Viet Nam suspends the granting of visa to foreigners for 30 days beginning 00:00 on March 18, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The move aims at curbing the spread of COVID-19 in the community.

At Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA)

As from 00:00 on March 18, those who are exempt from visa or possess visa exemption certificates for overseas Vietnamese and their family members, and some other special cases (specialists, business managers and skilled workers) are required to have certificates of testing negative to SARS-CoV-2 issued by an authorized agency and accepted by Viet Nam in order to enter Viet Nam.

The requirement is not applicable for those who enter Viet Nam for diplomatic or business purposes.

All people entering the country must undergo medical checks and follow epidemic preventive measures as required. 

Besides cases of arrivals already subject to concentrated quarantine, people arriving from the US, European and ASEAN countries are now also required to be quarantined in concentrated facilities; and those who are not subject to concentrated quarantine must be self-quarantined and put under medical monitoring at their houses, enterprises and accommodations or in groups. 

Viet Nam has informed this decision to diplomatic representative missions, consular offices, and representative offices of international organisations in Viet Nam. The country will continue to keep a close watch of the situation and coordinate with other countries and international organisations and partners to timely adjust epidemic prevention measures for the highest goal of protecting the health and safety of Vietnamese people and foreign citizens in Viet Nam.

Source: VNA