HANOI, 19 March 2020: Vietnam suspended visas 18 March for 30 days to slow travel to the country and prevent Covid-19 spread.
The measure which virtually ends all travel to the country was announced Tuesday by the country’s Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc.
Speaking at a conference on the coronavirus he said cases of visa exemption or those travelling for special purposes would still be considered, but the traveller would need to furnish a medical certificate from an authorised source that confirmed they were free of the virus.
“The certificate must be issued by the competent authority of the host country and approved by Vietnam.”
People travelling for diplomatic or official purposes will be exempt. Those entering the country must undergo medical checks according to regulations, he said.
While not stating outright that the visa-free stay privilege for ASEAN citizens is off the table, it certainly looks that way. It is unlikely travellers from the nine ASEAN countries would risk booking a trip that could culminate in a denied entry or a 14-day quarantine in a hospital in Vietnam.
On arrival, all travellers both foreigners and overseas Vietnamese living or transiting in ASEAN countries in the past two weeks would face a 14-day quarantine at centralised facilities, the Ministry of Transport has said.
In a document sent to the Vietnam Aviation Department, the ministry informed airlines to notify passengers who are considering buying international flight tickets to Vietnam.
The ministry also required airlines to ensure passengers who are taking domestic flights to fill in medical declaration forms and have their body temperature taken before boarding flights.
Vietnam’s low-cost airline, Vietjet, announced it is suspending flights to cities in Southeast Asia including Thailand effective this Friday. Vietnam Airlines said it would suspend flights to Europe and reduce services or stop flights to some destinations in Asia.
Source: Government Office announcement)
