreign tourists and report to the Government for consideration and approval.

Under the current regulations, Việt Nam unilaterally waived visa requirements for citizens of 13 countries, namely Japan, the Republic of Korea, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Belarus, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy

In addition, Việt Nam and 88 other countries and territories reached agreements on visa exemption.

The Government however decided to halt entry to foreign tourists from March 22, 2020, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Việt Nam.

The country began to welcome back foreign tourists from November 2021 under a pilot programme after successfully deploying the COVID-19 vaccination strategy, with more than 186 million doses having been administered to date in a population of about 98 million.

With the new tourism resumption plan, incoming tourists may only be required to have proof of vaccination or recovery from COVID-19 and negative test result certificate issued within 24 hours (rapid test) and 72 hours (RT-PCR) before departure.

Foreigners entering Việt Nam are expected to pay US$30 per person on average to enjoy the insurance benefits worth $10,000 for COVID-19 treatment in Việt Nam. In case a foreign tourist tests positive for the virus, the accommodation establishment will be responsible for working with health facilities and local authorities on quarantine and treatment for him/her. — VNS