Authorities of the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Chungbuk province, about 105 km south of Seoul capital, have said they will promote the resumption of international flights at Cheongju International Airport, including direct ones to Vietnam.

Many travel firms say that their inbound tours remain unsold as ministries and branches are still discussing tourism reopening solutions.

Vietnamese and foreign airlines are now allowed to operate between Vietnam and other countries and territories according to signed bilateral and multilateral aviation agreements.

Vietnam has so far reopened air routes to 20 countries and territories, compared to 28 in the 2019 winter flight schedule before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, a transport official has said.

A total of 19 flight routes between Vietnam and other countries have resumed operations since the pilot programme to bring back international flights starting from the beginning of 2022, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

About 153,000 foreign passengers flew from/to Vietnam from the time the country launched a pilot programme to resume international flights in January to February 14, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

The CAAV has asked the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation to issue a Notice To Airmen on the lifting of all restrictions on international flights from February 15, returning to the normal situation as before the outbreak of COVID-19.

The Government has allowed the Ministry of Transport to decide on resuming international commercial flights and assigned multiple tasks to other ministries to serve the country’s economic reopening, said the Government Office.

Phu Quoc island city in the southern province of Kien Giang on November 20, 2021 welcomed the first international tourist group to Vietnam after nearly two years of the country’s “freezing status” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lots of flights and hotels have been fully booked due to the high travel demand during the Lunar New Year or Tet Holiday.

Passengers arriving in Vietnam on international flights will not be required to conduct rapid tests before boarding and getting off the plane and will only need a medical certificate to show a negative PCR test result.

To make regular international flights convenient and safe, it is necessary to remove “barriers” from inappropriate medical quarantine conditions.

Vietnam Airlines plans to restore regular flights between Vietnam and Russia, the UK, France and Germany. The first flights are scheduled this week.

The Chinese side has yet to agree to restore a regular flight route with Vietnam due to concerns about Covid-19 pandemic developments.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue its coordination with other ministries, agencies, localities and airlines to arrange flights to bring overseas Vietnamese back to Vietnam as per their wish.

In the early days of 2022, local airlines have reopened regular international routes, which is good news for 140,000 overseas Vietnamese who want to return home to celebrate the Lunar New Year (Tet).

Vietnam has reopened 10 international regular air routes and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has agreed to increase the number of routine flights. Experts have said it is now time to stop rescue flights.

The frequency of regular international routes to France, Germany, the UK, and Russia could be expanded to 10 flights per week for one-way tickets applicable to all airlines of each side for each respective market.

Seven countries and territories have basically agreed with Vietnam's proposal on a plan to resume regular international routes, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).