The news that Vietnam will reopen all international air routes from March 15 is considered the hottest event for the tourism industry because after a 2-year "sleep", all tourism markets will be fully opened without restrictions on flight frequency and destinations.

Since other countries in the region have resumed international tourism, Vietnam will face severe competition.

According to experts, re-opening tourism in Vietnam can be divided into two phases. Phase 1: resuming domestic tourism from late 2021 and phase 2: after March 15, fully opening tourism to welcome international guests.

According to the General Statistics Office, in the first two months of 2022, 49,200 international visitors came to Vietnam, up 71.7% over the same period in 2021.

In the central province of Quang Binh – the "kingdom of caves" - Oxalis Adventure, the only organization licensed to conduct an expedition tour to Son Doong cave (the largest cave on the planet) said that Son Doong tours in 2022 are already fully booked.

In mid-January 2022, Oxalis opened a reservation system for Son Doong tours in 2023. Currently, the Son Doong 2023 tour is booked for nearly 15%, mostly by foreign tourists. In addition, other Oxalis tours such as Tu Lan, Hang Va, Hang En, Hang Tien have reached 80% of the booking rate until May 2022.

The sky is "open" and the tourism industry will have to be ready with new requirements from visitors. It is a strategy that requires the cooperation of many stakeholders in the industry.

Vietnam has decided to reopen the country’s borders to international travel on March 15, 2022. Foreign travelers have to present a certificate of full vaccination or recovery from Covid019, and negative test results before boarding. In Vietnam, they must have a negative test result before participating in tourism activities. They don’t have to register for a tour.

Duy Anh

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