Vietnam

Finance Ministry seeks government approval to lower jet fuel tax by 50% for 2022, compared with current 30% cut, in order to revive the airline industry which suffered $705.78 million USD loss in 2020. Jet fuel tax will be at $0.0662 USD per litre after the cut

Stricter safety measures has been imposed in several regions including: • Urgent document issued by Thua Thien-Hue Provincial Party Committee requiring its localities to address negligence in controlling the pandemic, and to recognise units and individuals who excel in their job • Tam Ky City in Quang Nam Province has shut down bars, pubs, karaoke venues, beauty parlours, cinemas, gyms, internet and gaming cafés, and in-person classes for 14 days • HCMC has proposed six major strategies including: increasing vaccination rate, enhancing capacity in monitoring, forecasting and handling outbreaks, at-home treatment for COVID-19 patient, promoting 5K measures, and strengthening and improving the capacity of the healthcare system

Mekong Delta region sees spike in COVID-19 cases with approx 4,000 cases per day, causing overload in field hospitals

12,450 new cases have been recorded, the highest daily figure in over two and a half months. HCMC topped the list with 1,582 new cases

Vietnam may reopen international routes in early Dec, with 15 countries on the proposed list: China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, France, Germany, Russia, Australia and the United Kingdom. Travellers must be fully vaccinated or ​​possess a certificate of recovery from COVID-19, tested negative 72 hours before arrival, and self-quarantine for 7 days upon arrival. Government will consider adding other countries allowed to enter Vietnam in Q2 2022

Long An to focus on eco-tourism and to invest in new technologies to create competitive tourism products. Three major tourist attractions in the Dong Thap Muoi region: Lang Sen Wetland Reserve, Tan Lap Floating Village Eco-Tourism Area, and Dong Thap Muoi Centre for Research, Conservation, and Development for Medicinal Herbs will be the main focus of the tourism development project to 2030. In Jan-Sep 2021, Long An had welcomed 270,000 local visitors, down 43% YoY, with tourism revenue at around $6.2 million USD, down 50% YoY. 350,000 more local visitors expected to visit by the end of the year, with revenue estimated at 180 billion VND, down 58% YoY. Long An Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has recommended policies that would support travel firms such as rent reduction or exemption, lower value-added taxes on tourism activities, environmental taxes reduction for travel firms and lower taxes for tourism business households in 2021

System of relics in Thua Thien-Hue comprising 4 sites commemorating President Ho Chi Minh was recognized as a special national relic site. The province aims to "promote the value of President Ho Chi Minh's relic in Thua Thien - Hue for tourism development”

Golf tourism seen as an advantage for Vietnam’s tourism industry post-pandemic, with Vietnam named World’s and Asia’s Best Golf Destination at the 2021 World Golf Award

39,126 new cases has been detected in Vietnam, with 28,000 of them coming from Binh Duong quarantine zones

Khanh Hoa to welcome 9,351 foreign visitors from South Korea, Russia, the Philippines, Japan, and Cambodia through 48 flights by 31 Dec. Khanh Hoa’s second phase to receive foreign tourists scheduled for Jan-Mar ‘22

Highway connected to Noi Bai – Lao Cai Expressway, linking Hanoi and Sa Pa, set to open to traffic in the first half of 2022

The Private Sector Development Committee has proposed a loan program for 2022-2023 for hotels, airlines and tourism companies, as well as tax waivers

Tourism companies and booking platforms see a rise in demand following the reopening of 5 destinations in Vietnam, with booking platform iVIVu seeing increase in sales to 10% of pre-pandemic levels. However, demands predicted to be low in the next 3-6 months due to the resurgence of COVID-19 in Singapore, the U.S., Russia, and several European countries

HCMC People’s Committee has proposed welcoming foreign tourists starting Dec. If approved by the PM, closed package tour programs by qualified international travel agencies will be allowed in Dec. Travellers must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days and less than 12 months prior to departure or recovered from COVID-19, tested negative max 72 hours before departure, and own health or tourism insurance cards. HCMC expected to fully reopen to international tourism market in Apr ‘22, with authorities proposing to reopen flight routes between HCMC and San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, and Frankfurt

19 out of 20 localities with highest COVID-19 cases are in Southern Vietnam (the other being Hanoi). Surge of cases have caused Southern Vietnam provinces to tighten COVID-19 restrictions: • Tay Ninh recorded 3,774 new cases between 14-21 Nov. Non-essential services like bars, dance clubs, Internet cafes, karaoke and massage parlors suspended starting 22 Nov. F&B establishments can host up to 20 people at a time, alcohol sale is prohibited, and social distancing must be kept. Sports, exercises, weddings, funerals and religious activities can be held with up to only 20 people, unless approved by local authorities. • Lam Dong recorded 518 new cases between 14-21 Nov. Rising cases mostly due to people returning from areas with COVID outbreaks. Lam Dong People's Committee requires its officials and workers to be tested every three days and those returning from COVID-hit areas to test negative within 72 hours starting 21 Nov. • Binh Thuan recorded 3,482 new cases between 14-21 Nov. Non-essential services suspended and only takeaway food is allowed. Residents urged to stay home between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m., cannot travel to or from areas with very high risk, and can only go to the market with approval papers from authorities. • Bac Lieu recorded 2,389 new cases between 14-21 Nov. Activities and events with over 10 people either indoors or outdoors suspended except for offices, medical facilities and COVID-19 testing locations. Residents banned from going out between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. Government employees are not allowed to leave the province without approval, and cannot attend social events except for weddings and funerals confined within the family. Restaurants can operate between 4 a.m. and 7 p.m but can only provide takeaways. Local authorities plan to provide food stamps or other methods to enable residents to go shopping. Non-essential services are suspended. COVID-19 checkpoints erected in areas with "complicated" coronavirus situations. • Vinh Long recorded around 300 new cases between 12-21 Nov, mostly in hospitals. Restaurants can only provide takeaways, and entertainment activities are suspended

Hanoi is seeing a “staggeringly high” rate of virus transmission from close contacts, twice that recorded at the end of Oct

Restaurants in HCMC permitted to open until 10 pm on a trial phase until the end of Nov, with establishments in low and medium risk areas allowed to serve alcoholic drinks

HCMC administration ordered bars, discos, spas, massage parlors, and karaoke shops to close until further notice, barely two days after the Chairman signed a decision allowing said services to resume operation

Two river bus routes connecting District 7 with downtown District 1 have been proposed for HCMC to help revive the economy following the fourth COVID-19 wave. A private company will invest and operate the routes for five years, with expenses nearing $11.5 million USD

Vietnam Airlines has been voted one of the Vietnam Best Brands in YouGov’s 2021 rankings, coming in at 2nd place

Vietnam Airlines’ pilot flight with international tourists from Seoul to Danang arrived on 17 Nov. They will stay for 7 days in Quang Nam province, and will stay at the Hoiana Complex Resort. Quang Nam is scheduled to receive 100 international visitors on 18 Nov and 200 more on 25 Nov

Agritourism development to be included in the 2021-2025 National Target Programme on new-style rural area building, with 365 destinations in Vietnam deemed to have high potential for tourism development. Agritourism is expected to create jobs, improve income for rural people, and help speed up rural economic structure shifting, whilst preserving traditional culture values and protecting the environment

Vietnam’s daily cases have returned to their highest level for 8 weeks on Tue, with 10,250

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) launched “Live Fully in Vietnam”, a campaign aimed at international tourists

Kien Giang travel firm is partnering with a South Korean firm and proposes to bring 5,000 South Koreans to Phu Quoc island via charter flights from 20 Nov to 31 Mar ‘22 under the two-phase vaccine passport trial program. Tourists will depart from Incheon Airport and stay at least 3 nights in Phu Quoc

The northern province of Ninh Binh began welcoming local visitors on 15 Nov, though tourism sites remained quiet on the first day. The province will step up promotion and organise online tours to attract more visitors. Director of the provincial Department of Tourism stated that the opening will be done step by step, starting with local holiday-makers. Based on the situation, reopening will continue with visitors from other localities who take package tours, followed by tourists from outside Ninh Binh

The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre launched a programme offering tours to ‘green’ (safe) zones, welcoming local holiday-makers and visitors from other localities from 15 Nov to the end of 2021

12 more Hanoi hotels assigned as quarantine facilities, in addition to the 23 previously appointed hotels

Hai Duong province has begun the self-monitoring at home program for people with close contacts to COVID-19 patients. The houses of those quarantined under this program must have at least two rooms, with at least one separated from the family’s common living area

Decision signed by HCMC Chairman stated: • "Non-essential" businesses, including bars, cinemas, night clubs, spas, massage parlors, and karaoke parlors, can fully reopen in low-risk areas of HCMC, operate at half capacity in medium-risk areas, at 25% capacity in high-risk areas, and cannot resume operations in very high risk areas. All staff, customers and participants must be fully vaccinated with two doses or have recovered from Covid-19 within six months. • Bike ride-hailing services can operate at half capacity. • Street vendors can work in low-risk areas. Those working in medium-risk areas have to be fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19. They cannot work in high-risk areas

Agoda research has shown that: • 60% of Vietnamese respondents expect travel to resume in the next six months. • 52% of respondents aged 45-54 were optimistic about restriction-free travel within Asia compared to 38% among people aged 25-34. • 54% of respondents over age 55 were optimistic about global restriction-free travel, followed by people aged 45-54 at 45%. • 11% expected international visitors to be allowed to travel to Vietnam only after two years, though the government has announced that it would begin welcoming international visitors to certain destinations in Nov. • 27% believed full border reopening is likely by the end of 2021. • 20% expected border reopening to happen around Jun ‘22, while 19% expected it to be around Mar-Apr ‘22. • 20% did not expect inbound travel to resume fully until 80% of Vietnamese are vaccinated. • Hanoi respondents expect international visitation to be 7-11 months away • 20% of HCMC respondents expect international visitation to be 4-6 months away, while another 20% expect 7-11 month

Khanh Hoa Province declared COVID-19 risk as medium. Bars, dance clubs, karaoke and massage parlors to resume operations and entertainment businesses allowed to operate at half capacity. Conferences, seminars, cultural and art events, festivals, weddings, and religious activities allowed with up to 100 people at a time

2 charter flights to Hoi An will arrive on 17 and 18 Nov, with over 400 Americans. They will land at Chu Lai Airport, and stay at Hoiana Major Integrated Resort in Duy Xuyen District for 7 days. They will be permitted to visit Hoi An, My Son Sanctuary and some other attractions

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has said that Vietnamese airlines will operate 26 flights in Nov to transport international tourists to Kien Giang, Da Nang and Khanh Hoa. Vietnam Airlines will operate one flight on 17 Nov to Danang, Vietjet Air 250 pax from South Korea to Phu Quoc on 20 Nov, who will stay at the Vinpearl Resort & Spa Phu Quoc for a 3-day package. 24 other flights will operate to these three locations, with tourists from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand

2 charter flights to Nha Trang are the first to transport tourists into Vietnam since the borders closed. 429 arrived on 11 Nov from Seoul and Tokyo, and will stay at the Vinpearl Resort & Spa Long Beach

Hoi An will reopen its tourism activities from 15 Nov

Ba Ria-Vung Tau will develop 17 ecotourism routes from 2021-2030 under a new tourism development project at Con Dao National Park

Danang Tourism Promotion Centre has launched a virtual tours platform, “A virtual vacation in Danang”. In 2021’s Phase 1, it features the Marble Mountains, Da Nang beach, Son Tra Peninsula, Han River and Sun World Ba Na Hills. Phase 2 will see more destinations being added

An online survey by VNExpress has shown that 96% of tourism companies have suspended operations, with 85% seeing revenue drop by at least 50%, and 54% unsure of how long the situation will last. Their main challenges are paying salaries, bank loans, rents, utilities and insurance

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has reported that 9,294 tour guides have received total cash assistance of $1.5 million USD as of end Oct, and received applications from 10,762 tour guides. Those areas with large numbers of tour guides receiving assistance include Danang, Hanoi and HCMC

HCMC and Cuu Long have signed a tourism promotion agreement

Booking.com research has shown that: • 82% of Vietnamese travellers feel more hopeful about travelling again when it is safe • 29% are planning a solo trip • 87% of Vietnamese respondents said that local food is a decision factor for choosing a destination • 63% are seeking more rural, off the beaten path experiences

Kien Giang has reported that the number of domestic visitors to Phu Quoc has increased, with around 2,000 air passengers per day arriving, and 400 travelling by water

The Ministry of Transport has proposed a 3-stage resumption plan for international flights: 1. Phase 1 (Q1 2022) – Vietnamese nationals and international travellers from 15 territories can enter Vietnam without special permissions: China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, France, Germany, Russia, UK and Australia They would need to enter with a package which combined flights and quarantine fees, or under the pilot program for international travellers. There would be 4 flights weekly, with around 12,000 pax per week. Fully vaccinated pax would need to undergo a 7-day quarantine, unvaccinated 14 days. 2. Phase 2 (Q2 2022) – pax with vaccine passports could skip quarantine, and airlines would be permitted to restart routes according to demand, with 7 return flights per week per airline. Those with vaccine passports would need to self-isolate at home for 3-7 days 3. Phase 3 (Q3 2022) – regular commercial flights could be restarted

HCMC may reopen schools from 10 Dec

The Vietnam Railway Corporation will start selling its train tickets for the Tet period from 20 Jan-13 Feb from 15 Nov

The hospitality sector has seen -3.18% growth in Q3 2021. Vietnam’s overall unemployment rate in Q3 2021 was 3.98% vs Q3 2020’s 2.73%

HCMC has restarted its waterway tours to Can Gio district

The Deputy Minister of Tourism has signed a decision for guidelines on permitting international visitors. They will not be permitted to leave their group during the trip, and their tour must last at least 7 days. After 7 days, they will need to register with travel agents who will aid them in making further arrangements to extend their stay, and take an RT-PCR test if they wish to travel to other destinations. They must also have travel insurance worth at least $50,000 USD

17 hotels and 7 entertainment centres will join the “COVID-19 Vaccination Passport” scheme in Phu Quoc

HCMC wants to welcome international vaccinated tourists without quarantine from Dec, with a 3-phase plan, earlier than previously proposed: 1. Dec: tourists must book a tour package with approved travel agencies, and arrive by flight or cruise ship, staying in designated hotels and resorts 2. Jan onwards: tourists can visit Kien Giang, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Quang Nam, and Quang Ninh after 7 days in HCMC 3. TBA: city to fully reopen to international tourists

Indonesia is looking at establishing Vaccine Travel Lanes with 6 ASEAN countries: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Singapore

Danang will launch two campaigns, Danang Now Open and Enjoy Danang, to boost its tourism recovery

Hanoi’s first metro line will open on Sat, from Cat Linh- Ha Dong. The government hopes the metro will ease traffic congestion

After the first 7 days of staying in designated sports, including Phu Quoc, Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam, Danang and Quang Ninh, international tourists will be permitted to visit other areas of Vietnam under the pilot reopening plan

Some resorts in north Vietnam, like Melia Ba Vi Mountain Retreat, Avana Retreat, Mai Chau Hideaway, Serena Resort Kim Boi, and FLC Ha Long, have reported being fully booked over weekends. Vietravel has also reopened over 30 offices after their closure, and is planning to launch tours from HCMC to Phan Thiet, Nha Trang and Da Lat in Nov

Hanoi’s F&B businesses have been told that they must close by 9pm, whilst gyms will be permitted to reopen

1,759 tourists registered to visit Da Lat City from 30 Oct-1 Nov, with tourists mainly coming from Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Ba Ria - Vung Tau. 2,400 vehicles arrived into Lam Dong Province on 29 Oct, 1.5X vs previous days

Only 90 tourism businesses in Quang Nam province, 10% of the total, have survived the pandemic, with 14,000 tourism workers made redundant, and losses of $652 million USD. From Jan-Sep, it hosted only 26,000 tourists, 4.5% of 2019 levels

The Ministry of Transport has proposed to upgrade railway links between Vietnam and China in a $95.95 million USD project

