HCMC – As from Sunday, May 15, no Covid-19 testing will be required for all those entering Vietnam from abroad, thereby giving them a hassle-free travel experience.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam today, May 13, signed a prime ministerial dispatch ordering a suspension of the SARS-CoV-2 testing requirement for entry into Vietnam.
The Ministry of Health earlier proposed halting the testing requirement for those flying to Vietnam from abroad, citing a very high vaccination rate and the Government’s Resolution 128 on safely and flexibly adapting to the pandemic.
Official Dispatch 416/CD-TTg cites a statement of the World Health Organization as saying that the world has seen a decline in new infections and deaths, and that vaccinations have proven to be effective against coronavirus variants.
Many countries and territories around the world have eased their Covid restrictions, including the testing requirement for entry.
Vietnam’s pandemic response measures, especially the unprecedented vaccination campaigns, have worked as new daily cases have steadily ebbed since March 15 this year and the numbers of critical cases and deaths have dropped strongly.
The suspension of the testing requirement for Vietnam entry is the latest among the multiple measures the Vietnamese Government has taken to facilitate entry into the country to spur international travel and thus fuel economic growth and create jobs.
On April 2, the Ministry of Health halted the on-arrival health declaration requirement at airports and other border gates.
The dispatch says the Government has tasked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to instruct Vietnamese embassies abroad to inform those who intend to come to Vietnam of the suspension of the pre-entry testing rule, and of the country’s still-in-force anti-coronavirus guidelines.
Local authorities and airlines will still have to stick with the Covid guidelines of the Ministry of Health.
