The emergence of the Omicron variant is affecting international air travel.

There are only 4 days left until the resumption of international flights to Vietnam. Of the 9 international routes expected to reopen from January 1, 2022, only 2 routes to the US and Japan have had negotiations completed and tickets are now on sale. The remaining 7 routes are still awaiting finalized negotiations.

While negotiations to resume flights with other countries were still facing difficulties, Vietnam received information about the first case of infection with the Omicron variant detected in Hanoi.

Local policies create obstacles.

On the morning of December 28, authorities announced the first case of Omicron variant infection in Vietnam. The patient arrived in Hanoi from the UK on December 19 and was immediately quarantined at Military Hospital 108 upon arrival.

The day before, the Hanoi People's Committee issued a document requiring passengers arriving from countries that have reported the Omicron variant to undergo centralized quarantine, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or have previously contracted Covid-19. This is considered a stricter measure than the Ministry of Health's guidelines. In its guidelines, effective from January 1, 2022, the Ministry only required those who had received all doses of the vaccine to monitor their health at home for three days.

In Ho Chi Minh City, local health authorities require airlines to provide lists of incoming passengers for each flight to the international health quarantine department at border gates at least 24 hours before entry, including full information on their addresses and places of residence in Vietnam, so that local authorities can prepare for receiving and monitoring incoming passengers according to regulations.

The fact that the Omicron variant entered Vietnam but was promptly isolated shows that localities have reason to be "strict" in managing and mandating centralized quarantine for people returning from countries with the Omicron variant. However, for the Ministry of Transport's plan to reopen international flights, local policies are creating obstacles.

In a report submitted to the Ministry of Transport, the Civil Aviation Authority stated that Hanoi's new regulations are inconsistent with the Ministry of Health's guidelines on managing incoming travelers and differ from the information already communicated to its partners. This new regulation requires the authority to renegotiate with all countries/territories, impacting plans to resume regular international flights to Hanoi.

Regarding the request from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, the Civil Aviation Authority also believes that this request would create difficulties and be unfeasible in implementing the plan for operating regular international flights.

According to the plan to restore international flights, phase 1, starting January 1, 2022, Vietnam will open nine routes to Beijing/Guangzhou, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Bangkok, Singapore, Vientiane, Phnom Penh, and San Francisco/Los Angeles. According to the Civil Aviation Authority, all of these destinations have recorded the Omicron variant. If Hanoi's regulations are applied, international flights will not be able to operate according to the criteria of limiting quarantine and adapting to safety.

With only four days left until the resumption of international flights, a representative from Vietnam Airlines stated that the Civil Aviation Authority has only granted slots for two routes: Japan and the United States. The airline has begun selling tickets for these two routes. Tickets for the remaining seven routes are still unavailable due to incomplete negotiations with the respective countries.

Priority should be given to Vietnamese people returning home.

Aviation experts believe the Omicron variant remains controversial worldwide, so Vietnam needs to be cautious. However, experience shows that Vietnam was once very strict in preventing the delta variant, but it still managed to enter the country. Many other countries have also been very strict but have still failed to prevent Omicron. Health experts in Vietnam assess that preventing Omicron from entering the country is an impossible goal.

Recently, due to the resumption of international flights, Vietnamese people abroad have been forced to choose repatriation flights or combo flights offered by Vietnamese airlines, with exorbitant ticket prices ranging from 80 to 150 million VND for flights from Europe/America to Vietnam.

In this context, many flights of Singapore Airlines and Turkish Airlines still land at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports. Each flight carries only a few dozen passengers who have entry permits. The second priority group, after overseas Vietnamese, is foreigners who need to come to Vietnam for short-term investment and business purposes.

Additional information:

On December 28th, the Ministry of Health reported the first case of Omicron variant infection recorded in Vietnam. According to Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son, information from the Vietnamese Infectious Disease Surveillance System and a preliminary report from the Central Military Hospital 108 (Vietnam-Germany Medical Research Center) confirmed the first case of Omicron infection.