Vietravel expects recovery in aviation and tourism to be slow in Q4 2021, due to different vaccination rates across the country. It sees demand increasing at the end of Dec and Q1 2022, and it expects, together with Vietravel Airlines, to restore its products and routes in Jun 2022, stating that the demand for overseas travel is “large”, but a reopening would be “cautious”

Tourism stakeholders are finding it difficult to revive domestic tours, with differing locality regulations for travel, as well as the different levels of vaccination. They urge the government to prioritise tourism workers in the vaccine rollout

HCMC and Ben Tre are planning to cooperate in tourism, with Ben Tre planning to reopen for domestic tourism on 15 Nov

Hanoitourist have said that they have reduced tour prices for Hanoi, to stimulate demand. Hanoi is planning to reopen tourism with green tourist sites, encourage homestays and leisure tourism in Ba Vi, Son Tay and Son Soc, and allow caravan tours in “green” places

Thua Thien-Hue province’s tourism department is planning to launch a “Hue Green Tourism” initiative for domestic tourists, which will be under a travel bubble approach. Tourists will mostly visit outdoor attractions, and will only have close contact with the other members of the tour group. Tourists must be fully vaccinated or have an RT-PCR test

Vietravel has said that it plans to operate 1-2 charter flights per month with 200-400 pax to Phu Quoc by year-end. It would increase to 3-5 flights in 2022, with around 1,000 pax per month. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has said that all Phu Quoc residents above 18 years old have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and it is accelerating the rollout

Quang Nam authorities are proposing to allow international visitors to visit Hoi An and My Son in Nov under a 3-phase plan. Phase 1 would see tourists in Nov permitted to visit Hoi An Town, My Son sanctuary, VinWonders Nam Hoi An and Vinpearl Golf Nam Hoi An and stay at 3 5* resorts. They would need to book a package tour with a designated agency and be fully vaccinated. Phase 2 from Jan 2022 would expand to more resorts and tourist destinations, and Phase 3 would see a full reopening

The PM has asked the Ministry of Transport to prepare a plan for the resumption of international commercial flights

An outdoor event, Hạ Long Bay – The World Natural Wonder Destination, will be held in Halong City, to kickstart Quang Ninh’s tourism recovery and stimulus program. It plans to organise 50 events until the year-end. The province is also developing a masterplan for 2022 tourism

Kien Giang will start to receive domestic tourists from low-medium risk areas in Nov under a pilot. The second phase in Dec, will allow visitors from other provinces, including Hanoi, to visit

The Ministry of Tourism has proposed that the current 7-day quarantine for fully vaccinated international travellers should be removed

Vietnam and the UK have agreed to recognise one another’s vaccine passports

In-person dining has reopened in HCMC from 28 Oct, but can only operate at 50%, and must close by 9pm

Danang tourism businesses welcome the plan to reopen to visitors in Nov, but are concerned about the lack of manpower, and say that training for tourism workers is needed

HCMC has been assessed by the government as being risk level 2 (yellow), medium risk, and will therefore allow production, trade and transportation, so long as they have safety measures in place, with limited numbers of people

Phu Quoc International Airport has been awarded the Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) by the Airports Council International (ACI) for its COVID measures. It is now the 5th airport in Vietnam to hold the certificate. The Airport is expected to achieve 99.8% of its staff to be vaccinated, whilst the island will complete its vaccination of the population by 28 Oct

Binh Dinh province will seek permission to allow international vaccinated travellers entry, targeting travellers from Northeast Asia, Russia, US, and Europe. It would look at reopening Quy Nhon, Phuong Mai Peninsula, Nhon Chau island commune, and Cat Tien Town

85.7% of businesses surveyed in HCMC were impacted by COVID-19 in Q3 2021. Of 251,000 workers surveyed, 48.18% had seen their working hours reduced, whilst 32.2% had lost their jobs

Vietnam will build 9 new railways by 2030, after the government approved a plan for railway development from 2021-2030

Anex Vietnam travel agency has reported that it expects to welcome 6,000 Russian tourists to Khanh Hoa per month during the first 3 months of its pilot reopening, and 12,000 per month after that. Nhat Minh Tourism JSC has also confirmed that thousands of Russians have booked tours to Khanh Hoa, and they plan to organise 6 weekly charter flights to Cam Ranh from early Dec

The Ho Citadel in Thanh Hoa will see a $32.7 million USD restoration program over the next 4 years, until 2025

The ADB forecasts that Vietnam’s GDP will grow 6.7% in 2021, and 7% in 2022

Kien Giang province have issued the plan to reopen Phu Quoc to international travellers from 20 Nov. From 20 Nov, charter flights will operate to allow the authorities to test the reopening. From 20 Dec – 20 Mar under Phase 1, Phu Quoc will welcome 3,000-5,000 tourists monthly via charter flights, with private tours. Phase 2, from 20 Mar 2022-2- Jun 2022, will see it scale up to 5,000-10,000 visitors monthly. Travellers will need to be fully vaccinated, as well as have a negative RT-PCR test within 72 hours. Children under 18 will be permitted to travel with fully vaccinated parents. They must travel on a package tour, with a health insurance policy. Phu Quoc must reach a 90% fully vaccinated population to open

The Ministry of Transport will allow more domestic flights to operate from 21 Oct until 14 Nov, including 6 flights each way between Hanoi–HCMC, Hanoi–Da Nang, and Da Nang–HCMC. From 15-30 Nov, 7 flights each way daily will be permitted

The Deputy PM has stated that tourism should be restarted in a safe manner. The Tourism Ministry has proposed a plan to reopen international tourism in 3 stages: 1. November 2021: reopening Phu Quoc, Cam Ranh, Quang Nam province and Danang city to international travellers on package tours and arriving on charter or commercial flights 2. January 2022: welcoming more international travellers and connecting to more flight destinations 3. Q2 2022: fully reopening international tourism

Vietnam has temporarily approved the recognition of vaccination passports of 72 counties, and is in discussion with 80 countries

The PM expects Vietnam’s 2022 GDP to expand 6-6.5%

HCMC has announced its tourism recovery plan. Phase 1 will last until 31 Oct, and will pilot allowing domestic tourists from other localities to the city. Accommodation and tourist attractions would operate at 50%. Phase 2, from 1 Nov-31 Dec, would see intra-regional and interprovincial tourism activities, and expand capacity to 70% for accommodation, as well as allow on site dining and spas. Phase 3 would see a full reopening in 2022

Ba Ria-Ving Tau reopened 4 resorts under a pilot scheme to welcome domestic tourists

Binh Tuan province has permitted tourism activities to resume from 24 Oct

The SEA Games will be delayed to mid-May, in another postponement

HCMC is looking to expand its “travel bubble” tours, where all visitors have green cards and the destinations are green zones, to boost its tourism recovery. It will apply this model until the year-end

Danang plans to open domestic tourism from 20 Oct, and from 20 Nov, it will open a travel bubble with Quang Nam and Quang Ninh provinces

HCMC will issue 100,000 tourism vouchers for frontline workers, and has signed agreements with tourism associations and destinations to cooperate in creating local tours in Oct and interprovincial tours in Nov

Up to 95% of Hanoi’s tourism businesses have closed or suspended operations, with 11,600 workers furloughed or terminated and 1,550 accommodation businesses stopped. The Hanoi Travel Agents’ Association has said that domestic tourism has to be focus for tourism businesses, developing sandbox travel programs

Quang Binh reopened to domestic tourists on 15 Oct

Travel companies in HCMC have restarted to sell tours once more. TST Tourist have noted that many travellers are interested in tours once more, particularly to Phu Quoc, Ha Long, Yen Tu and Cat Ba

Binh Thuan province will focus on developing its nighttime economy, now that the government has approved the project until 2030 in Phan Thiet, Mui Ne and La Gi town

Quang Ninh province plans to hold 50 events to encourage travel demand until the year-end, with 1.9-2 million visitors in Q4 2021

Hanoi has permitted the reopening of in-person dining on 14 Oct

Danang has proposed that the city be able to welcome fully vaccinated international travellers from Nov 2021 under 2 proposals. The first is those arriving on commercial flights for official and business purposes, and would undergo a 7-day quarantine on arrival. The second is to allow visitors from selected destinations on package tours, likely from Russia or South Korea. The Danang Department of Tourism estimates that South Korean travel companies want to bring 200 tourists per week to Danang, whilst Russian ones would target 2,000-4,000

Rail services between Hanoi-HCMC and Hanoi- Hai Phong will restart as part of a pilot reopening scheme from 13-20 Oct

The Tet holiday in 2022 will likely be a 9-day break, from 29 Jan-6 Feb. The National Day holiday will also be extended to 2 days

5 local universities have signed an MoU with Marriott Hotels to provide hospitality training

Vietnam’s GDP in Q3 2021 dropped by 6.17% YoY, the biggest drop since 2000. However, its Q1-Q3 2021 GDP grew by 1.42% YoY

Agoda’s Welcome Back to Travel survey has shown that: • 60% of Vietnamese are optimistic that tourism will take off again in the next 6 months • 2 of 5 expect restriction free travel in Asia, 38% international travel without restrictions in the next 6 months • Almost half did not expect inbound tourism to restart in at least 12 months, or until 80% of Vietnamese are vaccinated

UNESCO heritage approval will soon be sought for the Cuu Dinh in Thua Thien-Hue province

The government has said that it plans to reopen key tourist destinations from Dec, including Halong Bay, Hoi An, Dalat and Nha Trang from Dec, and it is targeting a full resumption in Jun 2022

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has said that developing medical tourism in Vietnam will allow the country to diversify its offerings and increase tourist spend. In 2018, 350,000 international tourists came to Vietnam for medical treatments, generating $2 billion USD, whilst 40,000 Vietnamese travel overseas for healthcare. The Thua Thien Hue Department of Tourism will look at developing policies to develop it further

September 2021 revenue from accommodation and catering services generated 279.4 trillion VND, -22.14% YoY, whilst revenue from tourism generated 4.63 trillion VND, -64% YoY

Bac Giang province reopened its tourism sites and the Yen Dung golf course on 4 Oct to domestic travellers. Tourists must be fully vaccinated, and have a negative test prior to arrival. Bac Giang is developing 18 community based tourism projects from 2020-2025, with a target of welcoming 1 million tourists and generating $19.57 million USD by 2025, of which 10,000 international travellers

Vietnam has asked the UNWTO for assistance to restore and develop its tourism in a sustainable way

The Vietnam Tourism Association (VTA) has launched a national domestic tourism recovery program, together with 25 tourism associations from across the country. It will focus on green zone concepts, the idea of safe spaces which tourists can visit

Vietnam’s Jan-Sep international visitors dropped -97% YoY to just 114,500. Q3 2021 saw 26,300 visitors, -40.3% YoY

Tourist sites in Thua Thien-hue, including the Hue Imperial Citadel, Tu Duc and Khai Dinh mausoleums, will reopen their outdoor areas to visitors on 1 Oct. A 50% discount for entry will be applied

The reopening date for Phu Quoc has been postponed to late Nov

Danang will reopen its markets, hotels and public transport from 30 Sep. Seminars will also be able to take place with 20 pax, whilst hotels can reopen at 30% room capacity or 50% for fully vaccinated visitors

Binh Thuan province is looking at reopening Mui Ne on 20 Oct for domestic tourism. More than 80% of its tourism facilities have been closed since Feb 2020

The Transport Ministry plans to resume domestic flights and train services starting from Oct in certain areas. There will be 4 phases, and all passengers and crew will need to be fully vaccinated: 1. Airlines permitted to reopen routes with a frequency not exceeding 50% of the first 10 days in Apr, with social distancing on board (duration 10 days) 2. Airlines permitted to reopen routes with a frequency not exceeding 70% of the first 10 days in Apr (duration 10 days) 3. Airlines permitted to reopen routes with a frequency the same level as the first 10 days in Apr 4. Airlines resume normal activities

The UNDP released a report showing that up to 88% of households in Vietnam have suffered due to the pandemic, with those in tourism, service and manufacturing the worst impacted

The Binh Dinh province has approved a project worth 25 billion VND to renovate Banh It towers, to create a popular tourist attraction

Hotel occupancy at Hanoi’s hotels with 3* and above in H1 2021 has dropped to 25% and $72 USD per night vs 2020’s 74% and $113 USD per night. Danang saw occupancy levels fall to 11% in H1 2021 and $49 USD per night. HCMC’S Q2 2021 hotel occupancy increased to 18% and $69 USD per night, put down to the conversion of many hotels to quarantine centres, which increased their occupancy to 78%

Hanoi’s tourism businesses and craft villages have been told to develop trademarks for local souvenirs. The government believes that souvenir development could encourage tourists to spend more and stay longer

HCMC will trial a new scheme for reopening economic activities in Cu Chi, with levels 1-4. Levels 1 and 2 will be high-risk areas, whilst levels 3 and 4 will be the “new normal”. Level 1 will follow “stay where you are”, with a curfew from 6am-6pm. Level 2 will allow some businesses to reopen, people with COVID-19 green cards to participate in economic and social activities and go to the market once per week. Level 3 will allow interdistrict travel, but non-essential businesses will remain closed. Level 4 will see people allowed to gather both indoors and outdoors, with cultural and business activities resuming. From 15 Sep, Cu Chi is applying levels 1 and 2, and this will be re-evaluated after 30 Sep

The Ninh Binh province’s Hoa Lu Tourism Promotion Information Centre attracted over 10,000 viewers to a live stream tour of Hoa Lu. It will run tours every Sunday until the year-end

The Vice Chairman of Kien Giang has said that the plan to reopen Phu Quoc in November is still valid, and that the process of welcoming international visitors from the airport to the hotels will be rehearsed from 1-11 Nov, before an official opening. The pilot scheme will only be open to tourists on package tours booked by travel agents. 7 businesses in Phu Quoc, 14 4 and 5* hotels with 8,000 rooms will be dedicated to the scheme, all with fully vaccinated staff

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) is hoping to quickly resume operations for the tourism industry. They will focus on the domestic market, and then the international market when conditions permit, and will focus on 6 key tasks. It will use the "Vietnamese people travel in Vietnam" and “Vietnam tourism - a safe and attractive destination” campaigns

Van Dong International Airport received its 4th flight trialling the vaccine passport with a 7-day quarantine, this time from France

Quang Ninh is targeting 1.9-2 million tourists in Q4, with tourism revenue of $175.6-197.5 million USD

The Chairman of Kien Giang province has said that Phu Quoc would not be ready to welcome fully vaccinated international travellers by the end of Oct, as only 6.13% of the island’s residents are fully vaccinated. Even if the island had sufficient vaccine doses, it would still take 2 months to reach the 90% target. The director of Kien Giang’s tourism department has said that there will be a rehearsal of the procedures in Oct

Quang Ninh and the Tourism Authority of Thailand in Vietnam had a meeting to discuss post-pandemic cooperation. The TAT Vietnam also explained the concept of the Phuket Sandbox, and Quang Ninh suggested information sharing between the two regions

Phu Quc has detected a cluster of community infections, the first since the pandemic hit Vietnam

Quang Ninh has reopened intra-provincial tourism for vaccinated residents, with tourist sites, hotels and cruise ships permitted to open. All tourism staff must have been vaccinated with at least one dose, and be tested regularly. Quang Ninh plan to allow tourists from outside the province, from northern provinces which have not had any community transmission for 14 consecutive days, from Nov. All visitors must be fully vaccinated and have a negative RT-PCR test within 48 hours. From Jan-Sep this year, its tourists have been just 2.6 million, -56% YoY, and tourism revenue at just VND 5.04 trillion, -60% YoY ``

HCMC residents will be permitted to travel if they are fully vaccinated. Tourism businesses will be permitted to reopen in low-risk areas if they meet 10 criteria, including frontliner tourism workers need to be fully vaccinated and tested every 3 days. Outdoor tourist attractions will be able to operate at 30% capacity

