Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asks the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) to consider and announce a detailed roadmap for the reopening of the Vietnamese tourism industry.
The order was made following the Vietnam Tourism Association’s petition for possible solutions for the recovery of the tourism industry. After a two-year closure, plans are being finalized for Vietnam to fully reopen to international tourism by March 31 rather than waiting until May.
The pitch is that an earlier reopening will boost international arrivals by Vietnam’s high tourist season, and help those in the travel industry which have been struggling over the past two years.
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The Government Office on January 29 issued Document No.758/VPCP-KGVX on the direction of the prime minister, asking the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to work on the detailed roadmap for the reopening.
Phu Quoc island
The regions of Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Ha Long Bay, Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Dinh were the first regions in the country to welcome foreign visitors since locking down in early 2020 but tourism is yet to come back full swing.
Related: Vietnam will reopen its tourism industry next month
The country is currently in the second phase of reopening, which is scheduled to end on March 30.
Vietnam’s tourism revenue fell even further in 2021 after an already bad year for business in 2020.
The data showed, Vietnam received just over 157,000 international tourist arrivals in 2021, a dramatic decline from over 3.8 million arrivals in the previous year, due to the aftermath of the pandemic.