Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has agreed to allow 331 Chinese experts, business managers and high-skilled workers to enter the country.
The decision was issued on June 12 following a proposal the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi sent to the Vietnamese Government Office on June 2, VNExpress reported.
Related: Vietnam to open borders to visitors from coronavirus-free countries
The Deputy PM asked the Ministry of Public Security to grant entry visas for the Chinese workers who will be quarantined for 14 days upon entry.
Since March 22 Vietnam has not allowed entry for foreign nationals except those with diplomatic and official passports and business managers, experts and high-skilled workers. All arrivals are quarantined for 14 days.
Vietnam is considering resuming commercial flights with China, with Guangzhou being one of the first destinations, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had said at a June 12 meeting with Chinese firms operating in Vietnam.
He said the Vietnamese government will continue to support and create favorable conditions for foreign experts, businesses and investors, including those from China, to return to Vietnam.
Nikkei on Monday also reported the Japanese government plans to relaunch business travel links with Vietnam on a trial basis by the end of June.
According to Nikkei, the project will begin with a chartered flight for up to 250 business travelers. To curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, all passengers will undergo polymerase chain reaction testing before departure.
The Japanese government expects Vietnam to accept travelers from Japan who undergo PCR testing before departure. Japan will work on raising its PCR testing capacity.
According to the Japan External Trade Organization, over 1,800 Japanese companies had offices in Vietnam as of December 2018. Data from the Japan National Tourism Organization show that a daily average of 2,300 people from Japan visited Vietnam in 2018.
Japan will also consider relaxing entry restrictions for Vietnamese as it looks to fill private-sector jobs with Vietnamese technical trainees.
By Jennifer Tran. This article originally posted on Vietnam Times