Hanoi will allow some non-essential businesses to reopen, including shopping centres and hair salons from 21 Sep. Meetings and events are permitted with a maximum of 20 in one room. The city requested that the Ministry of Transport continue to suspend all domestic commercial flights arriving into Noi Bai International Airport, as well as train services

International business chambers in Vietnam have warned the government that Vietnam is losing opportunities to grow investment and economy if it delays reopening the economy

HCMC transmission has dropped from a reproduction number of 5 to 1.03 in 3 months

The Department of Health om HCMC has suggested that those with at least one vaccine dose can receive the COVID green card, as well as those who have recovered from COVID-19

Ha Long Town has allowed outdoor activities once more, as well as lifted its swimming ban after going for more than 3 months without any community transmission

Hanoi is promoting creative space initiatives, as part of its membership of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network

Vietnam has recorded its lowest case numbers in a month, at 8,681

Hanoi will remove the colour coding for the city from 21 Sep, with lockdowns on a smaller scale, as cases have fallen

Khanh Hoa province from early Dec, is looking at allowing fully vaccinated international travellers to isolated beach resorts on Long Beach in Cam Ranh

Khanh Hoa province is looking to reopen domestic tourism for its own residents on 15 Oct. In Phase 1, only tourists with at least one dose of vaccine and a negative RT-PCR test would be permitted, and tourism businesses in green zones would be permitted to reopen, so long as all their staff are fully vaccinated. If the COVID situation improves, visitors from outside the province would be permitted

The Sun Group are optimistic of a revival of tourism after the approval of the Phu Quoc pilot plan, allowing vaccinated international travellers. It also urged the government to speed up vaccinations in popular tourist areas, as it was key to reopening tourists. Vietravel also expects to take advantage of the international markets, operating international charter flights

Oxalis Adventure, the only private company permitted to conduct tours of the Son Doong caves, has reported that 60% of the total permitted visitors for the caves in 2022 have already registered

The Lux Group has said that the biggest challenge facing the tourism industry currently is capital and human resources, as travel firms have run out of cash flow. He urged the government for intervention via loan packages at low interest rates and tax cuts. It is estimated that 95% of travel companies have closed down

A webinar on coffee tourism was jointly held by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the Embassy of Colombia in Vietnam, as a new segment in Vietnamese tourism

Residents of high risk or very high risk areas must undergo testing for COVID-19 three times per week, whilst residents of other areas should be tested every 5-7 days

HCMC has said that it has almost completed giving the first dose of vaccine to its residents, and that mass testing has shown that positivity has declined from 3.6% to 2.7%

HCMC food businesses have said that the restrictions are too tough to be able to reopen, despite being permitted to do so

Residents in green zones of HCMC will be permitted to go walking and exercise in public places

Vietnam’s Nui Chua and Kon Ha Nung have received UNESCO recognition as biospheres

Saigontourist are organising a tour to explore Can Gio for frontline workers, as part of Can Gio’s phased tourism reopening plan

Hanoi has permitted restaurants and drinks outlets to reopen their delivery services from 16 Sep in 19 districts which have had no community transmission since 6 Sep

Danang has lifted more COVID restrictions, with people in “yellow zones” permitted to go grocery shopping every 5 days, and more economic activities allowed to open. “Green zones” will see people permitted to go shopping three times per week, as well as do public exercise

The Vietnamese government has said that if COVID-19 can be under control, GDP in 2021 could grow 3.5-4%, lower than the initial target

Many Vietnamese residents are worried by the pilot scheme of vaccination passes, due to inaccuracies on the COVID-19 vaccine portal and delays from the municipal Health Department to update them

HCMC will pilot COVID-19 green cards in districts 7, Can Gio and Cu Chi. From 20 Sep, the 3 districts will permit essential shops to trade and street businesses from 6am-6pm

Phu Quoc will reopen in Nov, according to a government website

HCMC will extend its Directive 16 until 30 Sep, but will ease the lockdown in those districts where the pandemic is under control, such as Districts 5, 7, 11, Can Gio, Cu Chi, Nha Be and Phu Nhuan. HCMC will focus on accelerating the vaccine rollout

Hanoi is planning to ease its social distancing requirements after 15 and 21 Sep, zoning the city into different areas with different measures. Once the city has finished testing the whole population and seen a decrease in cases, it will propose only imposing lockdown measures on high-risk areas

Ba Ria-Ving Tau will permit 4 resorts and tourist areas in green zones to reopen to fully vaccinated domestic travellers from 15 Sep: the Grand Ho Tram Strip tourism complex, Melia Ho Tram beach resort and Binh Chau Hot Spring Resort in Xuyen Moc District, and Six Senses Con Dao beach resort in Con Dao District. Tourists must be transported to and from their cities by the resort vehicles, and guests will be tested for COVID on day 1, 6 and 13. Visitors must stay in the resorts

HCMC is seeking approval to shorten the interval between the 1st and 2nd AstraZeneca dose to 6 weeks from its usual 8-12 weeks

Phu Quoc’s pilot scheme is expected to welcome 3,000-5,000 international pax per month on charter flights, and in its second phase could see 5,000-10,000 pax per month arrive on commercial flights

HCMC has unveiled a 3-phase plan for reopening from 15 Sep. There will be two groups of people: fully vaccinated and those who have recovered from COVID in the last 6 months, who will be given green passes, and those who have received one dose, who will receive yellow passes: • From 16 Sep-31 Oct, businesses whose employees have green passes can open, and green pass holders can move freely, whilst yellow pass holders will need to have a negative test to be able to participate in certain activities. Karaoke, cinemas, bars, restaurants, shopping malls and amusement venues will remain closed • From 1 Nov-15 Jan, shopping malls, outdoor entertainment venues and restaurants with less than 20 diners will be opened to green pass holders • From 16 Jan, all businesses can reopen, but bars and night clubs will be restricted to green pass holders only

HCMC now has a death rate of 4.95%, markedly higher than the Southeast Asian average

The Deputy PM has said that high vaccination rate of over 80% of the adult population, steady drug supply and behaviour changes are key to gradually reopen HCMC

The PM has asked the Health Ministry to finalise its COVID-endemic strategy, so that the country can return to “new normalcy” in 2022

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) is concerned that Phu Quoc’s level of vaccination is currently at 35% of adults, and it requires another 250,000-300,000 vaccine doses to reach sufficient coverage

HCMC has allowed supermarkets, food stores, and restaurant takeout deliveries. Workers at these businesses must be vaccinated with at least one dose, and be tested with a rapid antigen test every 2 days

The PM has urged places under social distancing to finish testing all of their residents by 15 Sep, with those in very high and high risk areas to be tested every 2-3 days, and those in low risk areas to be tested at least once

The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Vietnam is looking at running a tourism pilot program for international fully vaccinated travellers, as well as deploying vaccine passports and adjusting the regulations for international travellers to enter the country to more favourable ones

Lam Dong province reopened its tourist attractions and accommodation for intraprovincial travellers from 7 Sep. Hoi An also permitted its restaurants and coffee shops to reopen on 6 Sep

The ASIA Food and Beverage Summit 2021, which will promote Vietnamese tourism and cuisine will be held in HCMC from 10-11 Nov

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has stated that whilst Phu Quoc will be opened initially to international vaccinated visitors, it will be expanded to other places including Halong, Hoi An, Nha Trang and Da Lat. The Phu Quoc pilot scheme expects 2-3 million tourists by year-end. Tourists will need to be either fully vaccinated with a validity of 12 months, or have a certificate of recovery. They would need to be tested with an RT-PCR test within 72 hours of departure, and should book with a registered travel agency. The Ministry will choose the international markets during the pilot, which should be safe and have quality COVID control, including regions such as Northeast Asia, Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Australia

HCMC is looking at introducing a “vaccine green pass”, which would allow a greater economic reopening after 15 Sep. Those who have received at least one dose would have less restrictions

HCMC has extended its strict stay-home orders until 15 Sep. However, green zones will be permitted to pilot reopening takeaway services. If the situation has improved after 15 Sep, more activities will be opened in safe areas

Dong Nai province will apply a new “vaccine citizens” policy, which would only permit fully vaccinated residents to work and be on the streets

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has been tasked with the implementation of reopening Phu Quoc to international vaccinated travellers and working with Kien Giang province

Coastal tourism areas near HCMC are now becoming more attractive to developers, who are looking for areas which are accessible within 2-4 hours of the city. CBRE Vietnam have said that areas such as La Gi and Mui Ne in Binh Thuan province, and Ho Tram in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, are set to lead the real estate market in the next 5 years

The first flight to arrive benefiting from the 7-day quarantine pilot program arrived on 4 Sep from Japan to Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh province

Danang will apply less strict social distancing rules from 5 Sep, zooming areas red, yellow and green. Red zones will be locked down for 14 days, yellow zones will be allowed to buy goods within their residential areas, whilst green zones residents will be allowed to go to the supermarket once evert 5 days at traditional markets, and do outdoor exercise in limited hours

Google Destinations Insight data has shown that the volume of domestic searches has dropped to low levels, with top destinations searched including Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat, Phu Quoc, Hanoi, Da Nang, and Nha Trang

Hanoi will continue its strict social distancing after 6 Sep. It will introduce a zoning system, with red, high-risk zones continuing restrictions under Directive 16, and orange and green zones needing to follow at least Directive 15 rules, which include the banning of social events, gatherings of more than 20 people

Hanoi will have 10 districts classified as red zones

HCMC is considering reopening the economy from 15 Sep, to move towards living with COVID-19. A draft of the plan, seen by Reuters, would see a phased reopening

The Vietnam PM has admitted that Vietnam will need to see COVID-19 as endemic, saying that the country “cannot stay in isolation and lockdown forever because the difficulty it places on the society and economy is huge”. He added that “we have to know that this war is still a long one and we will have to live with the pandemic for a long time. We cannot control it completely and we must adapt and have suitable ways to respond to the situation"

HCMC has said that it will continue to support people who have lost their jobs or had their earnings impacted, even after the outbreak is controlled

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has created a digital vaccine certificate system which will be piloted for international arrivals. It is integrated into the ‘Du Lịch Việt Nam An Toàn’ (Travel Safe in Vietnam) app

Vietnam’s Jan-Aug international arrivals fell -97.2% YoY to just 105,000

A survey by VNExpress has shown that 62% of its respondents have said they have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, with 50% unemployed from 1-3 months

Schools in HCMC will open virtually on 1 Sep for the new academic year

Tourism revenue from Jan-Aug dropped 61.8% YoY to 4.5 trillion VND. HCMC saw drops of 52.2%, whilst Hanoi 50.3% and Quang Ninh -28.4% YoY. Aug 2021 visitors increased by 24.4% MoM to 9,300. Domestic tourism dropped by 5.5% to 31.2 million, with tourism revenue falling to 136,520 billion VND, -36.5% YoY

HCMC authorities have said that the transmission rate in the city is controllable, and it will focus on testing, vaccination and treatment to bring the outbreak under control

Hanoi has given financial aid worth $33.05 million USD to 2.34 million disadvantaged households so far

Binh Duong, Long An, Tay Ninh, Tien Giang, Ben Tre and Tra Vinh have extended their social distancing orders until mid-Sep

14,224 cases were recorded on 30 Aug, the highest number yet (27 Aug’s 17,409 included late reported cases)

The General Statistics Office (GSO) has reported that 80,000 businesses have closed down as of 30 Jul

The Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum has launched a new 3D virtual tour in Vietnamese and English

The Mekong Delta’s tourism businesses have seen a drop in visitors. Dong Thap saw 600,000 visitors in Q1 2021, -27.4% YoY, generating $4.38 million USD

Vietnam reported 17,409 cases, a new record, on 27 Aug

Vietnam plans to add 18 new railway routes by 2050, with a total of 1,528km of track

The Embassy of Spain in Vietnam has launched cultural events aimed at Vietnamese people, who can take part from home

Hanoi saw 2.92 million domestic visitors from Jan-Jul 2021, -43.1% YoY, with a revenue of 8.17 trillion VND, -63.6%. In Aug, it saw no domestic tourists

The Health Ministry has reported that the infection rate in HCMC has slightly dropped

Hanoi has approved the building of a Vietnam Museum of Nature in Quoc Oai district

Quang Ninh province sees the main problem facing the tourism industry is not attracting visitors, but how to maintain travel companies and products. It has been encouraging investment into services and experiences aimed at high-end tourists, including projects such as the Yoko Onsen Quang Hanh hot spring resort, and the Sun Marina yacht terminal project

Hanoi has made it mandatory for those living in locked down areas to be tested for COVID-19, otherwise they will need to stay at quarantine camps

The World Bank has adjusted its 2021 GDP forecast for Vietnam to 4.8%, a drop of vs its Dec 2020 forecast of 6.8

Special task forces have been created in HCMC to do grocery shopping for locked down residents

The government expects an additional 50,000 cases in Binh Duong province over the next 2 weeks

An Agoda survey has shown that: • 60% of Vietnamese travellers believe that domestic tourism will return to normal in the next 6 months • 40% believe that restriction-free travel in Asia will restart in the next 6 months • 38% believe that all international destinations will reopen to tourists by year-end • 57% of travellers would have at least one vaccine dose before making future trips • Over a third want travel agents to provide flexible cancellation and change policies • 48% don’t expect inbound tourism to reopen in Vietnam in the next 12 months, or until 80% of Vietnamese are vaccinated

Vietnam is offering patients who have recovered from COVID-19 to stay on at hospitals to assist medical frontliners, in exchange for a monthly allowance. The program is called “patient zero with patient zero”

Danang will continue some restrictions from 26 Aug-5 Sep and eased others, including allowing shopping centres and supermarkets to operate with 100% of their workers in risk and high risk areas, provided the workers are tested and vaccinated

Danang City tourism promotion centre released a survey of 3,000 people living in Danang, which showed that: • 87% hope to engage in local tourism if the pandemic is under control later in the year • 6.7% said they would not travel due to the pandemic, and a lack of funds • 62% would travel with family and friend groups • 48% preferred to travel by personal motorbike • 58% would book a 4* hotel, villa or resort for a short family vacation • 51% would choose tour services between 500,000-2 million VND • 25% would choose tour services between 2-5 million VND • Half of the respondents would book tours with local agents to support them • The Da Nang Mikazuki Japanese Spa and Resort, and the Yen Retreat in Hoa Bac Commune were an option for 72% of those surveyed, the Ba Na Hills, Than Tai mountain hot spring and Son Tra nature reserve for 30%

Danang City tourism promotion centre have signed agreements to develop the Japanese market, as well as with neighbouring localities for when flights resume. The tourism association stated that technology was not a strength for the local tourism industry, and e-tourism should be promoted more. Its smart tourism project, VR360, had been included in Danang’s smart city masterplan 2030-2045. It reported that Q1 2021 saw just 600,000 visitors, -60% YoY, and at least 1,600 tourism businesses (82.6%) have closed, with 3,800 workers made redundant

Danang’s tourism association only expects those with vaccine passports, foreign experts and the possible resumption of domestic tourists to boost its tourism in Q4

HCMC will develop a roadmap to slowly allow it to reopen the economy. Its target of controlling the outbreak by 15 Sep does not mean that the fight will be over by then, the new Chairman of HCMC has stated

The Vietnam Aviation Business Association (VABA) has urged the State Bank of Vietnam to support domestic airlines, including rescheduling debt payments, exemption and reduction of interest rates and fees and expanding loans eligible for restructuring purposes. It foresees that businesses may still need 3-6 months once the pandemic subsides to boost their business once more. They stated that airline revenue has been down 80-90% since the latest wave in Apr hit

IHG Hotels and Resorts will develop a flagship property, the Holiday Inn Resort in Halong Bay, set to open in 2023

Thua Thien-Hue Province has given out $81,600 USD to 503 tour guides who have been made redundant

Vietnam has deployed the military to HCMC to help enforce the strict lockdown

The PM has ordered mass testing for all of HCMC’s residents during its 2-week stay-home orders

Thanh Hoa province will organise 6 new festivals in the hope of them becoming major tourist attractions

HCMC has approved a financial aid package of $113 million USD to help poor households and informal workers

