Speaking at the regular Government press conference on December 2, Deputy Transport Minister Nguyen Ngoc Dong said that under the original plan submitted to the PM on November 8, flights to Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and 10 other countries would be reopened in three stages, each with a specific roadmap and pandemic prevention measures.
Dong added that talks with relevant countries are under way based on the set roadmaps, but due to the emergence of the new coronavirus variant, countries have become more cautious.
Leaders of the ministry held that the resumption of regular international flights should be based on Vietnam’s pandemic response capacity. This includes the ratio of vaccination to reach herd immunity as well as the quarantine capacity, along with the negotiation results with countries and territories on the recognition of the “vaccine passport.”
The Deputy Minister emphasised that resuming international flights is a requirement of socio-economic recovery, and also meets the need of the people, particularly overseas Vietnamese who want to return to the home country on the upcoming Lunar New Year.
Airlines are ready to resume international services and the transport sector is continuing to hold talks with other countries on the matter.
According to the Transport Ministry, from April 2020 to September 2021, more than 274,000 people entered Vietnam via air transport. Vietnamese airlines operated more than 400 "rescue" flights carrying in excess of 110,000 Vietnamese citizens back home from abroad and nearly 150 others for self-paid repatriation for more than 30,000 citizens.
Only Vietnam Airlines and 19 other foreign airlines have operated regular international flights transporting passengers allowed by relevant authorities to enter Vietnam.
