Finally, great news has come. Vietnam has officially declared the termination of the lockdown. Cities are now reopened for businesses to get back on its feet and contribute to the economy of Vietnam. Moreover, entertainment is allowed to help people get away from the distress of the on-going lockdown. People can now go outside, exercise in the park to enjoy the fresh air, play sports to improve their physical health, and join in other types of activity like they used to do during pre-covid period.
However, things are only slowly resurrecting. The number one concern of the country at the moment is to ensure the safety of everyone. Therefore, there are restrictions that citizens and expats must follow to sustain a healthy community.
Since the country is constantly distributing vaccines, Saigon is predicted to get back to normal soon.
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The vaccination updates
In Ho Chi Minh, things are pretty much going in a good direction despite the average number of cases. The population in Saigon is 7 millions. So far, there have been 13,1 millions vaccines distributed throughout the whole city. The percentage of people receiving full vaccination is 75,2%.
Hanoi is dealing with no difficulties at the moment. The number of cases remains low most of the time from 1 – 3 cases/day. Therefore, everything in Hanoi is pretty much functioning normally as Covid was never there.
Young children are now receiving vaccines as well. Hopefully, they will all get enough jabs to get back to school and reunite with their classmates and teachers as soon as possible.
Regulations and restrictions for businesses in Saigon
Restaurants and coffee shops are allowed to reopen now. However, only takeaway is available at the moment. In-store services still haven’t received the permission until further updates (except in specific districts such as District 7).
Domestic and international tourists may still have to face a bit of difficulty until at least the beginning of 2022 when the green pass operation and other safety measures are in place. The department of tourism in Vietnam has established a plan to gradually recover tourism in Vietnam. The plan is expected to match the condition of the country at the moment, as the priority right now is “Only open where is safe, and ensure safety when reopening”. The department built the plan for the period of 3 – 4 months until the end of 2021 – beginning of 2022. According to Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa – The director of the department of tourism, the tourism department will focus on forming a secure manpower, safe destinations and safe services. Also, we’re trying our best to connect provinces to build safe areas.
The recovery plans include 3 stages. The first stage (October, 2021): Only open tourism according to the anti-covid process of the region/city. The destination must be listed as “green area”. For now, only guided tours are allowed to open. Also, the tour can only take place within the day. The other 2 stages are still in progress.
As for international traveling, everything is a lot more tight. Vietnam is still trying its best to open the door for international tourists to come into the country. Phu Quoc is currently the only place opened for international tourists. However, since not everyone in Phu Quoc is fully vaccinated, the officials are planning further measures to ensure the safety of both the people in Phu Quoc and the tourists.
The sandbox mechanism
Vietnam, specifically Quang Ninh, has been doing research on the sandbox mechanism, which is what Phuket has been doing to sustain the tourism in their country. Sandbox mechanism isn’t official yet in Vietnam because there’s a lot to consider. This organization for tourism has cons and pros. However, according to the situation of Quang Ninh at the moment, the people committee of Quang Ninh evaluates the Sandbox mechanism as a promising strategy so that tourism in this region can get back on its feet soon.