Vietnam reported a record high of 11,231 cases on 21 Aug

Panic buying was triggered in HCMC after the announcement of its stricter lockdown from 23 Aug

Hanoi has extended its Social Distancing Directive 16 until 6 Sep, making it the longest lockdown enforced yet on the capital city. It is building more quarantine facilities

HCMC will enforce a stricter lockdown from 23 Aug, which will require people to “stay where they are”, with people not permitted to leave their homes. The city will need to classify its communes into 3 levels: green, red and yellow, and isolate and reduce the number of red and yellow zones. The army will be mobilised to ensure that people have access to essential items and food

HCMC has recorded more community cases via its testing program. The city has warned the public to expect more community cases in the coming days

Vietnam and Belarus have discussed collaborating together for tourism to boost each other’s numbers

Vietnam reported record highs of cases on 19 Aug, of 10,657

A hotel market report by Savills Vietnam saw half of the respondents forecast that Phu Quoc would see the earliest tourism recovery in 2022, followed by Hoi An. 78% believed that 4* hotels would recover faster than 5* hotels

Vietnam reported record highs of cases on 18 Aug, of 10,654

The Ministry of Transport has cancelled the general aviation business licence of Globaltrans Air Service JSC

The number of sales transactions for condotels, villas, townhouses and shops in coastal tourism cities in Jul declined 89% MoM, according to DKRA Vietnam

Vietnam’s 5 year tourism development plan aims for Vietnam to be ranked in the top 50 for tourism competitiveness by 2025 – in 2019, it was ranked 63. It will focus on using digital technology to transform it into a spearhead industry, with a national database system and digital information system at tourist sites. It will prioritise developing quality tourism workers and provide post-pandemic support to businesses

Ha Long Bay has been nominated for Asia’s leading tourist attraction at the World Travel Awards

Hanoi has started to collect 1 million test samples from residents as part of its 2nd phase of mass testing from 18-20 Aug

Hanoi is drafting an agritourism development plan for 2021-2025, hoping to boost the sector’s growth and change outskirt areas

Ly Son Island has seen 170 hotels, motels and homestays badly impacted by the 4th wave

1.3 million workers have seen their contracts suspended or stopped working due to the latest wave of cases, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has reported

More businesses will be permitted to reopen in HCMC under its extended Directive 16, including private clinics and airplane ticket offices. However, restrictions from 6pm-6am still apply

Phase 1 clinical trials started for the mRNA vaccine, ARCT-154

Ha Giang will run a virtual program from 4-6 Sep to promote the Hoang Su Phi rice terraces. It will include photos and videos featuring the landscape and traditional festivals held

Hanoi’s academic year will start on 1 Sep at the earliest

HCMC will extend its Social Distancing Directive 16 for another month, until 15 Sep. It will have 2 phases of controlling the pandemic – from 15-31 Aug, the city will try to reduce the death rate and expand green zones, whilst from 1-15 Sep, it will try to cut the number of deaths by 20% and have less than 2,000 new cases per day, as well as over 70% of the population be vaccinated with at least one dose, 15% fully vaccinated

Kien Giang is drafting a tourism recovery plan which includes reopening Phu Quoc to international visitors from Oct

HCMC is seeing medical personnel from other cities being deployed to it to assist with the current situation

Danang will prevent people from leaving their houses at all for one week from 16 Aug. During the period, mass testing would be performed to detect cases. Nha Trang implemented similar measures from 14 Aug for one week

Vietnam recorded its highest daily cases of 9,710 on 14 Aug. Ben Tre, Long An, Tien Giang and Tra Vinh provinces and the south central Phu Yen Province will all extend their Social Distancing Directive 16 orders for at least another week

Ba Ria-Vung Tau will extend its lockdown measures until 25 Aug under Directive 16. Binh Dinh will extend its lockdown measures under Directive 15 until 25 Aug

HCMC plans to reopen schools from mid-Sep

HCMC has a 2 phase plan to intensify its fight against COVID. Phase 1, from 15-30 Aug, will see green zones and red zones being defined across the city. The second phase will run from 1-9 Sep

HCMC will extend its Social Distancing Directive 16 measures until the end Aug

A report by Savills Vietnam has shown that 8 more hotels started to offer paid quarantine facility services in Q2 in HCMC. 72 hotels in HCMC are offering the city, with 5,564 rooms

HCMC may see cases surge if not enough people are vaccinated before social distancing ends, experts have said

Only 19 of 63 localities in Vietnam have issued plans to start the new academic year, with some returning in Aug/ Sep for the 2021-2022 school year

Hanoi is conducting mass testing, collecting 3.3 million samples by 25 Aug. It will test every resident in high-risk areas such as markets and factories, and one family member in low-risk neighbourhoods

The US has now listed Vietnam as “high-risk” Level 3 for COVID-19, and warned unvaccinated travellers to limit non-essential travel to Vietnam

Belgium, Czech Republic and Malta have all put Vietnam on their travel red list, requiring arrivals to undergo quarantine on arrival

The Da Nang Museum, Da Nang Cham Sculpture Museum and the Da Nang Fine Arts Museum have all digitised their exhibitions to allow them to continue despite the pandemic, with exhibitions opening virtually

Google Destination Insights data has shown that online searches between 1 May-2 Aug fell 50-88% YoY, whilst the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism reported that domestic tourists reached 9 million in Apr, 3.5 million in May and just 500,000 in July

People who are fully vaccinated or are recovered and coming from outbreak regions will not need to enter centralised quarantines, but can self-isolate at home for 7 days. Those who are not fully vaccinated will have to self-isolate at home for 14 days, and then monitor their health for 14 days

A record 9,690 cases were reported on 8 Aug

A real estate portal, batdongsan.com.vn, has seen the number of hotels being put up for sale increase over recent months after the fourth wave hit. Prices have dropped around 20-25% vs 2019. The Nha Trang Tourism Association has said that 95% of hotels have closed down. Savills Hotels Asia Pacific have also seen an increase in the number of adverts for hotels for sale, particularly 3 and 4* hotels

Vietnam Film Festival will be postponed from Sep to Nov

Pandemic-free zones have been established in HCMC for those areas with no cases. These areas require locals to provide proof of residence, and have strict entry measures including disinfection

Hanoi will extend its social distancing order until 22 Aug, another 15 days

Khanh Hoa province started social distancing under Directive 16 from 6 Aug, whilst Phu Yen have extended their Directive 16 for another 10 days until 15 Aug

Students could return to school for the new academic year from 1 Sep

The Ministry of Transport has agreed in principle to renovating and building tourist steam trains on the Hue-Danang railway route

Hong Kong Travel Industry Council are interested in establishing a travel bubble pilot with Phu Quoc

The WHO has said that Vietnams is "on the right track" with its current measures to prevent COVID-19, despite the “many difficulties”

HCMC has approved a financial aid package worth $39.4 million USD, which will support informal workers, poor families and migrant workers

Quang Ninh province has imposed a swimming ban and will close all tourist destinations from 4 Aug

Vietnam will change its quarantine policy for inbound travellers, cutting it to 7 days for vaccinated travellers in a centralised quarantine, and then 7 days of self-monitoring. They would also need to test negative within 72 hours before arrival. The start date has not yet been announced

The Ministry of Finance is proposing a 30% cut in corporate income tax for 2021

The US CDC has added Vietnam to its list of countries with a “moderate” COVID travel risk, under Level 2

Utility bills for water, electricity and telecommunications will be reduced in those areas which have imposed social distancing measures in Aug and Sep

Hanoi has set up “green zones” of 50 residential areas without COVID cases. Visitors to these zones must make health declarations and follow strict safety measures

VNLife has raised $250 million USD in Series B funding

Binh Dinh province will go under Social Distancing Directive 15 from 1 Aug, whilst Phan Thiet will be under Directive 16 from 2 Aug

Hanoi residents have been asked not to travel outside of the city during the lockdown

19 southern localities, including HCMC, will extend their social distancing under Directive 16 for another 14 days

Danang will begin social distancing under Directive 16 from 31 Jul

Travel agents have been offering travel packages with discounts of up to 50% off, with flexible dates of booking until the end of 2022, to generate cash flow

Patients who are asymptomatic with COVID-19 will now go under a 14-day home quarantine

The Health Ministry has called for private hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients when assigned to do so, which would create an additional 20,000 beds across the country

The PM has said that the fight against the pandemic will be long, and a new approach and solutions are needed. The National Assembly have given powers to the PM to take stronger measures against the pandemic. The Health Minister expects cases to plateau in HCMC, but still remain high

Retail sales dropped 8.3% MoM in Jul due to lockdown restrictions

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has approved a new project which will digitalise all Vietnamese festivals from 2021-2025, which will also include collecting statistics on the festivals themselves

Hanoi residents will be given shopping tickets for limited shopping slots, to ensure that social distancing is maintained

Saudi Arabia will ban any citizens who visit red-listed countries, including Vietnam, from travel for 3 years

Travel trade players are calling for greater clarification about the Phu Quoc reopening plan, including which hotels will be permitted to accept international guests

Vietnam has signed technology transfer contracts for vaccines with Russian, the US and Japanese companies

11 southern provinces have implemented a curfew from 6pm-5/6am

Quarantine hotels in HCMC can now be booked online through a partnership with Traveloka Vietnam under a campaign, HCM City Tourism Sector Joining the Fight against COVID-19. 117 hotels are now approved for quarantine hotels

VNTravel and Yanolja Cloud have signed a deal to deploy the Yanolja Cloud SaaS solutions to hotels in Vietnam, and VNTravel will market it and support connection to Vietnam’s e-payment VNPay

Hoi An has implemented social distancing measures, with Directive 16 in two wards and Directive 15 for the rest of the town. Locals are not permitted to leave the town

HCMC has imposed a curfew from 6pm-6am from 26 Jul

Hanoi will apply social distancing measures under Directive 16, the strictest one, from 24 Jul, for 15 days. All public transport is banned, people must stay at home, and groups larger than 2 are not permitted. Non-essential businesses and services must close

Vietnam reported 7,968 cases on 24 Jul, the highest yet

Thua Thien-Hue province is looking at a project to promote Hue folk singing as a unique cultural tourism product

HCMC will make its prevention measures stricter for the next 2 weeks, requiring residents in locked down areas to only leave home for medical emergencies and for essential food products twice per week. In high risk areas, residents are banned from leaving the house altogether, and food will be delivered to them. All business and production, and non-urgent construction sites will be closed

Vietnam reported 7,307 cases, its highest yet

20% of accommodation providers have had to close, with 35% operating in moderation. Revenue for tourist attractions has decreased by 60%

Hanoi will quarantine all arrivals from 19 southern provinces which are under Directive 16 social distancing

HCMC will set up quarantine facilities for asymptomatic patients

Noi Bai Catering Services, the country’s leading inflight meals provider for Vietnam Airlines, has seen a pre-tax loss of 24.2 billion VND in Q2 2021, its 5th consecutive quarter of loss

HCMC has yet to see the peak of cases, the authority has warned

Danang will ban all outdoor activities, non-essential business activities and gatherings of more than 2 pax from 22 Jul

The ADB has cut its 2021 GDP forecast for Vietnam to 5.8% from its previous forecast of 6.7%

Vietnam has reported 5,357 cases, a record high

Hundreds gathered in Hanoi on 21 Jul in Hanoi for COVID-19 tests, with a lack of social distancing

The Vietnam Bank for Social Policies is starting to accept interest-free loan applications for businesses to be able to fund furlough and salary payments, as part of the government’s financial aid measures package worth 26 trillion VND

Hotels in HCMC have been offering people needing to quarantine discounts on rooms from 30-70% to help ease crowding at centralised facilities. 20 hotels have been offering frontline medical workers 50,000 free overnight stays and free meals, and Saigontourist has said it would provide 6,150 room nights and three meals per day for medical workers at selected HCMC hotels

Vietravel is looking forward to the launch of a safe travel map of Vietnam, which will help tourists understand where infections are and boost their confidence

The Ministry of Transport has agreed in principle to the Ministry of Tourism’s plan to reopen Phu Quoc to international tourists, but has cautioned that safety measures still need to be worked out

Oxygen facilities could double their capacity if required, the Health Ministry has said

The Health Ministry has warned the public that more severe COVID cases are expected over the coming days as cases increase, and that the situation would be “very complicated”

Danang recorded its highest daily case numbers of 50 on 28 Jul

Quang Ning has now vaccinated 6,800 tourism workers with the first dose. It is aiming to give 200,000 doses for residents and tourism workers between Jul-Aug

The Ministry of Transport will develop Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport to serve 100 million pax per year, but will not build a second airport until at least 2030

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has requested airlines to help transport people back to their hometowns from HCMC and southern provinces

Hanoi has stopped public transport to 37 provinces and cities from 18 Jul

Hanoi has locked down several areas in the city

Hanoi has suspended all non-essential services from 18 Jul. Residents should stay at home except for essential purposes, and gatherings of more than 5 are suspended

16 southern provinces and cities will be under Directive 16 social distancing orders from 19 Jul, in addition to HCMC, Binh Duong and Dong Nai, which have already been applying the measures

Vietnam has reported over 3,000 cases on both 16 and 17 Jul. The Health Minister has said that the virus is spreading faster this time

Vietnam confirmed a high of 3,705 cases on 17 Jul

Booking.com has revealed that Hoi An is one of the top 7 spots for biking for South Korean visitors

Danang has suspended sports activities, sea bathing and closed hair salons from 15 Jul

Vaccinated football fans will be allowed to attend Vietnam’s home games for the qualifying rounds for the World Cup

HCMC is expecting to see rising COVID cases before it drops due to multiple clusters

Khanh Hoa province wants to start taking steps to allow international visitors with vaccine passports to visit, and is starting to form a plan, limited to Bai Dai Beach in Cam Ranh. They would plan to launch in Aug

Khanh Hoa province in H1 2021 has only welcomed 457,000 visitors, -38.5% YoY, and only 9% of its 2021 target. Only 400 of 1,147 tourism businesses are still in operation

HCMC’s health department has said that there is a “huge burden on the medical system”, and the city needs around 1,500 more frontline doctors and 5,500 more nurses and technicians

Hanoi will test 10,000 people

Quarantine for international arrivals will be shortened to 14 days from 21 days, except for those arriving on business purposes whose duration of stay is shorter than 14 days

Requirements are unclear for how tour guides can claim the government support package, especially freelancer tour guides

Hanoi’s outbreak is unpredictable, the Health Department has said, with new clusters being detected in the city

The ASEAN-Japan Centre has said that a survey shows 63.4% of Japanese respondents want to visit Vietnam for sightseeing, and over 70% who had already visited the country wanted to visit again

The Tourism Ministry plans to run a 6-month vaccine passport program in Phu Quoc from Oct, attracting 40,000 international travellers. The plan sees 2,000-3,000 travellers per month arriving by charter flight in the first 3 months, who would only be allowed to stay in permitted hotels and tourist areas. The next 3 months would increase to 5,000-10,000, with commercial flights. Some major potential inbound markets include China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the US, Germany, Russia, the UK and France. Travellers would need to be fully vaccinated within 12 months of arrival, or those who have recovered from COVID must prove it was within 12 months. They must also provide negative RT-PCR tests

Hanoi is testing everyone who has travelled from HCMC

Vietnam will now implement nationwide home quarantine for those who have had contact with COVID-positive patients. They should quarantine for 28 days, but they must have their own separate room and bathroom

Hanoi will close all non-essential services. Restaurants will only be able to serve takeaway, entertainment, physical exercise and large gatherings in parks from 13 Jul

Tien Giang province has imposed Directive 16 social distancing orders across 10 localities. Binh Phuoc Province, Can Tho City, Vung Tau and Dong Thap province have also has put certain areas under Directive 16

Marriott has opened the Fairfield by Marriott South Binh Duong, the first Fairfield in Vietnam

Lockdown restrictions will be imposed on Can Tho for 14 days from 11 Jul

The Tourism Ministry is planning to complete its pilot program content later in Jul for reopening Phu Quoc

