HCMC – HCMC and Binh Dinh Province have been allowed to pilot resuming inbound travel services, according to a decision signed by Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh.
Five other provinces — Danang, Kien Giang, Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam and Quang Ninh — had earlier been chosen to carry out a pilot scheme to welcome back international visitors.
The deputy prime minister asked the relevant ministries and agencies to work with the authorities of these seven cities and provinces to implement the inbound tourism scheme in accordance with Resolution No. 155 of the Government and Official Dispatch No. 10688 of the Ministry of Health on Covid-19 infection prevention and control.
In November 2021, HCMC wrote to the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism seeking approval to pilot welcoming back international tourists that hold a Covid-19 vaccine passport. The city expected to fully reopen its tourism market in April 2022.
According to the HCMC Department of Tourism, over 11,200 foreigners from 111 countries came to Vietnam from January to August 2021, with some 95% entering the country through the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC.
Meanwhile, Binh Dinh Province proposed the Prime Minister approve its pilot plan to reopen its doors to international tourists in late October 2021.
Under the pilot plan, the province will receive international travelers from the Northeast Asian countries, Russia, the United States and some European nations to its tourist attractions on the Phuong Mai Peninsula in Quy Nhon City and Cat Tien Town in Phu Cat District. Tourists can also take bus tours to Quy Nhon City.
To visit Binh Dinh, international visitors need to book package tours offered by international travel firms.
Data of the General Statistics Office showed that Vietnam saw 17,200 foreign arrivals in December 2021, increasing 14.2% month-on-month.
International arrivals to Vietnam reached 157,300 last year, dropping 96% against 2020 and 99% against 2019. A majority of those who arrived in the country were experts and highly skilled workers.
