Vietnam mulls resuming commercial flights with South Korea

Vietnam is mulling over resuming commercial flights with several countries, including South Korea, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh has said.

Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh (right) and South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung Wha, Hanoi, March 2018. Photo: VGP

Minh revealed the information during a Wednesday phone talk with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung Wha, according to Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

Resuming international flights has been considered after Vietnam has initially contained the novel coronavirus and reopened the economy.

Accordingly, the related ministries have built plans for the resumption of international commercial flights as part of the country’s efforts to facilitate the entry of foreign experts and businesspeople.

Resuming international flights also sends a message that Vietnam is a safe destination for visitors and investors amid uncertainties of the global health crisis.

Since it closed borders to select foreign visitors on March 22, Vietnam has allowed only foreign diplomats, experts, entrepreneurs, high-skilled workers, and those of special cases to enter the country.

South Korean experts arrived in Vietnam's northern city of Haiphong in early July. Photo: CAHP

Regarding South Korea visitors, Vietnam recently has given permission to a number of businessmen. So far, about 4,500 experts from South Korea have arrived in Vietnam since the beginning of the pandemic. All of them are required to comply with quarantine regulations by the Vietnamese government.

South Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Park Noh Wan suggested at a dialogure between the Vietnamese Prime Minister’s Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform and the South Korean business community on July 17 that the Vietnamese government adopt quarantine rules with greater flexibility for businesspeople and experts upon entering Vietnam.

In the face of reopening economy after containing the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Vietnam of possible threats after opening its borders, saying that the country should be very careful in relaxing requirements on foreign entry.

South Korea is currently the biggest investor in Vietnam with an accumulated amount of US$68.3 billion, accounting for 18,1% of Vietnam’s total foreign direct investment commitments. 
South Korea is also one of few countries in the world that have initially contained the novel coronavirus.