Vietnam plans to reopen international flights from December.

During a meeting with Mr. Nobuhiko Sasaki, President of the Japan Trade Promotion Organization (JETRO), on the morning of November 25th, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated that he and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio had instructed relevant agencies to study the possibility of reopening direct flights between the two countries. Vietnam plans to begin reopening international flights, including those to Japan, in early December.

According to the Ministry of Transport's proposal to the Government in early November, international flights will reopen in three phases:

Phase 1(expected from Q1/2022):Flights between Vietnam and China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Australia will resume. The expected frequency is four flights per country, with a total of approximately 12,000 passengers entering Vietnam each week. Passengers must have received all doses of the COVID-19 vaccine or have recovered from the disease and must quarantine for seven days at paid quarantine facilities. Unvaccinated passengers must quarantine for 14 days.

Phase 2(expected from Q2/2022):Regular passenger flights to Vietnam will operate, without requiring centralized quarantine for passengers with vaccine passports. The number of flights per week is expected to be based on airline demand, with a projected frequency of 7 flights per week for each country. Passengers with vaccine passports will self-quarantine at their residence for 3 to 7 days according to the Ministry of Health's guidelines, while passengers without vaccine passports must undergo 14 days of centralized quarantine, subject to fees.

Phase 3, starting in Q3 2022, will involve operating regular international flights with frequencies based on airline demand.

Khanh Ha