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Mr. Nguyen Luu Trung, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Kien Giang province, said that the province and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have agreed on the date for welcoming international tourists to Phu Quoc at the end of November 2021. Criteria and standards for welcoming domestic tourists back this October are currently being studied.
Currently, the province is conducting training and guidance for officials, staff, and workers of service providers in Phu Quoc on procedures for receiving and serving tourists; and using information technology applications in controlling and preventing diseases...
Kien Giang province is also coordinating with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to appraise and evaluate the quality of products and services, approve the list of units eligible to participate in welcoming and serving international tourists to Phu Quoc; and communicate and promote the pilot program for welcoming international tourists to Phu Quoc through domestic and international mass media.
Mr. Chung stated that the province will pilot a selection of locations and types of services that meet the criteria and conditions for receiving tourists, and will not implement this on a large scale. The services are expected to include 3-5 star resorts, tourist boats to visit islands in the South An Thoi area, golf courses, casinos, Vinwonders amusement park, cable car experiences, fishing, snorkeling, underwater walking, and a Safari zoo...
To ensure safety and prevent the spread of disease, separate services will be organized to prevent international guests from coming into contact with domestic guests or the community. For example, cable car services will dedicate specific times of the day to serving international guests, not domestic guests; other services will follow a similar pattern.
During the pilot phase, Phu Quoc is expected to only welcome international tourists traveling through package tours organized by travel agencies, and will not apply to those entering for other purposes. International tourists will enter by air, via charter flights.
When asked about his plans to visit Phu Quoc during the upcoming pilot reopening period, British photographer Nic Shonfeld, who has lived and worked in Vietnam for over six years, shared: "I will choose Phu Quoc as my destination for my year-end holiday, partly because I like the place, and partly because Phu Quoc is also the only place in Vietnam that will open its doors to foreigners. It's been several years since I've been able to visit Vietnam."
"Although Phu Quoc is now famous for its modern European-style buildings, I really hope to experience the island's traditional culture on my next trip. I think not all of Phu Quoc has been 'Europeanized' like the images online; I believe I can still find indigenous cultural values here," the photographer added.
Vietnam's roadmap for welcoming international tourists.
From November 2021 to March 2022, Phu Quoc will be piloting a program to welcome international tourists. The target group will be tourists from countries with good disease control and vaccination coverage capabilities, such as Northeast Asia, Europe, the United States, the Middle East, and Australia.
Between December 2021 and June 2022, the model of reopening to international tourists will be expanded to several other destinations that have met the epidemic prevention requirements, such as: Ha Long (Quang Ninh), Hoi An (Quang Nam), Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), and Da Lat (Lam Dong).
