Vietnam started receiving Russians holding Covid-19 vaccine passports last December

Khanh Hoa-based Anex Vietnam Travel and Trading Co., Ltd (Anex Vietnam), the largest company bringing Russian tourists to Vietnam, has decided to temporarily stop receiving customers from the country.

Deputy director of Anex Vietnam, Bui Quoc Dai, said that the decision came after the Russian government warned airlines to limit flights to and from the country following sanctions from the US and some European countries.

"We chartered a plane from Russia to come and pick up our last 300 customers in Cam Ranh today," Dai said. "We will stop conducting tours for customers from Russia at least until March 28 when we hope that the flights to the country can be reconnected."

Dat added that the number of Russian customers had fallen sharply since the end of February after the Russia- Ukraine war broke out.

"Since we started receiving Russians holding Covid-19 vaccine passports last December, we have received nearly 6,000 Russian tourists but we have incurred losses due to our being unable to fill our charter flights.”

The Russian federal agency for aviation transport earlier recommended that all Russian airlines which have planes registered abroad under leasing contracts with foreign partners halt flights from Russia to destinations outside the country from 6 March and halt flights from foreign countries on 8 March. The reason for this measure is the high level of risk of planes being detained or arrested abroad.

Vietnamese tour operators specialising in Russia and Eastern European countries have also expressed concerns that the devaluation of the Russian rouble will affect the inbound market in the coming time.

From the beginning of November 2021 to February 20, 2022, the locality received 48 flights with more than 10,000 international tourists from Russia, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, accounting for about 90 percent of the total number of international tourists holding vaccine passports to Vietnam.

Source: Dtinews