The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) is consulting with ministries and branches on the pilot program which will be implemented in two stages.

In the first three months, Phu Quoc would receive 2,000-3,000 travelers a month on chartered flights. The travelers would be served within certain areas to be determined by the locality.

In the next period, the island would receive 5,000-10,000 travelers a month, including travelers taking commercial flights. The areas would be expanded.

It is expected that Phu Quoc would receive 25,000-40,000 foreign travelers in the six months of the pilot program.

The travelers prioritized under the program are those from markets with high safety in Covid-19 control in Northeast Asia, Europe, the US, Middle East and Oceania, such as China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the US, Germany, UK, Russia and France.

Foreigners can enter Vietnam if they can show certificates for having had enough shots of Covid-19 vaccine recognized by Vietnamese agencies. The second shot must be injected at least 14 days before the entry date and no longer than 12 months before entry to Vietnam. Those who were infected with Covid-19 must show certificates on full recovery from the disease and the time from hospital discharge to entry date must not exceed 12 months.

Travelers also have to have negative PCR nCoV testing result, taken within 72 hours before entry.

They also have to register for package tours provided by travel firms recognized as meeting requirements to receive travelers.

Pham Ha, Chair of Lux Group, said it would be better to prioritize travelers with high spending levels because the travelers may stay for many days. He believes that quality and revenue are more important factors now than the number of guests.

To receive foreign travelers to Phu Quoc from October, Kien Giang needs to vaccinate at least 70 percent of its population and workers in the locality in July-September to reach herd immunity and prepare facilities for medical emergencies.

Ha said it is necessary to run media campaigns as soon as possible as travel demand is very high, especially in October, when winter holidays begin.

Vietnam Airlines plans to resume some international air routes between Vietnam and some destinations in Asia, Europe and Oceania. The HCMC-Sydney route will resume from July 15-October 30, and HCMC-Melbourne from July 20-October 30.

As for the European market, it also plans to resume flights between Hanoi and Frankfurt and London in July and August. In Asia, it will resume flights between Hanoi/HCMC-Tokyo, and HCMC- Bangkok. 

Ngoc Ha

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