Nikkei reports that Vietnam is on a positive recovery after the Covid-19 epidemic. Foreign visitors can easily come to Vietnam thanks to the open entry policies.
According to statistics in Nikkei’s Covid-19 Recovery Index, in May, Vietnam made efforts to relax prevention regulations while keeping infections at a low level.
The Covid-19 Recovery Index assesses countries and territories in response to infection, implementation of Covid-19 vaccination and social mobility.
The higher the rating, the closer that country and territory is to resilience. This indicator is characterized by low infection and mortality rates, good vaccination coverage, and gradual lifting of movement restrictions.
Vietnam is open to foreign tourists
In 2021, Vietnam and the Philippines are both at the bottom of the Covid-19 Recovery Index ranking. However, according to May’s data, Vietnam rose 48 places to 14th place.
The most obvious improvement is the removal of social distance, Vietnam allows students to return to schools and businesses reopen.
According to Nikkei assessment, Vietnam is the first country in Southeast Asia to waive all regulations on testing, vaccination and isolation for foreign tourists.
Nikkei writer Lien Hoang shared that it is getting easier and easier to enter Vietnam. This person came to Vietnam from California (USA) in May, brought a certificate of vaccination, negative PCR test and installed a tracing application on the phone.
“The immigration officer at the airport did not see any of the above documents, but just asked me to take off my mask for a moment to verify my identity. Total passport control time was less than a minute, like every other flight that I took to Vietnam before the Covid-19 epidemic,” said Lien Hoang.
Nikkei reported that Vietnam’s suspension of test results on entry on May 15 marked a step forward in easing Covid-19 prevention measures. This policy change bodes well for travelers, supply chain managers and other parties that rely on smooth traffic flow.
“That means tourists are comfortable coming to Vietnam like before the Covid-19 epidemic. This is an achievement that few Asian countries have achieved,” the Nikkei writer expressed.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), with more than 80% of the population fully immunized and 60% receiving booster doses, Vietnam received 27/30 points for immunization.
Asia tourism recovers well
Similar to Vietnam, the Philippines jumped 40 places in the rankings, reaching 33rd place thanks to the number of Covid-19 infections falling below 200 in the past week, no deaths were recorded.
Since February, the Southeast Asian country has opened its doors to fully vaccinated international visitors. Last week, the Philippines also stopped requiring foreign visitors who have received a booster dose to present a negative Covid-19 test result upon entry.
According to the ranking of Nikkei, Cambodia and South Korea lead Asian countries when in 2nd and 8th positions. These two countries are both aiming to live with the disease and have high vaccine coverage.
In this list, China rose one place to 93rd. China’s domestic travel score fell to the lowest 4.5/30, as the country is still implementing distancing measures to prevent the outbreak of Covid-19.
The latest figures show that the number of passengers on public transport in 36 major cities in China has decreased by nearly 50% year-on-year in 2019.
According to experts of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), China’s “Zero Covid-19” policy is unlikely to end this year. This means that China will still close its borders in the near future, causing the recovery of the global tourism industry in general and Asia in particular to stagnate.
Still, China is likely to play an important role in tourism recovery in 2023. “We expect China to gradually open up to international tourism after the first quarter of 2023, helping to maintain the momentum of global international arrivals even as Western demand begins to decline,” EIU analyst Ejaz Ahmed told a June 1 conference.
@ Zing News