Vietnam recorded 1,616 cases on 9 Jul, the highest number yet

DBS Bank has said that Vietnam’s economy is expected to surpass that of Singapore by 2030

Vietnam recorded 1,844 cases on 10 Jul, the highest number yet

38,717 tourism workers were furloughed in Danang in 2020, whilst from in 2021 until 11 Jun, 11,802 tourism workers had to quit their jobs

Hue is running a “Hue locals traveling to Hue” tourism campaign, as the situation is still unstable, but they acknowledge that this is only a temporary solution, as it is limited to weekend and public holiday travel, as well as the fact that they can travel on their own

Foreigners who entered Vietnam on visa waivers, e-visas or tourist visas from 1 Mar 2020 and were stranded will have their stay automatically extended until 31 Jul, but must leave by then

Danang has reopened its beaches and outdoor activities from 10 Jul, but strict measures are in place

More social distancing orders have been put into place for Mekong Delta provinces and Can Tho City after an increase in cases

Sri Lanka and Oman have extended an entry ban on Vietnamese arrivals

All travelling from HCMC to other locations in Vietnam must self-isolate for 7 days on arrival, with 3 tests during the self-isolation period. Hanoi has also requested its citizens not to travel to COVID-19 hotspots, including HCMC. Those who do must have approval from the authorities

Under the social distancing rules in HCMC, food takeaways will be banned, as well as ride hailing and taxis

Vietnam recorded 1,307 cases on 8 Jul, the highest number yet

Thousands of people have rushed to leave HCMC ahead of its social distancing order coming into force on 9 Jul

Dong Nai province and Khanh Hoa’s Nha Trang Town will start a Directive 16 social distancing order on 9 Jul. Other localities with social distancing measures include Binh Duong, Long An and Tien Giang

HCMC will test 1.3 million samples daily for COVID-19 – currently, it carries out 400,000 tests daily

Hanoi will suspend outdoor physical exercise and sports from 8 Jul. Road transportation to from 14 provinces and cities will also be suspended

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and La Vie will partner to feature more than 100 different natural wonders on the labels of La Vie mineral water, and when a QR code is scanned, customers can access more information on them on the VNAT website

The SEA Games in Vietnam have now been postponed, and will likely be held in April or May 2022

Danang City Tourism Promotion Centre has collaborated with a Vietnamese KOL to promote Danang cuisine on Facebook and TikTok with livestreams

Bac Giang has controlled the pandemic and is now starting to recover to normality

Kien Giang province has attracted over $43.4 million USD of investment into 2 tourism projects in H1 2021. In H1, it welcomed 2.3 million tourists and generated revenue of 2.68 trillion VND. It forecasts 3.1-5 million visitors in H2

Hanoi is targeting 15 million domestic tourists in 2021, 70% of 2019 levels and twice that of 2020. In H1, it received 2.9 million with a revenue of $352.6 million USD. 90% of customers cancelled booked tours to Hanoi for May/ early Jun

Hanoi is performing spot tests on passengers returning from HCMC at Noi Bai International Airport from 6 Jul

The PM has asked HCMC to impose the highest travel restrictions, whilst still maintaining a flow of essential goods into the city

HCMC will impose another 15-day social distancing order from 9 Jul, under Directive 16, its most stringent level. Residents must stay at home, only leaving for essential reasons. Not more than 2 people can gather in public places, the majority of public transport will be closed and there will be no travel permitted to other localities

Hanoi is proposing that all students return to school from 10 Jul to complete the academic year until 24 Jul

Hanoi is on the alert after 10 community cases were detected in the city, after a 10-day zero case streak

Lam Dong’s Department of Tourism has said that more than a thousand hotels and 7 tourist sites in Da Lat have suspended operations, and even those which are open are expected to close in the next few days, with more job losses for tourism workers

Quang Binh province will now welcome visitors from outside the province. Ninh Binh has also reopened its tourist attractions and sites, but will ban external visitors still. Vinh Phuc has reopened its tourist destinations, but visitors need a negative test to enter

HCMC is considering a new quarantine policy which would see a 28-day quarantine for those directly linked to COVID-19 cases, with 2 weeks at centralised facilities, and 2 weeks at home

Lao Cai province has welcomed 1.1 million tourists in H1 2021, up 21% YoY, and reaching 22% of its annual target. Its tourism revenue was $148 million USD, +3% YoY. 552,000 tourists stayed in Sapa, and 520,000 in Lao Cai City, whilst Bac Ha saw 92,000 and Bat Xat 21,000. The province is looking at building up spiritual tours, as well as cultural programs focusing on brocade heritage and flower. It will also develop adventure tourism with waterfall crossing, and boat racing. It is targeting 5 million tourists and a revenue of $696.17 million USD in 2021. Digital transformation will be a key strategy, and it hopes to create 130 new tourism products. 15-20% of accommodation in the province has closed, with those open receiving guests on weekends and holidays with an average occupancy of 20-30%. More than 3,000 tourism workers have lost their jobs

Bac Giang province is aiming to make tourism a key economic contributor by 2025 and welcome 3-3.5 million tourists. They will look to maximise cultural heritage and religious tourism, as well as smart tourism

Vietnam has reported its highest number of local cases, 914, with 250 recorded in HCMC

A new $1.13 billion USD financial aid package will be expanded to include tour guides

Officials have said that the outbreak in HCCM remains unpredictable, and could grow bigger

Vietnam welcomed 88,200 international visitors in H1 2021, -97.6% YoY

Most tours to Ha Giang province in June were cancelled, according to the Vietnam News. The H’mong Village Resort saw all accommodation bookings cancelled in May and Jun. In H1, the province welcomed 642,000 tourists, just 38% of its usual numbers, and revenue of just $50 million USD

The UAE has banned its citizens from travelling to Vietnam due to fears over new virus variants

Vietnam recorded its 2nd highest case numbers on 1 Jul, with 713 cases – HCMC had the most, with 464

HCMC is hoping to contain the pandemic by 10 Jul, and will conduct 1 million test samples per day

The government has announced 2 scenarios for Vietnam’s economy in H2 2021. Scenario 1 would achieve 6% GDP growth in 2021, with 6.2% in Q3 and 6.5% in Q4. Scenario 2 would achieve 6.5% GDP growth in 2021, with 7% in Q3 and 7.5% in Q4. Its H1 2021 GDP was 5.64%

Quang Ninh will trial tracking wristbands to track visitors as part of its vaccine passport program. Visitors without smartphones will need to wear the wristbands, whilst those with phones will be given a SIM card and asked to install apps such as Vietnam Health Declaration and Bluezone

Vietnam’s tourism revenue on H1 2021 was $194 million USD, -51.8% YoY. The worst affected areas were Ban Ninh (-61.8% YoY), HCMC (-53.6% YoY), Hai Phong (-46.5% YoY), Hanoi (-44.3% YoY), Da Nang (-43.5% YoY), and Quang Ninh (-36.6% YoY)

The Deputy PM has asked ministries to look into reducing the difficulties for the tourism sector, after 90% of tourists have cancelled their tours planned for May and early Jun. Hanoi’s Department of Tourism have reported that 80-90% of the city’s tourism businesses have temporarily suspended operations, and 90^% of tourism jobs have been cut

Quang Ngai city will impose social distancing orders from 29 Jun

HCMC will extend its social distancing period until further notice

Vietnam reported its 2021 Q2 GDP of 6.61%, up from 4.65% in Q1 2021

Cruise ship operators from Lan Ha Bay in Hai Phong have asked the local authorities to supper them with free entry tickets to Lan Ha Bay until the year end, and 50% discounts for sightseeing tickets on overnight cruises

Phu Quoc is planning to vaccinate all its residents ahead of reopening, with the first phase in Jul and the second phase in Sep

Bac Giang province has approved a development project for the night-time economy to run from 2021-2030

HCMC will do large-scale testing on 5 million people in all districts, as well as Thu Duc City, from 26 Jun-5 Jul

The Health Ministry has recommended to HCMC that people who have just had contact with positive patients should be allowed to self-isolate, rather than go into centralised quarantine facilities

Quang Ninh province will pilot a 7-day quarantine for international fully vaccinated arrivals, starting in Jul. They would need to have proof of vaccination with a vaccine certified by the WHO, CDC, EMA or Vietnamese authorities, and must be fully vaccinated before 14 days of arrival. It will also apply to those who have proof showing a full recovery from COVID-19. Arrivals will still need to have negative tests prior to arrival, and will be tested on arrival (antigen), as well as on the 6th day (RT-PCR). They will then need to self-isolate at their residence for another 7 days. Categories permitted include foreign experts, business executives, highly skilled workers and their relatives, foreign students, athletes, diplomatic guests, or people on business trips

Tourism businesses have welcomed the idea of opening up Phu Quoc to international tourists

The Ministry of Transport has rejected 11 localities’ proposals for airports by 2050, saying that they were not necessary

The Miss Vietnam Tourism Global 2021 competition was launched online

The Tourism Ministry has proposed that Russia be the first country to be permitted to enter Phu Quoc under a vaccine passport scheme. Kien Giang hopes to welcome tourists by Sep or early Oct

A tourism project’s construction worth $159.6 million USD in Thanh Hoa was officially launched on 23 Jun. It will include villas, a 5* hotel, shopping area, golf course, pedestrian zones and recreation facilities

Hanoi will allow outdoor exercise once more, and reopen golf courses from 26 Jun

Binh Dinh province has closed its beaches and will only allow takeaway services from 25 Jun

Agoda’s Travel in 2021 survey has shown of its Vietnamese respondents: • The top ways for travel are taking short trips, exploring new destinations and looking for experiences such as added perks and themed travel stays • Experiences, F&B benefits and early check-in/ check out are the top-rated benefits for accommodation packages

Binh Thuan province will implement social distancing from 24 Jun in Tuy Phong district and Phan Thiet City

Tuy Hoa City will implement social distancing from 24 Jun

Bac Ninh has allowed all businesses without cases to restart operations from 24 Jun

Bac Giang province has removed the social distancing order for Bac Giang City, after 10 days without new cases

The Tourism Ministry is urgently working to draft a plan to welcome international vaccinated tourists to Phu Quoc. The plan is due to be submitted to the PM in Jul

Singapore and Vietnam are discussing how to relax restrictions on business travel and “selected tourist sites” travel over the next few months between the 2 countries, “hopefully by the end of the year”. However, Singapore has said that Vietnam needs time to accelerate its vaccination program first

The Ministry of Health has denied Nanocovax’s application for emergency use, saying that there is not enough scientific data yet

Many cases being detected in HCMC are without clear sources of transmission, being detected through health checks at hospitals

Hanoi’s visitors in H1 2021 are estimated to be around 2.9 million, -25% YoY, with revenue of $352.6 million USD, -57% YoY. The Hanoi Travel Association have said that tourism businesses should work together with the local authorities to develop night tourism to generate revenue

Hanoians are travelling to resorts nearby the city for their summer holidays, to avoid having to take flights. Many resorts in Hoa Binh are fully booked

Hanoi has reopened indoor dining, drinking venues and hair salons from 22 Jun. Capacity is limited to 50%, and they must close by 9pm

The Tourism Ministry has suggested that tour guides who have lost their jobs should be entitled to government financial aid of $233.65 per person

International travel agents in Vietnam are suffering due to a law which requires them to maintain a deposit amount of 500 million VND at all times, which is 5 times more than the amount needed for domestic travel agents

Danang has closed its beaches and dine-in restaurants from 20 Jun after local cases were detected in the city. The reopening of education and interprovincial transport between Danang and Quang Nam has also been postponed

HCMC will suspend taxi and ride-hailing, public buses and interprovincial buses from 20 Jun. It will also ban gatherings of 3 or more outside of workplaces, schools and hospitals

HCMC had a record number of cases on 18 Jun, at 149. 24 provinces in Vietnam have gone without local cases for 14 days

HCMC has been told that it should apply the smallest possible scaled restrictions to handle the outbreak. The city is piloting allowing close contacts of confirmed cases to quarantine at home, and will ramp up testing to 30,000 per day

The mandatory centralised quarantine period for air international passengers entering Vietnam has been extended to 21 days

Arrivals to Hanoi from HCMC will undergo random testing for 4-5 days

The PM has approved a project to plan sustainable tourism in Vietnam from 2021-2030, with a vision for 2045. It will set goals to clarify growth for national tourism sites and those with potential, develop mid-long term plans and mobilise social resources

HCMC will start its vaccination campaign on 19 Jun, rolling out 800,000 AstraZeneca doses to priority groups. The campaign is expected to last 5-7 days

Vietnam has called for ASEAN to finalise a framework for a travel corridor arrangement soon

Kien Giang has proposed that all Phu Quoc residents are vaccinated, so that it can reopen to international tourists in Sep or Oct

The government has said that the next 2 weeks in HCMC are critical to containing the latest outbreak

Vietnam recorded its highest daily case number yet, at 503, on 17 Jun, with the majority of cases recorded in Bac Giang and HCMC

The Vietnam Tourism Association has said that tour companies can reach more customers through digital transformation

Oxalis Adventure is offering heavily discounted packages to explore the caves in Quang Ninh province, due to the restrictions on interprovincial travellers. Tours had previously been fully booked, but now had to adapt to intraprovincial travellers instead

Vietnam will launch a 150 million vaccine dose campaign, the Health Minister has said. During the roll-out, all the information will be digitalised to ensure smooth operations, as well as transparency over the numbers of vaccinated. As of 15 Jun, 63,636 people were fully vaccinated and 1.65 million had received their first dose

The Airports Corporation of Vietnam wants to borrow USD from local banks to fund its Long Thanh International Airport project, to maximise benefits and save costs

The HCMC Tourism Association has called for the State Bank of Vietnam, the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the People’s Committee of HCMC and the City’s Department of Tourism to extend deadlines for repayment of interest on loans, cut interest rates and restructure loan payments for up to 2 years

HCMC has been nominated for the 2021 World MICE Awards

90% of SME and inbound tour operators have suspended operations in HCMC, with some of the larger ones remaining open but with 50-80% payroll cuts. 3-5* hotels had seen a 70% drop in their revenues

Hanoi’s health authorities are to propose the reopening of some non-essential services, including restaurants, small traditional markets and sports activities

The HCMC DOT has proposed a non-interest loan package of $9.06 million USD to tourism businesses, to help pay 50% of salaries for 3 months. It also proposed a budget for training tourism professionals, free entrance fees to the city’s attractions in Aug until 2021 end. It has seen just 7.1 million visitors from Jan-May, +11.4% YoY, with revenue of $1.55 billion USD, +23.3% YoY. The number of tourism businesses operating declined by 50% from Jan-May, with 171 licences revoked

Vietravel stated that it previously had 1,500 people in its operations team, but now has just 50

Vietnamese respondents were one of the top nations to want to travel more sustainably after the pandemic, Booking.com has reported in its Sustainable Travel Report 2021. 97% believed that sustainable travel was an important issue, and 79% thought action should be taken now. 84% wanted authentic travel experiences which respected local communities, and 93% thought that understanding and preservation of cultural heritage was necessary. 64% planned to avoid popular tourist attractions to stop overcrowding

The Hanoi Tourism Association has recently held a meeting with 30 tourism businesses to look at solutions for the impact on the tourism sector. The Hanoi DOT is working on the quality of tourism products, and will also identify “safe” areas for travel once the outbreaks is under control

HCMC will extend its social distancing measures for an additional 2 weeks, until 30 Jun. Non-essential businesses will continue to be closed, gatherings of people limited to 5 and people are advised to stay home

The Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) will take place in Hanoi from 29 Jul-1 Aug

The Politburo has agreed that Phu Quoc will be the first locality to pilot accepting vaccine passports, but regulations must be fine tuned

The operators of over 500 ships on Halong Bay have said they are on the edge of bankruptcy and are calling for the government to reduce interest on the debts for ship owners

Bac Ninh has eased its social distancing measures in many areas

Daily cases in HCMC have reached a new high, at 293

The government has ordered agencies to trial COVID-19 passports to allow international travellers to visit locations such as Phu Quoc

