Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has proposed that people be allowed to enter Vietnam without showing certificates of COVID-19 vaccination or recovery, provided they comply with local epidemic prevention measures.

In a proposal sent to ministries and other agencies for feedback, the health ministry suggested that people coming to Vietnam no longer need to present such certifications, but it has yet to set a specific time frame for applying this new rule, if approved by the government, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

However, entrants would have to make health declarations prior to their entry and use the health declaration app PC-COVID throughout their stay in the country.

Travelers who arrive in Vietnam by air must provide a certified negative RT-PCR/RT-LAMP test result taken within 72 hours of their departure, or a rapid antigen test taken within 24 hours of their departure.

The proposal also suggests that arrivals not take post-entry coronavirus testing, but instead must follow COVID-19 prevention and control measures as applied to those who have been staying in Vietnam.

For entrants arriving via other means of transport, they must present a negative coronavirus test and follow epidemic safety measures.

Those who are unable to provide such tests would be required to undergo either RT-PCR/RT-LAMP or rapid antigen tests within 24 hours of their entry.

They would then have to continue following COVID-19 prevention measures if they receive a negative test result, but must report to local health authorities for instructions if they are found positive, the proposal said.

Any entrants with COVID-19 symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat, running nose, body pain, tiredness, cold, loss of taste or smell, headache, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, and respiratory inflammation upon their entry would have to immediately report their health conditions to local health authorities for instructions on how to proceed.

They would be required to wear face masks, disinfect, keep a safe distance from other people, make health declarations, and avoid gathering when moving from entry gates to accommodations, with stops along the way being minimized.

Children under two years old are exempted from coronavirus tests upon their entry and those who have yet to be vaccinated or infected with COVID-19 can join their parents and relatives in activities outside their accommodations.

For people entering Vietnam at the invitation of the country’s senior leaders, the steps included in the reception plan still apply.

Since the pandemic hit Vietnam in early 2020, the Southeast Asian nation has documented 5,260,495 COVID-19 infections, with 2,908,365 recoveries and 41,157 fatalities, the health ministry reported.

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