Visitors at a tourist site in South Korea. South Korea, Indonesia and Singapore have relaxed entry restrictions for foreigners, including Vietnamese travelers. – Photo: KTO Vietnam

No mandatory quarantine will be required for foreign tourists who have been fully vaccinated against Covid when they enter South Korea from April 1, according to the South Korea Tourism Organization in Vietnam.

Currently, international tourists to the country are required to undergo a seven-day quarantine period.

South Korea approves the types of Covid vaccine passed by the World Health Organization, including Pfizer, Moderna, Astra Zeneca, Janssen, Novavax, Sinopharm, Sinovax, Covishield, Covivax and Covovax.

Besides, international arrivals in the country will be allowed to use public transport means as normal instead of its current anti-pandemic transport system from next month.

Earlier on March 10, South Korea also eased testing regulations on those entering the country. Accordingly, foreign travelers to the country are required to take a PCR Covid test before their departure and another after their arrival, and a rapid antigen test on the sixth or seventh day after their entry.

Meanwhile, Singapore has announced the vaccinated travel lane for Vietnam, which will restore quarantine-free travel between the two countries from March 16.

Short-term Vietnamese travelers to Singapore must be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and show their proof of vaccination on arrival.

Besides, they must show a negative result of a PCR or ART test taken within two days before departure for Singapore and be covered with Covid travel insurance with a minimum of 30,000 Singapore dollars, or US$22,000.

As for the recovered, they are not required to take a Covid test within 90 days after their recovery date, but must show proof of recovery from the disease and buy Covid travel insurance.

On March 7, Indonesia reinstated its visa on arrival policy for international tourists from 23 countries, including Vietnam, to Bali Island.

Those entering the country through Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport are subject to the policy. After arriving on the island, tourists are allowed to travel to all of Indonesia’s provinces and cities.

Speaking of the vaccine passport recognition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that as of March 2, as many as 15 countries had recognized Vietnam’s vaccine passport, including Japan, the United States, Britain, Australia, India, Belarus, Cambodia, the Philippines, Palestine, Maldives, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Turkey and Singapore.

Source: SGT

Entry visa requirements may discourage foreign travelers: experts

The Government has decided to fully reopen the tourism market from March 15. However, travel firms fear that foreign travelers won’t visit the country because of complicated procedures for entry visas.

Don’t miss opportunity to receive foreign travelers: economists

Dr Tran Dinh Thien, former Director of Vietnam Economics Institute, said Vietnam has the opportunity to recover the aviation and tourism industry and must not miss the opportunity.