The issuance of vaccine passports has been implemented for more than a month, but so far many people have not received vaccine passports; subsequently, they can’t go to other countries.
Mr. Nguyen Ba Hung, Deputy Director of the Health Data Center, Information Technology Department under the Ministry of Health, on May 26, said that, so far, more than 25 million people across the country had had vaccine passports. However, through actual inspection in some localities, after more than a month, the cleaning of vaccination data and verification of the vaccine passport are implemented slowly, not ensuring the progress.
The Ministry of Health has demanded no obstruction to nor profiteering from the issuance of Covid-19 vaccination certifications and “vaccine passport”, according to a notice released on May 1.
Phu Quoc City has received around 1,000 international visitors from South Korea, Thailand, Laos, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in more than one month after implementing a pilot plan to welcome tourists back under the vaccine passport program, said the Department of Tourism of Kien Giang Province on January 17.
The People’s Committee of HCMC has proposed the Prime Minister and Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism to approve a pilot plan on receiving international vaccinated visitors to the city within one year from this December.
After months in lockdown, several provinces and cities nationwide have resumed tourism activities and reopened for visitors under strict safety guidelines.
Van Don International Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh on September 23 welcomed an international flight carrying 301 passengers from France, who are eligible for the pilot “vaccine passport” program of the Ministry of Health.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Phu Quoc Island in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang has been selected as a pilot for a 6-month program on receiving foreign travelers with vaccine passports, starting in October. The country’s tourism industry expects to expand the program in other popular tourist destinations, such as Da Lat, Nha Trang, Hoi An and Ha Long.
To ensure the implementation of the dual goals of pandemic prevention and economic development, Vietnamese authorities are working for the early deployment of vaccine passports and adjusting regulations on entry and exit, creating more favourable conditions for foreign experts, workers and investors to enter the nation.
At a meeting of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on June 25, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, who is also head of the committee, stressed that the trial of vaccine passport program must be quickly implemented under strict safety measures.
People from foreign countries carrying a Covid-19 vaccination certificate, informally known as a vaccine passport, are still quarantined upon entry into Vietnam and undergo tests like others.