Vietnam again temporarily suspends international flights

Quarantine rules for foreigners have worked well, but problems have arisen regarding the application of the rules to Vietnamese citizens, Vo Huy Cuong, CAAV deputy head told the media on October 7.

The government has decided to gradually resume international commercial flights to and from six countries and territories that have brought the COVID-19 pandemic under control, starting September 15.

Both Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat, the country’s two largest airports, have been green-lighted to receive thousands of passengers from the six countries and territories every week.

However, Cuong said problems have arisen after only two such flights with a total of nearly 300 passengers from Seoul (the Republic of Korea) to Vietnam were conducted.  

Hoang Minh Duc, an official of the Ministry of Health said representatives of the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health have just met to list all problems arising following the two pilot flights.

He said preparing hotels and collecting quarantine fees for entrants is just one of the problems that need to be solved out, and the working group of the Ministry of Health is developing a consistent quarantine process applicable to all nationwide.

It is expected that the process will be completed in three days and submitted to the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control for approval, Duc revealed.

Controversy broke out after the Seoul - Ho Chi Minh City flight landed at Tan Son Nhat airport on September 30. Some passengers refused to return to the hotels for quarantine, complaining the fees were too high. A similar incident occurred on the Soul-Hanoi flight five days earlier.

The problem was solved out shortly afterwards when the passengers agreed to return to concentrated quarantine facilities instead of hotels or other private lodging facilities.