This comes after Deputy Minister of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy described how the implementation of a pilot scheme is part of reopening plans for international tourists.

Deputy Minister Thuy added that the Ministry is keen to work closely alongside related bodies to discuss issues relating to the granting of visas and potentially opening up additional air routes.

The move follows a meeting of the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control held on May 28, during which plans to reopen Phu Quoc island were discussed, although the country is not yet ready to welcome international visitors at the current time.

The National Steering Committee has assigned the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to work alongside Kien Giang province to implement a roadmap aimed at welcoming the return of visitors and ensuring epidemiological safety.

The reopening of international tourism activities will only be implemented for foreign visitors that arrive from countries that have been able to contain the epidemic effectively, with some specific islands being chosen for the pilot plan, the National Steering Committee emphasised.

Previously, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had issued a resolution on visa exemption for foreigners entering the Phu Quoc economic zone with the resolution expected to take effect as of July 1. VOV