The Asian Development Bank has said that Vietnam should be able to fill its two targets of controlling the pandemic and achieving economic growth in 2021

42,500 workers in HCMC have lost their jobs from Jan-May due to COVID

Experts have called for people to be allowed to self-isolate if they have been in contact with COVID-19 patients, rather than enter quarantine facilities, which are filling up fast

Vietnam will decide next week if it will postpone the 2021 SEA Games to 2022. 8 of the 11 nations voted against postponing it, but Vietnam has the final decision

Inbound travel agents have said that European and North American visitors are keen to visit Vietnam again

Dien Bien from 8 Jun allowed all intercity passenger transport between Dien Bien and Hanoi after a 14-day suspension. Son La Province also permitted transport between Son La and Hanoi on 8 Jun, with limited capacity

The HCMC labour department has proposed to provide 310,000 workers with financial support due to the increase of cases in the city

Quang Ninh province has reopened tourist attractions, cultural services, restaurants and golf courses, amongst others, from 8 Jun after no locally transmitted cases were reported for over one month. Bars and karaoke remain closed. The Quang Ninh Department of Tourism is working with the Quang Ninh Tourism Association and travel stakeholders to develop stimulus packages and special offers by 11 Jun

Vietnam Railway Corporation announced that passengers from Jan-May was down 51.4% YoY

Danang reopened its public beaches, and permitted restaurants to reopen from 9 Jun, but with limitations. Festivals, bars and clubs must stay closed

HCMC authorities hopes that the social distancing in place will help it to break the spread of the virus

HCMC is the country’s third worst hit area for the latest wave of cases

Accor has signed a new MGallery hotel in Phu Quoc, set to open in 2023

Ha Tinh province has imposed social distancing regulations from 8 Jun on Ha Tinh city

31,900 Danang tourism workers have lost jobs, almost 63% of the total workforce. Over 90% of 5,000 Danang tourism companies have closed, and 11.9% said they would not survive 2021, according to the Danang Tourism Association. They stated that it was “now a question of how we can keep companies alive, not when they will resume operation”. Only 8% of Vietnam Airlines’ flight attendants are working full-time in May, with flights falling from 500 per day to 70. In May, the country served 288 million pax, -14.9% MoM. Danang has implemented a loan system where tourism workers can borrow up to 100 million VND over 3-5 years -almost 2,000 workers have signed up

Lai Chau province will hold a culture and tourism week in Phong Tho and Tam Duong districts in Nov

Vietnam has been classified as an orange zone by France, meaning that vaccinated Vietnamese visitors will not need to go into quarantine

The PM has urged local governments to stop too strict COVID measures which impact business activity

Vingroup has reached a deal with Singapore’s Breathonix to bring the breathalyser testing system into Vietnam. It will comprise of 30 testing machines capable of handling 2 million samples

Vietnam will test using wristbands to track those under quarantine at home

Binh Duong province has put social distancing in place in 5 towns, from 2 Jun until further notice. Long An province has also begun social distancing in 4 districts from 2 Jun

HCMC residents have been urged to stay at home, whilst state employees have been asked to work from home as much as possible, with only 50% at the office

The National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control has requested that the Ministry of Health come up with new testing procedures for those for are fully vaccinated, potentially shortening quarantine to 7 days from 21 days

The WHO has said that there is no “hybrid variant” present in Vietnam currently, despite the Health Minister saying that one had been detected

The Nam Hoi An Integrated Resort has been approved to shift into an urban resort zone after the first 5 years of its investment have passed

Hanoi saw 115,000 tourists in May, a drop of 55.3% YoY. Total revenue was $14.4 million USD, -60.3% YoY. From Jan-May, the city has welcomed 2.89 million domestic visitors, -6.7% YoY

Vietnam has suspended entry into the country for travellers from India, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, including those who stayed or transited in those countries within the last 21 days

Hanoi has limited the number of people permitted to share a room in its concentrated quarantines, to avoid cross-contamination

All visitors to Binh Dinh, Gia Lai, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, and Thua Thien Hue provinces from HCMC will be quarantined on arrival for 21 days

HCMC will stop COVID-19 tests for people travelling internationally to be able to focus on local testing instead

The Deputy PM has called for all measures to be taken possible to secure vaccines

HCMC needs to prepare for the worst, with cases rising, the Deputy PM has said

HCMC will impose social distancing from 31 May for 15 days. Gatherings of more than 10 people are banned, but this may be lowered further to just 5

HCMC will conduct mass testing, hoping to test over 100,000 per day

HCMC is testing 50,000 people after the detection of a cluster of cases from a Christian mission

Hanoi has stopped all religious gatherings and activities from 29 May until further notice

Ninh Binh is implementing a tourism masterplan which will develop tourism whilst preserving its heritage values. It is also working to enhance its digital transformation

Vietnam has announced that it has found a new variant, a mix of the Indian and UK strains, which appears to be highly transmissible

Hanoi city is calling for businesses to support them financially to purchase 6 million doses

The 2021 Hue Traditional Craft Festival has been suspended, and will be rescheduled to late Jul

HCMC will close its restaurants, spas, tourism sites, museums, walking streets, night markets, parks, homestays and limit public gatherings from 28 May. People are requested to go out for only essential purposes, and large gatherings are not permitted outside of offices, schools and hospitals

A national cultural heritage photo contest and exhibition will be launched in late May

HCMC will stop religious events and ceremonies of over 10 people

From 25 May, Hanoi has temporarily closed restaurants except for takeaway, salons, sports activities and gatherings in public places

Bac Giang province will mass test residents using rapid antigen testing

Vietnam’s daily cases hit a high of 444, with 243 recorded in Bac Giang province

Bac Ninh province have imposed a curfew as of 25 May

Quang Nam province has reopened its public beaches and Hoi An will be permitted to welcome tourists again from 25 May after Danang has gone 14 days without community transmission. Restaurants are permitted to open for takeaway only, but bars remain closed

Many cities and provinces had an election turnout of more than 90% in the 23 May elections

HCMC should consider a network of museums, the Người Lao Động (Labourer) newspaper has recommended. Private museums should also be considered

Many Vietnamese OTAs are considering registering their businesses in Singapore to avoid tax obligations, as they are unable to compete with foreign OTAs who do not have to pay 10% VAT. The Ministry of Finance is said to be drawing up regulations which would clarify foreign OTAs’ financial obligations to pay tax in Vietnam

HCMC will quarantine those coming from Dien Bien, Ha Nam and Ban Ninh provinces for 21 days. A maximum of 20 people are permitted to gather together in public places

Vietnam is holding a general election on 23 May to select 500 members of parliament

Bac Giang stopped all passenger transport into the province from 21 May

Bac Ninh province has now suspended all passenger transportation after recording clusters of cases at industrial parks

The Deputy PM has said that visitors from “safe” countries may only need to quarantine for 7 days, not 21, as this is crucial to commerce and will reduce expenses for entrants. The Ministry of Health has been ordered to draw up the list of safe countries

A survey from Savills Vietnam has shown that many hotels and resorts have had cancellation requests for stays as well as MICE, with more than 50% of bookings cancelled from tourist groups and corporate customers

The Danang Tourism Association has said that based on their statistics, 90% of visitors have cancelled their tours to the city over the summer season

Ninh Binh has suspended its Tourism Week “Golden Colour of Tam Coc- Trang An” due to the wave of cases

The Vietnam SEA Games, scheduled for Nov/Dec 2021, will be held under a no vaccination, no participation policy

The PM has said that the pandemic is now under control, with no new clusters that cannot be traced

The Health Minister has said that this wave of cases is expected to last longer than previous ones, with more infections and different variants

Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces are implementing social distancing policies in certain locations, with residents urged to only leave their homes for essential tasks

Binh Dinh province has given in-principle approval to develop Diem Van urban and ecotourism area. The project will cost approximately $217.5 million USD and will include a modern urban and ecotourism complex

HCMC is offering more support to develop agrotourism and ecotourism in 5 outlying districts: Hóc Môn, Củ Chi, Bình Chánh, Nhà Bè and Cần Giờ. In Cu Chi District, it has partnered with travel agents such as Saigontourist, Vietravel, Fiditour-Vietluxtour and TST Tourist to offer agrotourism tours

Danang has suspended delivery services from 17 May

Moc Chau is aiming to be recognised as a national tourism site by 2025

10% of Vietnamese businesses lack the necessary capital for their business, according to the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Many are also finding it difficult to access aid packages

Danang has banned more than 5 people gathering together in public, outside of offices and schools

Hanoi students will finish for the summer from 15 May, instead of 28 May

HCMC tourism businesses are reporting cancellations and rescheduling for summer bookings. TSTourist have reported one group tour cancelled, whilst others rescheduled, and they anticipate MICE to boom to northeastern, northwestern, south central provinces and Phu Quoc once travel resumes. Vietravel has suspended tours to localities with infection, and are focusing on FIT, caravan tours and car services

Hanoi has ordered that all sports events, golf courses and training facilities should close from 13 May. It already ordered the closure of all beer clubs from 11 May

Vietnam has temporarily suspended and restricted the entry of foreigners and overseas Vietnamese into the country

Hanoi have banned gatherings of more than 10 people, cancelling all non-essential meetings

Travellers returning from Danang must make a self-declaration and self-isolate at home upon arrival to Quang Nam province

Hoa Binh City will apply social distancing measures from 10 May, and gatherings of more than 20 pax are banned. Locals are not permitted to go to other localities

Students from more than 30 localities have continued online learning

Vietnam’s daily cases rose to 109, the highest number recorded so far since the pandemic started

Vietnam’s PM has said that the new outbreak could threaten political stability if it is not brought under control

Thuan Thanh District in Ban Ninh Province has imposed social distancing from 9 May

The Health Minister has said that mass testing is the best way to detect infection. Most patients have so far been infected with the UK and Indian variants of the virus

Many tourist beaches have been closed, including in Hai Phong City, Hoi An, Danang, Quang Ninh, Ha Nam and Nam Dinh provinces. Quang Binh province has closed all tourist attractions and suspended all tours until further notice

The PM has said that lockdowns should be applied in the narrowest way across localities, to avoid negative impact on locals

HCMC has banned public gatherings of more than 30 people, and shut buffet restaurants and gyms from 7 May. Convention centres will also be closed

Vietnam will change its quarantine policy, mandating a 21-day quarantine, followed by a 7-day period where people will not be allowed to go out, and must report to the authorities if they have any symptoms. They will be tested on the 7th day of their self-isolation period, as well as 3 times during the 21-day quarantine period

Hanoi has urged its residents not to go out unnecessarily, or form large gatherings, whilst Northern Thai Binh Province started its social distancing from 6 May, banning more than 20 people in a place and 10 or more outside of workplaces and schools. Bac Ninh province have stopped all non-essential services. Quang Ninh has stopped all tourism services, as has Quang Nam

374,000 tourists visited Thanh Hoa province over the long weekend, 22% less than expected due to cancellations from worries about the new rise in cases. Hanoi also saw a decrease in the number of tourists, with 25-30% of rooms cancelled. In Hai Phong, just 110,000 travellers visited, with 40% cancellations

HCMC has increased the number of tests travellers must take during the 14-day quarantine to 4 from the previous 3

HCMC schools will stay closed from next week, switching to online study

Sapa Town has closed many tourist sites after an infected person visited the area

The Health Ministry will partner with other ministries to study a suitable timeframe to implement vaccine passports. The government have said that vaccine passports are only efficient once herd immunity of 70% is reached

Sapa saw 64,000 visitors over the longer weekend, 4X higher than in 2020, and generating $9.03 million USD. Ninh Binh province welcomed 65,000 visitors, +47.5% YoY, generating 120 billion VND. Phu Quoc welcomed 91,000, 3X vs 2020, with revenue of 101.2 billion VND. Da Lat received 145,000 visitors, +180% YoY. Danang welcomed 75,000, 10X 2020’s numbers

Vietnam will change its quarantine policy, mandating a 14-day quarantine, followed by a 14-day period where people will not be allowed to go out, and must report to the authorities if they have any symptoms. They will be tested 7 days into their self-isolation period

A ceramics museum is being developed in Bat Trang ceramics craft village in Hanoi

The Vietnam MICE Club members are developing new MICE activities to stimulate the economy, including sports activities

Passengers and crew members have been allowed to disembark from a Halong Bay cruise ship after a galley worker had close contact with a COVID-19 patient. After the worker, crew members and passengers tested negative, they were sent to quarantine camps

Hanoi has suspended its non-essential services, such as theatres, spas, gyms and limited attendance of events such as parties

Long An province will join the Tourism Promotion Organisation for Asia Pacific Cities (TPO) in Oct

Danang will suspend non-essential activities, including gyms, festivals and sporting events from 4 May. Gatherings will be limited to 30 pax

Danang has requested that it stop receiving repatriation flights

Hanoi students will stay at home from 4 May

HCMC has suspended its cinemas, theatres and online game centres from 3 May

320,000 students in Vinh Phuc and Hung Yen provinces will stay at home until at least 8 May

A Safe Trip in Vietnam app allows travellers to provide feedback on tourism issues, which will be collected by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT)

Ha Nam province schools will close from 3-9 May, after an outbreak of COVID-19 in the province. The outbreak started with a man who returned from Japan and underwent quarantine and negative tests. After leaving quarantine, he subsequently tested positive

Ha Nam province has put the Dao Ly commune under lockdown on 1 May, and 2 communes have implemented social distancing measures

The Deputy PM has warned of a “very high” threat to Vietnam after it reported its first local case in a month. It warned against mass gatherings over the long weekend, and said that it would speed up its vaccine rollout

HCMC has closed its bars, clubs and karaoke parlours from 30 Apr in measures to control the virus, after detecting a new locally transmitted case after 75 days with local transmission

Hanoi has closed all bars, clubs and karaoke parlours from 30 Apr, and residents are required to wear masks in public spaces. People coming into Hanoi after the holidays will also need to complete a medical declaration

Ha Nam province has closed tourism sites, as well as bars, clubs, restaurants and karaoke parlours

HCMC DOT has asked tourism businesses to strengthen their measures against COVID

Hanoi is working to refresh its image for domestic visitors, including new products, tie-ups with other localities and attractive pricing

A Booking.com survey has shown that almost 100% of Vietnamese tourists want to stay in eco-friendly accommodation at least once

56% of travel businesses in Vietnam expect their business to return to normal in 2022, whilst 22% hoped it would recover in 2021. 79% of businesses have cut their staff, and 73% have restructured their customer base. 99% wanted the government to prioritise tourism workers for vaccination, and 88% want tax cuts. As of Mar 2021, 39% of tourism workers had not resumed work, whilst 61% had but with reduced salary/ hours

Vietnam has confirmed 6 locally transmitted cases on 29 Apr, the first in more than a month

Hai Phong will cancel its festivals to avoid large gatherings. The Vietnam International Travel Mart 2021, scheduled for 5-8 May in Hanoi, will also be delayed until Jun

The ADB has forecast Vietnam’s 2021 GDP to grow by 6.7%

The Hue Traditional Craft Festival will be held from 29 May-26 Jun, with more than 40 art performances

The Thua Thien-Hue province’s Tourism Association has seen hotel occupancy rates of 80% over the 30 Apr-1 May long weekend

Quang Nam province is looking to develop strong “brand” names for its sea and island ecotourism models

The National Tourism Advisory Council’s survey has shown that 83% of respondents want to travel in the next 7 months

The Deputy PM has urged overseas Vietnamese not to return home

Danang is reviewing accommodation projects and tourism services on its Son Tra Peninsula as part of its plan to develop the area into a “high-class national ecotourism area”. It will not allow any new accommodation projects

: Hanoi have closed their walking streets, limit unnecessary crowds and cancel festivals after the detection of locally transmitted cases. It has also cancelled its fireworks display for reunification day, as have HCMC and Danang

Danang has cancelled its international fireworks festival in Jun/ Jul, the 2nd year in a row it has been cancelled

