Six international routes are proposed to reopen in September.

According to the plan to restore international flights submitted by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to the Ministry of Transport, six international routes are proposed to reopen from September 15th, including flights from Vietnam to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Cambodia, and Laos. To ensure sufficient testing and quarantine capacity, international flights into Vietnam will be evenly distributed throughout the week, minimizing the possibility of two flights landing at the same location on the same day.

With flight routesVietnam - ChinaTwo flights per week are proposed for the Ho Chi Minh City - Guangzhou route. Of these, Vietnam designates Vietnam Airlines/Pacific Airlines to operate one flight, and China will operate the other. The maximum number of passengers expected to be quarantined in Ho Chi Minh City each week is 540.

With flight routesVietnam - JapanThe Civil Aviation Authority has proposed resuming the Hanoi-Tokyo route with a frequency of two flights per week and the Ho Chi Minh City-Tokyo route with a frequency of two flights per week. Each country will operate one flight on each route.

Vietnam Airlines plans to operate the Hanoi - Tokyo route, and Vietjet Air plans to operate the Ho Chi Minh City - Tokyo route. The maximum number of people subject to quarantine in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is approximately 560 per week.

Flight routeVietnam - South KoreaVietnam Airlines plans to operate the Hanoi - Seoul route with a frequency of one flight per week, and Vietjet will operate the Ho Chi Minh City - Seoul route also with a frequency of one flight per week. The maximum number of passengers expected to be quarantined in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is 650 per week in each city.

Flight routeVietnam - TaiwanThe flights will be operated by Vietnam Airlines from Ho Chi Minh City and Vietjet from Hanoi. The expected number of passengers to be quarantined each week is 620 in Hanoi and 700 in Ho Chi Minh City.

With flight routesVietnam - CambodiaThe two countries agreed to operate the Can Tho - Phnom Penh flight route with a frequency of one flight per week for each side. The number of passengers expected to be quarantined in Can Tho is 400 per week.

Flight routeVietnam - LaosThe Lao Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed via email that it has received the document from the Vietnamese Civil Aviation Authority regarding the reopening of the flight route, but has not yet given a specific response. If the Lao side agrees with Vietnam's proposed plan on frequency, the maximum number of passengers expected to enter Hanoi is 350 per week.

With flights like these, the estimated number of incoming passengers requiring quarantine each week is nearly 5,000 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority's proposal, passengers arriving in Vietnam must have stayed in the partner country/territory for at least 30 consecutive days prior to their flight; transit passengers will not be accepted. In addition, passengers must have a negative COVID-19 test certificate issued within three days of their scheduled flight date.

Upon arrival at Vietnamese airports, passengers undergo rapid testing, with the cost of the test covered by the airline. Incoming passengers must stay at designated locations specified by the provincial/city People's Committee and will be required to pay a fee.

The Vietnam Civil Aviation Authority has requested the Ministry of Health to publish the health quarantine requirements for passengers entering the country, and to publish a list of domestic real-time PCR testing laboratories to inform partners and passengers, as passengers departing from Vietnam need a Covid-19 confirmation certificate.

Currently, many countries have implemented health quarantine policies for incoming passengers. For example, in China, passengers must have a certificate confirming a negative test result for nCoV from a facility designated by the government of their country of origin, taken within five days of departure. In addition, passengers must install a mobile application for monitoring and undergo a 14-day paid quarantine. Passengers entering South Korea must self-quarantine at home or a designated facility and install a mobile application for monitoring.

Minh Chi