Reopened: Vietnam Has Scrapped All Arrival Quarantine & Remaining Travel Restrictions Effective Immediately

Vietnam has announced today (March 16th 2022) that the country is reopening effective immediately and that mandatory quarantine and other restrictions will no longer apply to both foreigners and Vietnamese nationals.

The Vietnamese government also reinstated visa exemptions and the issuance of visas on arrival and at their diplomatic missions, yet travelers will still require a valid Covid negative test prior to the arrival in the country.

It’s a sign that countries are now reopening rapidly in Asia, the region which has featured some of the harshest restrictions during the past two years.

Vietnam has already signaled this step in the past two months pending some policy recommendations and now announced that these changes concerning opening are effective immediately.

Several media outlets including ABC news have already reported about it:

Vietnam on Wednesday scrapped quarantine and other travel restrictions for foreign visitors in an effort to fully reopen its border after two years of pandemic-related closure, the government said.

Visitors entering the Southeast Asian country only need to show a negative COVID-19 test prior to arrival, according to the Health Ministry, which said the new measures were effective immediately.

Visitors must monitor their own health during the first 10 days of their stay and notify medical professionals in Vietnam if they experience any COVID-19-like symptoms.

Vietnam also reinstated visa exemptions and the issuance of visas on arrival similar to their pre-pandemic status.

Vietnam closed its border and stopped issuing tourist visas in March 2020 to contain the spread of the coronavirus. It partially reopened to international tourism last November for visitors traveling in strict bubbles. …

The reopening comes as Vietnam reports record numbers of new COVID-19 infections, with a daily average of nearly 200,000 cases over the past two weeks.

Despite the high infection rate, the Health Ministry says the majority of patients have mild symptoms from the omicron variant and do not require hospitalization.

I haven’t been able to find any announcement at one of the Vietnamese Embassy / Consulate websites such as the one in Washington DC where I’d expect some guidance.

Nevertheless this announcement just came out today so lets give them some time.

I’m particularly interested in the type of Covid test required to take prior to leaving for Vietnam (Antigen or PCR Test, time limits) which is essential to plan properly for the trip.

The news report also doesn’t mention anything about if a Covid vaccine is mandatory to visit Vietnam or if this is scrapped as well.

John already wrote about the prelude to this development in mid February:

Vietnam Removes International Flight Restrictions February 15, 2022

Despite the information that all previous restrictions have been lifted I’d prefer an official announcement that gives the traveler a checklist to make sure everything is in order. Even if it’s not explicitly required I would still carry a proper, reliable travel health insurance as you never know what happens and it doesn’t have to be Covid related.

I’ll update this post once more definitive details are known.

Conclusion

According to media reports that were distributed worldwide Vietnam has announced the reopening of the country to international arrivals without any restrictions effective immediate, March 16th 2022.

Visitors eligible for a Visa on Arrival or Visa Exemption will also be able to use this option again and will no longer need to use the visa application process at a VN foreign mission abroad.

It’s a good sign that Asian countries now go into overdrive as far as reopening is concerned. Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines.

The only ones that doesn’t seem to move at all appears to be Indonesia, Japan and Taiwan. China notwithstanding especially given the current situation of the country experiencing a widespread lockdown at the moment.