Danang, Quang Nam, Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Binh offered promotional travel packages and services in HCMC, under a program called “Amazing Central Heritage”. They received good booking numbers for the upcoming long weekend

TST tourist has seen 3,000 tours in April, and nearly 2,000 tourists who have booked trips for May. Saigontourist plans to increase the number of seats by 20% vs 2020 for all domestic tours, and Fiditour are seeing a high number of MICE contracts from large groups with sales from 1 billion VND per booking

Music tourism is becoming more popular in Dalat

TST Tourist travel agency has said that travellers are looking for more unique experiences, including sustainable tourism, eco-friendly tourism and agrotourism, particularly in HCMC

Fewer people will be allowed to enter airports for pick up or drop off of passengers during the long weekends, to prevent crowding

Taiwan has confirmed that Vietnam has been enthusiastic about establishing a travel corridor between the 2

The Airports Corporation of Vietnam has invested more than $1 billion USD in aviation infrastructure over the past 5 years, and have said that they will need 120 trillion VND from 2021-2025 to complete the upgrades

Danang is planning to build a large central square as part of its master plan for 2030-2045

Kien Giang welcomed 1.2 million visitors in Q1, -32.9% YoY, with revenue of $67.6 million USD. It has called for its local travel stakeholders to promote packages to attract domestic tourists once more

Nearly 4,300 runners will take part in the Vietnam Trail Marathon on 24 Apr

The Phu Quoc United Center, Vietnam’s first super resort entertainment tourism complex, has officially opened

The Deputy Minister for Tourism has said that 6 northwestern provinces should promote and participate actively in the Vietnamese Travelling within Việt Nam and Việt Nam’s Tourism – Safe and Attractive campaigns. The 6 regions launched the "Travelling Through the Heritage Areas of Việt Bắc Region" programme, which is hoped to encourage tourists and investors

Quang Ninh expects to welcome 500,000-550,000 visitors over the upcoming long weekend. In 2021, it is targeting welcoming 10 million tourists with revenue of $867 million USD

Quang Nam’s plan to reopen to international tourists has been met with some reservations by experts, who say that Vietnam needs a uniform procedure to recognise vaccine passports. Quang Nam Tourism Association, however, have cautioned that reopening “is a competition and if we do not take the initiative, we will lag behind other countries”

The Visit Vietnam Year 2021 and the Hoa Lu Festival 2021 launched on 20 Apr. The Deputy PM said that domestic tourism will help to “promote patriotism and national pride”, and that tourism stakeholders should review their policies and upgrade their products to be ready for the international market’s return

A Charles Darwin University study has shown that common impacts on Vietnamese tour operators from COVID-19 included dropping revenue, increased costs and employee redundancy. They also revealed that many operators did not have strategy or crisis plans in place

As of 20 Apr, many travel agents have reached 80% of their sales targets for the upcoming long weekend

Vietnam is speeding up its plans for the SEA Games 31, which will be held from 21 Nov-2 Dec

Hanoi Travel Association have partnered with the Son La Provincial Tourism Association, the People's Committee of Quynh Nhai and Thuan Chau districts to promote new tourism products. Son La province is planning to develop its tourism from 2021-2023, with 24 unique tourism products

Hai Phong will pilot a pedestrian street on weekends and holidays along the Do Son Beach to attract tourists. It will also hold a festival, 'Do Son-The Color of the Sea' during the upcoming long weekend with activities including a music show and parades

Areas such as HCMC and Kien Giang are preparing plans for reopening internationally. These include opening up Phu Quoc Island to Russian visitors, with a best-case scenario opening in Sep/ Oct. Just one hotel on Phu Quoc has signed up for the pilot reopening so far

The Ministry of Health have announced that they are working on a pilot program for vaccination passports

The Cu Chi Tunnels are seeking to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage list

Up to 60% of tours have been booked for the upcoming long weekend, according to travel firms. Tours are mainly for short distances, and destinations include Sapa, Halong, Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Da Lat, and Con Dao Island. Vietravel have said 60% of its packages have been bought, whilst Sapa is reporting 80% occupancy over the weekend

Hanoi have reported that 685,000 travellers visited the city since it reopened after the latest virus surge subsided, a 180% MoM increase and a 360% increase YoY

Miss Global Vietnam Tourism pageant has officially launched, with the first round taking place on 12 Jun in Hanoi

Quang Nam has proposed to the Ministry of Tourism that vaccinated international travellers are permitted to stay in two designated resorts and be securely escorted around. Travellers would need to book on to the tours, and would need a vaccination passport and negative tests. They would target South Korean visitors first, and then open up new markets. The tourists could fly to Chu Lai airport on a chartered flight, and go straight to the resorts without quarantine

Booking.com have revealed the top 10 destinations for Vietnamese over the 30 Apr-1 May long weekend: Dalat, Vung Tau, Danang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, HCMC, Sapa, Hoi An, Ha Long and Mui Ne

Dien Bien province has welcomed 167,000 visitors in Q1 and is expecting 1 million in total in 2021

HCMC in Q1 saw a drop in the average room rate of 20% YoY to $62 USD per night, and occupancy was just 17%, according to Savills Vietnam. HCMC’s Q1 tourism revenue dropped 60% YoY to $134.7 million USD, and several hotel chains cut the number of rooms to reduce cost, too

The Health Ministry has recommended that the centralised quarantine period for vaccinated travellers should be 7 days. Travellers would be tested on arrival and on the 6th day. If tests are negative, they would be able to finish their quarantine period at work or home for the remaining 14 days

9.1 million Vietnamese were made unemployed or had their incomes reduced in Q1 2021. The unemployment rate in Q1 was 2.42%, down 0.21% from Q4 2020

The Tourism Advisory Council have sent a letter to the government suggesting that COVID-19 insurance should be compulsory for all inbound and outbound travellers

The Việt Nam Tourism Association (VITA) has been putting all its focus onto the domestic tourism market, and is holding a forum, 'Domestic Tourism – a Driving Force to Recover Việt Nam’s Tourism in New Normal Situation'. It sees a strategy is needed to develop domestic tourism and to create a “solid foundation” for developing international tourism from

The Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board is urging the government to speed up its vaccination rollout, to boost confidence both for domestic and international tourists. It recommends that luxury travel products be promoted to those Vietnamese travellers who usually travelled overseas. It also calls for the government to inject funds into tourism programs to boost domestic travel

The HCMC DOT plans to launch a “100 exciting things” campaign showcasing HCMC to local and international tourists, as well as domestic stimulus programs and cooperation with other provinces

The VGReen Sustainable Tourism Club launched a convoy tour which explored 20 ethnic groups in the north western region. Its next tour in mid-Apr is already fully booked, and will see nearly 100 tourists joining in. It is seeing self-drive tours become more popular

Binh Dinh province has approved a pilot of a craft village tourism development in My Tho commune. The village specialises in growing squash and is increasingly attractive for tourists. It has also decided to pilot tourism development in Bau Da Wine village, Phu Gia Horse Hat craft village and the noddle and Tam Quan Nam rice paper making village. Homestay products will be on offer

The Hanoi Amateur Water Puppetry Festival 2021 will be held on 17 May in Hanoi

Vingroup will launch the Phu Quoc United Center on 21 Apr. One of the key attractions is Grand World, the “sleepless city”, which has tourist attractions, shopping streets, festivals and is open 24/7. It will also host the only 5* casino open to Vietnamese people

Vietnam has gone nearly 40 days without community transmission, but the government has warned that neighbouring countries pose a risk

The Central region travel agents are creating new products for the upcoming long weekend on 30 Apr/ 1 May, and expect robust demand

130 travel agents travelled on a fam trip to Khanh Hoa from 8-11 Apr to explore the destination

The government has said that the IT infrastructure to handle vaccine passports was ready. It would divide users into 3 groups: Vietnamese citizens stranded abroad who have been vaccinated (including Vietnamese business travellers), foreigners entering the country for investment and business purposes, and international tourists

Ninh Binh has been developing its agrotourism and rural tourism products over the past few years successfully

Airlines are preparing for a robust summer domestic schedule, planning to increase frequencies and add new routes. Railways also plan to add more trains, particularly to central provinces

The IMF have forecast that Vietnam’s 2021 GDP will be 6.5%, potentially rising as high as 7.2%. It sees unemployment at 2.7% this year, down from Mar’s 3.3%

Ly Son-Sa Huynh may not push for UNESCO global geopark status, as the province is uncertain of the socio-economic benefits

Experts have said that setting floor prices for airfares may hurt customers, and create unfair competition. A VN Express survey also showed that 93% of readers did not support the proposal

A vaccine passport should hold a QR code or be issued by an authority in countries with bilateral and multilateral agreements with Vietnam. The government have also proposed that vaccine passport holders should quarantine for 7 days and take 2 tests. If they test negative, they could self-quarantine at home for an additional 7 days. Those who are vaccinated must have completed vaccination for at least 2 weeks, and travel less than 12 months after their last shot

Hanoi’s Cat Linh-Ha Dong first metro line is expected to start operation on 30 Apr

Hanoi has said that it is committed to putting culture and innovation at the centre of its sustainable development

There are now around 40 flights daily to Phu Quoc, and the number of tourists visiting the island has rapidly increased since March. Flights from Hanoi and HCMC to Phu Quoc have sold out in Apr, and Phu Quoc Island Tourism and Events are anticipating a doubling of its usual 2,000-4,000 monthly visitors over the upcoming long weekend

An integrated resort similar to Marina Bay Sands is being planned for Danang’s Son Tra district

Tourism businesses see the gradual resumption of international flights as a crucial first step for reopening, although it won’t “save” Vietnamese tourism this year and are not optimistic about a quick recovery. Hanoi Redtours sees international travel for 2023 at the earliest, and will focus on domestic tourism until then

Hanoi will hold a tourism and culinary festival from 16-18 Apr, including stands from tourism companies and airlines. It will launch new tourism products such as a night tour of Thang Long Imperial Citadel, a night tour of Hoa Lu prison and agricultural activities at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

Khanh Hoa is promoting itself in Russia, Korea and China with direct flights to Cam Ranh International Airport once the pandemic eases. In 2020, it welcomed 1.4 million tourists, of which 430,000 were international. In 2021 it is aiming for 1.5 million international tourists alone

Multiple Australian government sources have said that Australia could be looking at setting up a travel bubble with Vietnam

The Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) has warned that stimulating tourism recovery via discounting is not a good solution. Instead, travel providers should ensure fixed prices and raise the level of service

The opening ceremony of the 2021 National Tourism Year in Hoa Lu is expected to host 2,000 guests and 7,600 local people and visitors

The Tourism Minister has said that Thailand and Singapore are discussing a travel bubble, and they are also looking at countries such as Vietnam and Laos. They hope to start travel bubbles in Oct

10 prioritised groups will receive free vaccinations, including frontliners, diplomats, teachers, aviation and transport staff, those above 65 years old and those in pandemic-hit areas

Hoi An will host a Korean Culture Day event from 9-11 Apr, with K-pop dance troupes and other Korean culture and cuisine activities

The Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM 2021) will take place from 5-8 May in Hanoi, themed “New Normal – New Opportunities”. 450 suppliers from 40 provinces, cities and countries (Thailand, Korea, Taiwan and Japan) have registered to take part

Vietnam has appointed a new Prime Minister, Pham Minh Chinh. The new President will be the former PM, Nguyen Xuan Phuc

The government has said that in 2020 there were 56 million domestic tourists, with revenue of 312.2 trillion VND

Vietnam’s Q1 arrivals were just 48,000, -98.7% YoY. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), 60% of tourism workers have been made redundant, after 90% of travel agents closed down. Accommodation is only 10-15% of capacity

Travel companies are forecasting 50,000 tourists over Reunification Day and May Day

Danang has laid out 10 measures to recover tourism, including ensuring safety at tourist destinations and the digitalisation of tourism

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has recommended a 3-phase plan for the reopening of international flights to the Ministry of Tourism: 1. “Combo flights” for Vietnamese citizens. These would include a flight ticket, COVID-19 testing, quarantine, living costs and transport from the airport to quarantine 2. From Jul: regular flights to Vietnam, with quarantine for both Vietnamese citizens and foreigners. Flights operated to Japan, Korea and Taiwan, with a total of 24 flights weekly and up to 7,000 pax 3. From Sep: passengers to skip quarantine on arrival with vaccine passports. This would only be applicable for those countries using vaccines which are authorised in Vietnam

A Vietnam Food Travel Map project has been launched, as part of the development of culinary tourism. It hopes to support restaurants and travel agents, and will organise events until 20 Apr to celebrate World Food Travel Day

Quang Ninh is planning to launch 88 events om 2021, at provincial, district and communal levels to promote tourism. It expects 10 million visitors in 2021. It also launched the Halong Street Travel Fest No.2, a 3-day festival focusing on cuisine, art and folk games from the province

HCMC DOT plans to digitalise 100 tourism sites, with the implementation of VR and QR codes. It is carrying out the “Vibrant HCMC” campaign

90.6% of Vietnamese in a survey have said that they are making travel plans for 2021 and early 2022. Other findings were: • 50% intend to make trips of 2-3 days, 44% plan trips of 4 days-1 week • 65.9% want to visit coastal resorts, 61% explore food culture, 34% prefer mountainous resorts, 45.5% eco-tourism activities • 49.8% will travel with their family, 26.4% with friends • 70% want to travel by plane, 29.4% by personal transport • 42.7% plan to book via online platforms, 33.8% plan to contact tour operators

The Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism is planning a campaign, “Vietnam with ethnic colours”, from 1 Apr-3 May

The Hanoi DOT will undertake 7 types of tourism product development, including: heritage tourism; sightseeing, recreation, ecological and craft village tourism; culinary tourism; more souvenirs; new services at high-end hotels; night-time economy; sports tourism and new entertainment activities such as hot air ballooning. Its Q1 2021 saw just 1.93 million domestic visitors (-33.4% YoY), with earnings of $234 million USD (-65.6% YoY). It will target welcoming 13.16-19.04 million visitors in 2021

Thousands of shops have been forced to close down in Hoi An, with many on the pedestrian streets closing

Hai Duong will return to the new normal measures from 1 Apr, lifting all social distancing measures, and all schools will reopen. Non-essential services like tourist sites will remain closed until 15 Apr. Interprovincial transport can resume

A Vingroup mega project in Lien Chau worth $1.51 billion USD has been restarted. It will form a resort and entertainment project covering 1,000 hectares at Hai Van Pass

Quang Ninh expects to receive 6 million visitors over the summer

Hanoi and St Petersburg are looking to cooperate to boost tourism, and may organise a Hanoi Cultural Day in St Petersburg and a St Petersburg Cultural Day in Hanoi

Nha Trang will hold cultural, tourism and sports events to stimulate domestic tourism throughout the year. They aim to attract 5 million tourists in 2021, with 1.5 million international, with total revenue of $758.5 million USD

The head of the General Statistics Office has said that Vietnam will face challenges to achieve 6.5% GDP growth in 2021

Lao Cai now offers 6 main types of tourism products, including resort, community, ecotourism, agriculture-craft village, adventure sport and smart tourism. It forecasts to have 20% of tourists in key markets become aware of Fansipan, the highest peak in Indochina, have 50% of tourists choose the destination due to the landmark and 50% return for long-stays

Vietnam’s Q1 GDP grew 4.48%

Quang Tri is planning to promote sea island tourism from 30 Apr with a 6-day festival

Danang will launch a joint domestic tourism stimulus program to promote Danang, Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam and Quang Binh under a “Amazing Central Heritage” campaign. It will run until the end of Mar, with discounts, MICE incentives and golf packages

The Nikkei Asia has reported that the Business Track between Vietnam and Japan has produced very few business travellers, with lengthy, complicated application processes and onerous requirements once in-country

Over 1,500 runners participated in the Olympic Run Day in Danang on 27 Mar

Bangkok Bank will offer cross-border QR payments between Thailand and Vietnam once. In phase 1, merchants in Vietnam will mainly be in tourism destinations or economic centres

