Vietnam to accelerate preparation to pilot vaccine passports for international tourists

Under the pilot for vaccine passports, international tourists will be able to visit Phu Quoc Island

The Government Office has just sent a document conveying the prime minister's instructions to the ministers of Health, Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Chairman of Kien Giang People's Committee on the pilot use of vaccine passports for international travellers.

Accordingly, the PM directed the Ministry of Health (MoH) to lead and coordinate with relevant agencies to accelerate the research the pilot use of vaccine passports for international travelers entering certain tourist locations where the pandemic is managed, such as Phu Quoc.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism was tasked with developing a pilot plan to welcome international travellers with vaccine passports to Phu Quoc (Kien Giang). All plans must ensure safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At a meeting in early April, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control agreed on three groups of people who are expected to apply for vaccine passports to enter Vietnam. They are Vietnamese people stranded abroad who have been vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccine, foreigners entering Vietnam for investment and business purposes, as well as international tourists.

Meanwhile, Kien Giang authorities have announced plans to inoculate the island’s population with a view to reopen to foreigners. Phu Quoc, Vietnam's largest island, has become a top tourist destination after the government rolled out a 30-day visa-free policy for foreigners in 2014.

It is expected that Vietnam will welcome tourists from countries that have well contained the pandemic and implement vaccination to achieve herd immunity. With the manufacturing and continuing development of COVID-19 vaccines across the world, many countries have gradually made use of the so-called "vaccine passports” which allows vaccinated citizens to travel with fewer, or even no, testing and quarantine requirements.