A passenger at Đà Nẵng International Airport gets his documents checked before departing Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photo Trần Lê Lâm

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam hopes other countries and territories will simplify entry rules for Vietnamese travellers to boost economic recovery and people’s movement, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lê Thị Thu Hằng.

She made the statement in response to a question from reporters regarding Taiwan's (China) new requirement for all passengers from Việt Nam to show a negative COVID-19 test (antigen rapid tests) within six hours of boarding a flight as it sees many passengers from Việt Nam with the virus.

Việt Nam had seen considerable progress in the COVID-19 fight with increasing vaccine coverage, Hằng said, adding that infections, severe cases, and fatalities had significantly dropped in recent days.

She noted that the Government of Việt Nam had adopted a policy of safely living with the virus in the “new normal” and reopening borders for foreign visitors. However, it still was implementing strong measures to control the situation and ensure the safety of foreign tourists, she said.

To facilitate entry into Việt Nam, she continued, Vietnamese authorities had issued several new regulations and guidelines on COVID-19 prevention and control for foreigners, one of which is removing mandatory quarantine rules for all people entering Việt Nam, including those from Taiwan.

“We hope other countries and territories will adopt similar regulations and guidelines, for example, simplifying entry rules for visitors from Việt Nam, to boost economic recovery and expand cultural exchanges post-COVID-19,” she said.

Vaccination for children

With regards to countries’ donation of paediatric COVID-19 vaccines to be used in Việt Nam’s rollout of vaccination for children aged 5-11, Hằng said that under the direction of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been working closely with the Ministry of Health to actively advocate and exchange with international organisations such as COVAX, partner countries and vaccine manufacturers to speed up the supply and donations of vaccines for children.

According to the spokesperson, to date, the Australian Government has committed to supporting Việt Nam with 12.8 million doses of vaccine for children, and so far, 4.6 million doses of Moderna have been delivered to Việt Nam from Australia.

The Netherlands also pledged to support 2 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, and France committed to 2 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which is expected to arrive in Việt Nam this April.

Currently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is continuing to closely coordinate with the Ministry of Health, discussing with international organisations and partners to ensure the supplies of vaccines for children, and contributing to completing the vaccination plan for young children in the second quarter of 2022. — VNS