Current Vietnamese Entry Situation

[Raphus]

Dear all,

Some people have been positing questions regarding other SE Asian country entry statuses.

Please find a very detailed description of the current situation in Vietnam.

 

This is the first of many updates regarding entry into Vietnam. I will be sharing information gathered by HR on a bi-weekly basis (possibly more) on what is going on with entry into Vietnam. As I'm sure all of you know, travel to Vietnam is currently heavily restricted and these restrictions are slated to slowly ease as time goes on. The updates will contain official information and what rumors we have been gathering. The goal of these updates is to provide full transparency.

 

OFFICIAL STATUS

The borders remain closed to all non-essential workers and non-nationals. Currently, the only flights to Vietnam are emergency repatriation of citizens from abroad that have been approved for return. The list of essential workers is held and determined by both the department of labor and health. Government Quarantine sites are exclusively for use by repatriating nationals and are at capacity. Private quarantine sites are in operation for non-nationals.

Q&A

• Is it possible to be added to the list? Yes, at great difficulty and processing. HR has been working to get a few applicants placed onto this list as per their request. It is slow going, but things are looking hopeful
• Is it possible to get a flight to Vietnam? Yes, but priority is always given to Vietnamese. You will be put on a list and given 24 hours notice if and when a flight will be leaving to bring you to Vietnam. Be sure to contact your Vietnamese embassy/consulate in your country to confirm the ability to travel. Some countries have different restrictions and a handful of locations have resumed flights.
• Will it remain this way? No, this is the current status based on the government plan. This plan is expected to be adjusted at the beginning of August (in a few days)
• Should I try to get onto the list? Only if you need to enter Vietnam immediately, currently private quarantines are very expensive and we strongly recommend waiting till the restrictions are eased.

Unofficial Status

The above is what is officially decreed by the government. However, the Vietnamese government doesn't decree things well in advance. They prefer to make declarations and decisions on a reactionary basis and only in the immediate time frame. What does this mean? It means that we have to wait, week by week to see if anything changes. The prevailing plan that is talked about (never officially declared) that border restrictions will be eased in a progressive fashion in the next couple of months.

Q&A

 

• Can I get a COVID test done prior to coming to avoid Quarantine? No, nothing that has been discussed regarding quarantining has mentioned this as a possibility. This could change and we would notify everyone of that change.
• Will the border be open to all countries equally? Doubtful, we are expecting countries that have COVID under control to be given preference.
• When will the status be changed? We are expecting announcements to be made on a week by week basis. Typically the government sends out their mandates late on Friday's.

 

NEWS

Unfortunately, while everything was going very smoothly, the last 5 days have turned sour. A small outbreak of COVID has hit Da Nang and could signal a second wave of infection for Vietnam. We are very confident in the government's ability to get it under control and aren't overly worried, but it isn't going to help with the borders. Signs were pointing strongly positive towards restrictions being lifted (nearly completely), this has shifted in the opposite direction. While we still hear the chatter of restrictions being eased, our positivity and confidence have lowered. We are now working under the prospect of entry being delayed to late August or early September.

 

[thecyclist]

After 3 months without community transmission, Vietnam had a sudden and unexpected flare-up of cases. 90 new infections in just a few days. So doubt they will be relaxing entry restrictions any time soon. They might even be going into another nationwide lockdown, which sucks for people like me residing in Vietnam.