When can I visit Vietnam? Phased tourism reopening starts in November

As Vietnam prepares to welcome tourists to the resort island of Phu Quoc next month, the government has revealed plans to potentially open Hoi An and Halong Bay to some visitors in December, before reopening fully in June next year.

More than one year after the pandemic forced the country’s borders to close, Vietnam is developing a phased approach to reopening. In Phu Quoc, a pilot scheme will launch next month to allow fully vaccinated visitors to travel there without quarantine, similar to Thailand's sandbox model. Only travelers from what Vietnam categorizes as low-risk COVID-19 countries can visit Phu Quoc under the scheme, which includes the US, Australia and countries in Europe, the Middle East and Northeast Asia.

International tourists who wish to visit must be fully vaccinated, with the second dose administered at least 14 days and no more than 12 months before the date of entry, in addition to presenting a negative result from a PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before flying.

Vietnam is also considering introducing vaccine passports or health passes to facilitate a safe reopening. Specifics are still up in the air but officials are hoping the system is in place before it fully opens borders to tourists worldwide in June next year.

Visitor numbers will be limited at first, and their travels will be restricted to Phu Quoc, where the pandemic is relatively well-maintained. But if the program is successful, the government announced on Thursday it may roll out a similar scheme across select destinations from December, including Halong Bay, Hoi An, the beach resort of Nha Trang, and Dalat, the adventure sport capital of Vietnam.