HANOI, 21 September 2021: A Hanoi-Tokyo flight carrying nearly 60 passengers took off from Noi Bai International Airport on Saturday, making it the first international commercial flight after a six-month suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to Vietnam Government Portal, mostly Vietnamese students, guest workers, as well as Japanese nationals, who were returning home, made up the Vietnam Airlines’ passenger list.
All passengers complied with Japan’s strict regulations on Covid-19 preventive measures including presenting a certificate confirming they had tested negative for the virus within 72 hours of the flight departure.
The national flag carrier will offer two more flights to Japan at the end of September; one from Hanoi to Tokyo on 25 September and the other from Ho Chi Minh City to Tokyo on 30 September.
Last week, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh approved the Ministry of Transport’s proposal to resume international commercial flights to Guangzhou (China), Taiwan (China), Seoul (the Republic of Korea), Phnom Penh (Cambodia) and Vientiane (Laos).
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc tasked the Ministry of Transport to continue increasing international commercial flights in order to bring back foreign experts, investors and Vietnamese national returning home.
The Government chief asked for measures to quickly clear passengers at airports in order to prevent transmission of Covid-19 while relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Public Security, further to simplify entry procedures for foreign experts and investors.
The entry procedures must be specific and clear, emphasized PM Phuc, adding that the Ministry of Health must issue concrete instructions for Covid-19 testing and quarantine.
At the weekend, Vietnam reported 1,068 Covid-19 cases, including 942 recoveries and 35 fatalities, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.
(Source: VGP online news)
