Vietnam reopens all international flights

From February 15, Vietnam Airlines began to reopen all regular international flights to other countries after nearly two years of closure.

In preparation for the reopening of international tourism before March 31 as directed by the Government, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has decided to lift restrictions on the frequency of international flights. All flights will return to normal as before the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the leader of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, the resumption of regular international flights still requires the agreement of countries because each country has different epidemic prevention requirements. After receiving feedback from the aviation authorities of each country on flight frequency, the Authority will grant flight permits to domestic and foreign airlines to bring passengers in and out of Vietnam according to the airlines' needs.

This move follows the Government's policy of reopening 9 international routes (phase 1) from January 1 to key markets such as Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Bangkok, Singapore, Vientiane, Phnom Penh, San Francisco/Los Angeles, China. These are destinations with many Vietnamese workers and are important economic and trade partners.

Plane taking off at Noi Bai airport, October 2021. Photo: Giang Huy

Recently, Vietnamese airlines have resumed flights to 8 out of 9 of the above markets (except China which has not yet opened) and continued to expand routes to Australia, Russia, the UK, France, and Germany in February, bringing tens of thousands of overseas Vietnamese and Vietnamese workers back home on the occasion of Lunar New Year.

Immediately after the policy of opening the sky, airlines have planned to restore international routes. Bamboo Airways representative said that the aviation market will recover this year and planned to expand the flight network to nearly 40 international routes. For Asia and Northeast Asia, the airline operates regular international routes Hanoi - Narita, Hanoi - Taipei and Hanoi - Incheon (South Korea).

In Southeast Asia, Bamboo Airways launched flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore and Thailand in March and plans to develop many flights to Laos and Cambodia during the summer.

With long-haul flights to Europe, Australia, and the US, Bamboo Airways will operate flights connecting Hanoi with Frankfurt, Ho Chi Minh City with Melbourne, and Hanoi with London. The airline also plans to operate flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Frankfurt, Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City to Berlin/Munich, and especially direct flights to the US in the coming period.

The airline has opened ticket sales for regular international flights between Vietnam and the UK, Germany, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore from February to March 26 with prices starting from VND211,000/way (excluding taxes and fees) for Southeast Asian routes; VND1.2 million/way for Northeast Asian routes and VND2.3 million/way for flights to Europe and Australia.

Vietnam Airlines has resumed regular flights to 15 countries and territories including the US, Australia, Russia, the UK, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos and Cambodia. Of these, flights to Europe have a frequency of 1-2 round trips per week, with the most flights to South Korea, Singapore, Cambodia and the US having 4-5 weekly flights. The airline is also preparing to reopen flights to Malaysia.

From February 15, Vietnam Airlines will continue to operate these routes and move towards fully restoring its international flight network based on approval from authorities at destinations and market demand.

Vietjet Air has resumed regular international flights connecting Vietnam with Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan with a frequency of one round trip per week. It plans to increase the frequency to South Korea and Taipei to five round trips, four round trips to Japan and Singapore, and three to Thailand per week. The airline also plans to resume flights to other countries in the region as well as to India and Russia.

Regarding epidemic prevention regulations for people entering Vietnam, passengers must ensure the conditions according to the regulations of the Ministry of Health. When boarding the plane, passengers need to have a negative PCR test certificate for nCoV valid for 72 hours; a vaccination certificate/vaccine passport or a certificate of recovery from Covid-19.

After getting off the plane, passengers who have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from the disease will be quarantined at home for 3 days; those who have not been fully vaccinated will be quarantined at home or at their place of residence for 7 days. Passengers who have not been fully vaccinated or have not been certified to have recovered from the disease will need to have a certificate of sufficient facilities and equipment to ensure medical isolation at home, or a confirmation of a hotel reservation (minimum 7 days). When passengers check in, the airline will check these documents.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, passengers entering the country can use a vaccine passport (if available). This is a tool to prove that passengers have been fully vaccinated. If they do not have a vaccine passport, passengers can use a hard copy as usual.

Last January, the Government relaxed entry requirements for foreigners, Vietnamese people residing abroad and their relatives returning to the country. When entering the country, Vietnamese people residing abroad and their relatives only need to bring valid entry documents (permanent residence card, temporary residence card, visa, valid visa exemption certificate), do not have to re-do personnel check procedures, visa issuance/exemption, and do not need to request approval of entry policies from ministries, branches, and localities.

For foreigners who do not have a visa, the provincial People's Committee will continue to consider and approve, creating conditions for entry for work, conferences, seminars, study, humanitarian purposes, etc. in the area. As for foreigners entering for tourism, the pilot program to welcome international visitors will continue to be implemented.

Earlier in early April 2020, in the context of the Covid epidemic breaking out strongly in the world, Vietnam stopped all commercial flights with countries and territories around the world. Some airlines were later allowed to operate international flights again, but only to transport goods to and from Vietnam. Flights bringing passengers to Vietnam were only carried out with the permission of the authorities. Passengers were citizens in difficult circumstances, experts, businessmen, high-skilled workers... and were all quarantined to prevent the epidemic.

After four outbreaks, the aviation industry has repeatedly proposed the gradual resumption of international flights. At the end of 2021, the Government began to reopen 9 international flights with limited frequency to key markets from January 1, 2022.