Despite successfully containing its COVID-19 outbreak, Vietnam has no plans to open up to international tourists yet over fears that doing so could lead to the second wave of infections, the country's prime minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said on Wednesday.
"There is no story of rushing to open the doors," the Prime Minister said in a statement posted to the government website.
Highly skilled foreign experts such as engineers have been allowed to enter Vietnam on special flights and quarantine at hotels to keep the economy afloat throughout the global pandemic.
Phuc said the frequency of such flights should be increased.
In early June, Vietnam said it was planning to resume flights to some virus-free countries that had registered no coronavirus cases for 30 days or more.
A health worker sprays disinfectant inside a Vietnam Airlines airplane in Feb. /File photo from Reuters
Since March, Vietnam started suspending visas for foreign arrivals to limit the spread of the virus.
Other Southeast Asian countries with slowing infections are considering travel bubble arrangements in the months ahead, such as Malaysia and Thailand, to include countries such as China, South Korea, and Japan.
Thailand has been 31 days without a domestic transmission and will allow some short-term business travelers and medical tourists from next month.
A file picture of a health worker after spraying disinfectant inside a Vietnam Airlines plane during the coronavirus./ Reuters
Vietnam recorded a 98 percent fall in visitors this April compared to last year due to the pandemic, according to the South China Morning Post. But its success in fighting against COVID-19 makes the local tourism industry see the possibility to revive.
Half a year into the pandemic, the country reported no deaths from the virus and no more community transmission of the virus for more than two months. Such a statistic makes Vietnam one of the biggest countries by population to report no deaths.
The country has used a combination of the mass quarantine, contact-tracing, and testing to contain a relatively small cluster of the outbreak.
In its most recent update, Vietnam's Ministry of Health has still ordered all the people in the country to wear face masks in public places. Those found not wearing masks or not disposing of masks could be arrested and fined.
(With input from agencies)