Ho Chi Minh City’s transport authorities have issued official guidance on people and vehicle traffic amid loosening COVID-19 restrictions while resuming operations of the southern Vietnamese business hub under “new normal conditions.”

These travel instructions, effective from October 1, will be applied until further notice, the municipal Transport Department said the same day.

Accordingly, people in traffic must comply with epidemic prevention measures, have their required QR codes to make movement declarations and show their vaccination history.

People with no QR codes must have a certificate of recovery from COVID-19 for less than six months or a certificate of having the first COVID-19 vaccine dose at least 14 days before their travel.

Personal vehicles are allowed to travel within the city only, except in urgent cases.

Transport authorities will organize some bus routes at frequencies and time depending on actual needs of each area from October 5.

Taxi firms are required to operate with not more than 30 percent of their fleets, while the corresponding rate of 10 percent is applied for app-based passenger transporters using under-nine-seats vehicles.

The department will grant identification certificates with QR codes to vehicles registered for public passenger transport.   

Inland waterway passenger carriers are allowed to resume operation, while transporting passengers by motorbikes is not permitted.

Vehicles carrying goods to and through Ho Chi Minh City must have identification certificates with QR codes, while those making transit through the city must not stop or park, except in force majeure events.

People entering Ho Chi Minh City for medical services are required to have negative COVID-19 test results with validity and present either a hospital transfer form, an invitation to a follow-up appointment, or a travel pass issued by their local authorities.

Such people can travel by personal or public vehicles subject to relevant requirements.

In case Ho Chi Minh City’s residents return from other localities, they must possess documents proving their residency status such as household registration books and temporary residence certificates.

In addition, they are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours before their departure and obtain travel permission. They can use personal or public vehicles during travel.

People are allowed to leave Ho Chi Minh City only in urgent cases such as transporting critically ill patients, small children or pregnant women, having interviews for exit visas, among others.

In these cases, people can use public passenger vehicles or personal cars and be subject to travel permission. 

Meanwhile, travel to and from Tan Son Nhat International Airport is subject to the previous regulations by the Ministry of Transport.

The new guidance came as the southern city and the country in general are loosening strict COVID-19 restrictions, which have been applied for several months, to resume socio-economic activities under ‘new normal conditions,’ a phrase the Vietnamese government uses to describe its new strategy of living safely with the coronavirus.

Since the pandemic erupted in Vietnam in early 2020, the Southeast Asian nation has documented 797,712 COVID-19 cases, including 636,081 recoveries and 19,437 fatalities.

Except Cao Bang, the coronavirus has spread to 62 out of the country’s 63 cities and provinces, with Ho Chi Minh City suffering the most with 389,432 infection cases and 14,946 deaths.

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