The operation of flights must be done strictly for right people and in line with Vietnam’s medical requirements for people entering the nation, said Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang while informing the press on the resumption of international flights and the recognition of vaccine passports.

At the ministry’s regular press conference taking place on December 9, the diplomat said the resumption plan has two stages. The first one will begin on December 15 with the operation of flights between Vietnam and destinations of high safety rates including Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Bangkok, Singapore, Vientiane, Phnom Penh, and San Francisco or Los Angeles. The second stage starting from January next year will consider other destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong (China), Paris, Frankfurt, Sydney, and Moscow.

According to her, those allowed to enter Vietnam currently are Vietnamese citizens; people entering for diplomatic, official, or business purposes; experts; investors; skilled workers and their families; and foreign students studying in Vietnam. People coming to Vietnam to learn about the market, attend conferences and seminars, visit relatives; overseas Vietnamese visiting relatives; and international tourists participating in pilot tourism programmes in Vietnam must have a certificate of vaccination against COVID-19 of recovery from the disease. Those on entry will have to comply with medical conditions and quarantine regulations during their stay in Vietnam.

Regarding the process of recognising of vaccine passports, Hang said in the past time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has discussed with about 80 partners on mutual recognition of the passports.

The Vietnamese authorities are also urgently completing related software solutions to soon issue a vaccine passport form meeting international standards, she added.

As of early December this year, Japan, the US, the UK, Australia, and Belarus have recognised Vietnam’s vaccination certificate with a number of specific standards on vaccine types. Indian and Canada have agreed with Vietnam on principle, while other partners, including ASEAN, the EU, China, and the Republic of Korea, are actively considering Vietnam’s proposals and waiting for the nation’s introduction of its vaccine passport model.

As of December 8, Vietnam temporarily recognised the vaccination certificates, so called vaccine passports, of 78 countries and territories, which were officially introduced to the foreign ministry.

“The recognisation is the foundation for the holders of such paper to directly use it in Vietnam and get their quarantine duration reduced to seven days in line with the Ministry of Health’s guidance on cutting quarantine time for fully vaccinated people or those recovering from COVID-19,” Hang informed./.