Hanoi will provide free wifi for 9 more tourism destinations in the city

The World Bank has said that Vietnam is experiencing a V shaped recovery, and its output has already surpassed pre-pandemic levels. It forecasts Vietnam’s 2021 GDP to grow to 6.6%

Vinh Long wants to develop tourism into a priority sector by 2030. The authorities have issued incentive policies for tourism investment, and are developing more unique tourism products

The National Tourism Year 2021 will be launched on 20 Apr in Ninh Binh

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) hopes to pilot allowing international tourists from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan into the country from Jul, using charter flights and select tourism companies. They are considering golf and seaside resorts as possible tourism products

An MoU has been signed between Vietnamese and Russian businesses to assist with better IT for tourist flows

Tours of Quang Binh’s Son Doong Cave have been fully booked for the rest of the year

Domestic airlines are adding more flights for the Reunification Day and May Day holiday on 30 Apr/ 1 May. Vietnam Airlines Group will add 500,000 seats and Bamboo Airways will increase flights by 12-15%. Destinations where additional flights have been added include Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Quy Nhon, Da Lat, and Phu Quoc Island

The venues for the SEA Games 31 have been announced

Travel agents have seen tour packages being booked for destinations such as Phu Quoc, Con Dao, Quy Nhon and Danang

Hanoi will reopen bars, karaoke parlours and discos from 23 Mar

Bac Lieu is committed to developing new tourism products and speeding up the building of ecotourism and entertainment sites. It is aiming to welcome 3.2 million visitors in 2021, up 40% on 2020

Quang Nam Tourism Association will focus on the domestic market, and has the goal of attracting 12 million visitors. By 2030, they hope that it can support 50,000 jobs and generate 7-8% of the province’s GDRP

The Ministry of Transport is planning high-speed train links between Hanoi and Vinh, and HCMC and Nha Trang by 2030, with travel speeds of up to 350 kmph

Ninh Binh will promote itself under the 2021 National Tourism Year under the theme “Hoa Lu – Thousand-year capital”, starting on 20 Mar

IHG Hotels and Resorts plan to expand its portfolio by 50% in Vietnam over the next 2 years, including the debut Holiday Inn Resort in the country. They plan to develop in “domestic-led destinations” such as Vinhm Hai Duong, Hai Phong and Binh Duong, as well as family friendly destiantions such as Quy Nhon, Sam Son-Thanh Hoa and Hoa Binh

A report by McKinsey & Company forecasts that Vietnam could see its tourism industry recover by 2024 if it continues to follow a zero-case-first strategy, ensuring a strong domestic tourism recovery. It recommends that Vietnam boosts its appeal as an adventure destination, invests in data analytical tools for the industry, as well as supports the industry’s survival

The Hanoi Tourism Department is planning promotions with airlines and travel agents, focusing not just on low prices, but also quality product and services. It will run the Hanoi Tourism Promotion Festival in Apr, with one of the products including 'Hanoi – 12 Seasons of Flowers' to attract domestic visitors initially, and then international ones later

: A forum will be held by the Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) and the Hanoi Tourism Department in Apr, to discuss how to attract domestic tourists. Afterwards, the Vietnam International Travel Mart will be held from 5-8 May

Tour operators have seen more holiday makers visiting tourist destinations such as Phu Quoc, Hoi An, Phan Thiet, Mui Ne and Con Dao

HCMC has reopened its bars and karaoke clubs on 19 Mar

Vietravel have said that the number of visitors grow x5 from 1-7 Mar, with popular destinations including the Central Highlands, central region and Phu Quoc. Travel is tipped to pick up for the South Liberation and National Reunification Day (30 Apr) and May Day holidays

Hoi An will host tourist events and activities from 20 Mar to 1 May, with lantern nights, 50% ticket discounts for the old quarter and new tourist programs

Vietravel believe that Hanoi’s tourism potential is under-exploited, whilst the Hanoi Travel Association said that travel businesses must restructure their products to make more attractive tours. Ba Vi National Park said that Feb saw a 170% increase YoY in the number of visitors

The annual Hoa Lu festival in Ninh Binh will be celebrated on a smaller scale, without an opening ceremony and festivities as usual

HCMC will prioritise supporting the tourism sector. The DOT has said that it should develop new tourism products for 2021 and encourage quality tour products. They have proposed that the tax payment extensions and reductions should be continue for VAT and corporate income tax. In 2020, its international arrivals were 1.3 million, down 84.8% YoY, whilst domestic arrivals were 15.8 million, down 48.45% YoY

The HCMC Museum of Vietnamese History has launched an online exhibition with 3D Technology

The Hanoi Tourist Association has launched the VGreen Caravan tourism program, The Northwest region in the blooming season of the bauhinia flower, with nearly 30 cars and 150 participants, the biggest so far in the country. The tour allows people to join in private cars

Halong Bay’s Jan-Feb sales dropped to their lowest levels in 20 years, to just $78k USD. Last year, ticket sales were down 80% YoY

Vingroup will open the Phu Quoc United Center on 21 Apr, a centre spread over 1,000 hectares and with a 24/7 resort and shopping ecosystem, creating a new international tourist destination. It will include more than 10,000 hotel rooms across different brands, as well as the largest theme park in Vietnam, VinWonders Phu Quoc, Vinpearl Safari and an 18-hole golf course

A Euromonitor survey has shown that Vietnam came in 96th out of 99 economies for its sustainable tourism ranking

Hai Duong province will resume businesses, but will still ban religious gatherings, sports events and crowded festivals. Non-essential businesses like bars and entertainment will also be closed

The Perfume Pagoda in Hanoi received 30,000 visitors on the weekend after reopening, whilst the Tam Chuc Pagoda saw 70,000 visitors

The Vietnam Tourism Association has said that the country must look into solutions to open the borders for foreign tourists from Jul. They estimate that 95% of domestic tour operators have stopped operating

Tourism will be a driving force behind Danang’s 2045 vision, with big projects including VinaCapital’s golf course, a complex for the Danang International Fireworks Festival, the Ba Na-Suoi Mo tourism complex and the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula resort. It will also work on upgrading Danang International Airport to serve 30 million pax

Danang Tourism Promotion Center welcomed a MICE delegation of 400 guests from 12-14 Mar

The Embassy of Vietnam in India held a conference to promote Vietnam to Indian customers

Southeastern tourism markets have remained dynamic, with Vung Tau seeing less of an impact from the pandemic than others. One hotel even stated that their MICE sales were higher in 2020 than in 2019. In Tay Ninh, visits to Ba Den were 87% of 2019 levels, with 4.7 million visitors. Vung Tau will focus on MICE in 2021, whilst Tay Ninh will focus on ecotourism and spiritual tourism

HCMC’s Department of Tourism has been asked for more assistance for travel companies by Saigontourist, and the HCMC Tourism Association have called for VAT to be reduced. The DOT’s statistics show that 90% of SME inbound tour operators have stopped operations temporarily, whilst 10% of international tours and 40% of domestic are still working

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) is working on a proposal with the Ministry of Tourism to report on vaccine passports and opening up to vaccinated tourists

Vietravel saw sales rise 3X from 22-28 Feb, whilst Fiditour have also reported an increase in travellers requesying packages. Hanoitourist Travel are focusing on high quality tourism projects and wellness. Vinagroup also see demand for wellbeing, sports and entertainment tourism. Travellers are also choosing to travel by car, and visit Phu Yen, Quy Nhon, Da Lat, Phan Thiet and Vung Tau with family or a group of friends

Quang Ninh resumed interprovincial tourism and coach services from 11 Mar, and will welcome domestic tourists from all over the country except Hai Duong province

Taiwan has said that it is in talks with establishing travel bubbles with Singapore and Vietnam

Quang Ninh has reopened its bars, cinemas and karaoke bars from 11 Mar

The Public Health Emergency Operations Center has said that vaccinated travellers should still be subject to a 14-day quarantine

Vietnam has been nominated for Asia’s best golf destination in the 2021 World Golf Awards, with voting to take place until 1 Sep

Hanoi reopened its tourist attractions and religious establishments on 8 Mar

Savills Vietnam has said that it Vietnam has the potential to be an international resort destination, enabling it to compete with Thailand and Indonesia

Azerai La Residence has launched a new cruise boat in Hue, which will operate afternoon tea cruises, a sunset cocktail cruise and a dinner cruise

Hanoi has reopened its Hoan Kiem walking streets from 12 Mar

HCMC’s bars and karaoke parlours will remain closed, despite non-essential businesses such as gyms and pubs reopening on 9 Mar

Hai Phong has lifted its last lockdown restrictions

Danang is planning to hold an annual Vietnam-Republic of Korea festival

Quang Ninh hopes to welcome 10 million visitors in 2021 if the pandemic is controlled. It is looking at holding 150 events in different fields to stimulate domestic demand

Can Tho has launched a green tourism project for the Cai Rang floating market

Accor has signed 3 new hotel properties in Vietnam, the Mövenpick Phan Thiet, Novotel Phan Thiet within NovaWorld Phan Thiet and Mövenpick Ho Tram

ActionAid Vietnam’s research has shown that more than 90% of the tourism industry’s workers had lost their jobs in the country, with nearly 90,000 unemployed or suffering from reduced income .Just 22% of workers had access to the government’s support package

Kien Giang is aiming to develop ecotourism products in the U Minh Thuong National Park. In 2020, it welcomed 43,200 visitors

HCMC saw a fall in consumer goods and services demand over Tet, with revenue falling 6.4% YoY in Feb

The Vietnam Tourism Association (VTA) has said that Vietnam should open its doors to foreign tourists from Jul to aid the tourism industry, as 95% of inbound businesses have suspended operations. The HCMC Tourism Association has also said that the government should prepare criteria to allow foreigners into the country

The Deputy PM has tasked the health, foreign affairs and tourism ministries to map out reopening to those who have been vaccinated in other countries

Religious establishments, relics and temples will be allowed to reopen in Hanoi from 8 Mar after it has gone 17 days without community transmission

Outbox Consulting has released its Vietnam Tourism Trends 2021 report. Some of the key trends include: • Small group travel • Increased demand for wellness travel • Shorter booking timeframes • 2-3 day domestic trips, with destinations close to cities with good driving conditions

: Centara Hotels will open the new Centara Mirage Resort Mui Ne, a Spanish themed waterpark resort, in late Apr 2021

The Indonesia-UAE travel corridor has now been reopened

Visitors to relics in Hue who wear ao dai from 6-8 Mar will receive free entrance

Hai Phong, the hotspot for COVID, has allowed limited public activities to resume, including festivals, sports events, cinemas, travel agents and gatherings of less than 20 people. Schools will reopen on 8 Mar

Danang by Night, a new program to create night-time tourism economy activities, will launch on 30 Apr. It will target tourists from China, Korea and Southeast Asia, as well as domestic tourists. It will include light shows and cultural events such as street dances, music, food and traditional arts. There will also be happy hours with special discounts to encourage tourists to visit after 10pm

Tour guides in Binh Thuan province set up a team to help save coral from predators

Quang Ninh will work with business and tourism associations to help revive the tourism industry. Tourist activities at Halong Bay have reopened, but are only open to those living and working in the province

The HCMC Tourism Association has asked for at least a 50% waiver of VAT for accommodation and travel businesses until the end of 2021. Occupancy at HCMC hotels during Tet fell to just 10%

Those coming to Hanoi and HCMC from Hai Duong from 3 Mar must self-isolate for 14 days. Those who tested negative within 3 days of departure from the province will not have to self-isolate

Over 5,000 runners will take part in the Tien Phong Newspaper Marathon from 27-28 Mar in Gia Lai province

Vietjet has been given a 7-star rating from AirlineRatings for COVID-19 compliance

Vietnam released its Feb international arrival numbers, which declined 38.3% MoM and 99.1% YoY to just 11,000. From Jan-Feb 2020, the numbers declined 99.1% YoY

Vietnam’s tourism revenue from Jan-Feb fell 62.1% YoY to $108.6 mil USD. More than 500 tourism businesses have withdrawn their licence since the pandemic hit, and 90-95% of travel agents have stopped operating

Hanoi will allow its restaurants and cafes to reopen on 2 Mar with social distancing measures implemented. However, bars, karaoke and sidewalk food stalls will remain closed

Quang Ninh has officially reopened its tourism activities from 2 Mar

Van Dong International Airport will be reopened from 3 Mar

Danang aims to become a tourism and sea-based economic hub in Vietnam by 2030. It also hopes to become an international city

Cu Chi tunnels are seeking UNESCO recognition

Vietnam plans to operate 13 repatriation flights in Mar for 3,800 Vietnamese nationals

The number of Vietnamese caving in Quang Binh increased 3X in 2020 to 6,000, but overall the number of cavers was down 50% YoY to 7,000 due to the inbound travel restrictions

HCMC will allow the reopening of restaurants and tourism activities from 1 Mar, but bars, pubs and sports facilities will still remain closed, as there have been no locally transmitted cases since 11 Feb in the city. Ceremonies and religious activities can take place with a maximum of 50 people

More free and easy trips and small group guided tours will be popular in 2021, according to the HCMC DOT, who saw a rise in these, including self-drive itineraries, to nearby locations such as Vung Tau, Da Lat and Phan Thiet

The government has said that Vietnam’s Q1 2021 GDP could increase by 4.6% if the pandemic is controlled

Can Tho will pilot night-time services in Ninh Kieu District, with pedestrianised spaces and night markets, and bars allowed to stay open until 2am. Some tour services such as watching dawn on the Hau River of visiting Cai Rang floating market, will also be permitted to take place overnight

Kien Giang aims to welcome 7 million visitors in 2021, +35% YoY. It hopes to earn $500 mil USD in tourism revenue, an increase of 46% YoY. It will optimise Phu Quoc to attract domestic tourists, and undertake a cooperation agreement with HCMC and 13 other localities over 2020-2025. From Jan-Feb 2021, it welcomed 887,215 tourists, -44.5% YoY, and tourism revenue of 1.18 trillion VND, down 52.5%

Vietnam will host the ASEAN Para Games 11 in Dec, with 11 sports

All lockdown locations in HCMC have been eased

Gia Lai will remove its social distancing order from 25 Feb

Dong Thap province has developed almost 100 community based tourism sites, including a lotus field ecotourism site in Thap Muoi district, where an average of 10,000 visitors come per month

The Minister of Health has said that COVID-19 is under good control nationwide

HCMC will reopen schools on 1 Mar, Hanoi 2 Mar

Hanoi has launched a campaign for new lighting and decoration ideas

Several tourist trains have suspended their routes due to lack of demand, including trains from HCMC-Phan Thiet, Nha Trang and Danang. Hanoi has also reduced trains to Hai Phong, and earlier suspended routes to Lao Cai province

The Mandarin Oriental will manage a new luxury resort in Danang in 2024

Students in Quang Ninh province will start school on 1 Mar

Binh Thuan is aiming to welcome 6,5 million visitors in 2021. It expects 90% of the arrivals to be domestic, and revenue of $672.2 mil US. In 2020, it welcomed 3.2 million visitors, just 46% of its annual plan, and tourism revenue fell 38% YoY

Hai Phong will apply social distancing measures in certain areas

The social distancing measures have been lifted in 14 of 18 areas in Hanoi

Vietnam will be one of the host nations for the Davis Cup Group III events in APAC from 16-19 Jun

Savills Vietnam have reported that city hotels saw increased MICE and events bookings, and corporate events are starting to rise at resort hotels, too. The 2021 outlook is positive, but mainly focused around Q3/Q4 when travel restrictions are anticipated to be eased. Hanoi’s average hotel occupancy in 2020 was 32%, whilst HCMC’s was 23%, and national average occupancy at 24% in 2020 from 62% in 2019

HCMC’s hotel occupancy is at less than 10% according to the HCMC Department of Tourism

HCMC will quarantine all travellers to the city from Hai Duong province since 3 Feb in centralised facilities, as well as from other hotspots. The city is also randomly testing 10-20% of arrivals at the airport

Aviation staff who have contact with passengers will need to wear face shields and will be tested frequently after 2 clusters of cases arose from airports