HCMC – As of early this month, four countries–the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and Belarus– had officially accepted Vietnam’s Covid vaccine passport, deputy spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang said at a press briefing on November 4.
According to Hang, India has also agreed in principle, while South Korea, China, members of the Association of South East Asian Nations and the European Union are considering accepting Vietnam’s vaccine passport.
Vietnam is working with 80 partners to accelerate the mutual recognition of Covid vaccine passports. The competent agencies of the country are also discussing issuing a consistent vaccine passport template that meets international standards.
Up to now, Vietnam has recognized vaccine passports issued by 72 countries and territories, including Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Jordan, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Laos, Libya, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, New Zealand, Nepal, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the UAE, the UK, Ukraine, and the U.S.
Holders of vaccine passports from these countries and territories will have their concentrated quarantine time in Vietnam reduced to only seven days in line with the Vietnamese Ministry of Health guidelines.
Vietnam will accept the Covid-19 vaccines that have been approved by the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States, the European Medicines Agency and the Ministry of Health.
At the press briefing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Pham Thu Hang also demanded that China withdraw its ships from Bai Ba Dau (Whitsun Reef) in Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago and respect Vietnam’s sovereignty.
According to Hang, the operation of Chinese vessels in the waters of the Spratly Archipelago has seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty and stipulations of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS) and run counter to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).
“We have affirmed multiple times that Vietnam has full legal basis and historical evidence to testify to its sovereignty over the Spratly Archipelago in accordance with international law, and to be entitled to sovereignty, sovereign right and jurisdiction over its waters defined by the 1982 UNCLOS,” she said.
Vietnam demanded that China comply with the 1982 UNCLOS and the DOC, create a favorable environment to reach a Code of Conduct in the East Sea between the ASEAN and China and contribute to maintaining peace, security, stability and legal order in regional waters.
