Following the announcement of the Vietnam government to resume international flights on January 1, 2022, seven countries and territories have agreed to reopen flights to the country.
Based on local news reports, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) said that most of the countries have agreed to the country’s proposedfour regular international passenger flights per week per destination. These countries include the United States, Japan, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan.
A representative of Vietnam Airlines advised local media that it is in the process of trying to resume more regular international flights.
Currently, the airline has reopened regular commercial routes carrying passengers to Vietnam in seven markets: the US (four flights per week), Japan (three flights per week), South Korea (two flights per week), Singapore (two flights per week), Thailand (two flights per week) and Cambodia (four flights per week).
Singapore Airlines (SIA1) (SINGY) is partially resuming its operations to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi after two years. There are currently over 15,000 Vietnamese residing in Singapore, and from January 13, 2022, Singapore Airlines (SIA1) (SINGY) will operate biweekly flights from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City on Mondays and Thursdays and one to Hanoi every Friday.
In South Korea, where there is a limit on passenger arrivals due to COVID-19 travel regulations, only two flights per week between the country and Vietnam are currently allowed.
Apart from enhancing aviation security measures in preparation for the increased international arrivals, the country is also bracing itself for the upcoming peak travel period for the lunar new year. Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport has rolled out its passenger transportation plan for 2022 and the upcoming Tet, the Vietnamese lunar new year that is celebrated over three days starting February 1, 2022.
Based on the plan, the CAAV has directed airlines, airports, and service providers to prepare resources and ready to meet the travel needs of passengers, especially during the peak of the Lunar New Year. The CAAV wants to make sure that people do not have “no means of returning home to celebrate Tet.”