Vietnam is welcoming back foreign visitors in November 2021 on a trial basis after months of closing its inbound tourism services. (Photo: VNA)
According to VOV, destinations will be expanded in early 2022, and localities that meet conditions will be considered for allowing international tourists, Khanh said at a recent roundtable discussion to examine localities’ preparations for receiving holidaymakers.
Khanh said the tourism sector is actively implementing the Government’s Resolution 128 on safe and flexible adaptation to and effective control of COVID-19.
“Besides receiving domestic holidaymakers, Vietnam is reopening the door to international visitors to some localities, and moving towards fully reopening international tourism market,” said the official.
According to Khanh, safety will be given top priority and localities have been required to have plans to “handle incidents so that any problems that arise can be quickly resolved”.
Vo Huy Cuong, deputy director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, affirmed that the recovery of the tourism sector is closely linked to the recovery of the aviation sector.
He cited information from airlines, saying there will be incoming flights from international markets such as the Republic of Korea, Japan, Taiwan (China) and Thailand to selected pilot destinations in Vietnam in the near future.
These are very encouraging signals, helping Vietnam’s aviation sector to resume international commercial flights and facilitate the reception of international passengers as well as overseas Vietnamese wishing to return home, said Cuong.
Foreign visitors to Vietnam (Photo for illustration/ Source: thanhnien.vn)
Amid concerns about COVID-19 threats when Vietnam reopens its international tourism market, Vu The Binh, vice president of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said Vietnam cannot close its borders forever and localities COVID-19 must flexibly and safely adapt to COVID-19.
In his opinion, vaccination is the most important factor in COVID-19 prevention, and safe tourism development must go hand in hand with economic development.
“Travel businesses understand this best, therefore they must ensure safety for their employees and customers. We have to trust businesses. Businesses are allowed to operate as soon as they meet conditions,” said Binh.
Vietnam has closed its borders to combat the COVID-19 pandemic since late April 2020. The move has dealt a heavy blow to economic development, including the tourism sector that makes up approximately 10% of Vietnam’s gross domestic product.
The Government has recently approved the VNAT’s proposal to implement a pilot scheme to allow foreign travelers to destinations in Kien Giang, Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam, Da Nang and Quang Ninh in the first phase in the last two months of 2021.
Kien Giang is scheduled to welcome a flight from the Republic of Korea on November 20 to bring approximately 250 vaccinated visitors to its Phu Quoc island resort.
WB optimistic about prospects for Vietnamese economic recovery
Despite Vietnam facing challenges in restarting its economy following a prolonged lockdown, positive dynamics observed in October would suggest continued pickup and strengthening of growth in coming months, according to the World Bank.
The assessment was released in the November edition of the World Bank (WB)’s monthly Vietnam Macro Monitoring.
VOV cited that the report outlines that industrial production and retail sales have been rebounding as economic activities progressively resume, although they have yet to recover to the levels observed before the local outbreak which hit the country in April.
This rebound was largely driven by the resumption of production activities in Ho Chi Minh City along with its surrounding industrial hubs.
The merchandise trade balance also recorded a second month of surplus due to import growth continuing to slow, while foreign direct investment (FDI) commitment fell after three months of consecutive increases.
In total, the nation attracted US$23.7 billion worth of committed FDI in the opening 10 months of the year, a figure 1.1% higher than the same period from last year. Despite rising fuel prices, inflation remained subdued as a result of softening food prices and weakening domestic demand for non-food products.
(Photo for illustration/ Source: vneconomy.vn)
Furthermore, credit growth stabilised in October and overnight interbank interest rates levelled off following a four-month decline.
The October budget balance returned to surplus in October, mainly driven by a sharp fall in expenditures, although revenues continued to decrease for the third consecutive month. The year-to-date budget also recorded a surplus, thereby signaling a continued contractionary fiscal policy that is not supporting aggregate demand during its recovery.
Experts of the WB have therefore recommended that the Vietnamese Government conduct fiscal policy interventions through tax relief, acceleration of investment project implementation, and social assistance of the needy.
As part of this, the approved VAT reduction for businesses in travelling, hospitality, and entertainment ahead in November and December are expected to help boost weak domestic demand in this subsector.
With the local economy reopening and the number of new cases increasing, the continued rapid pace of vaccination and vigilance in testing and quarantining should therefore help to avoid a new wave of infections forcing new restrictive measures to protect lives, experts noted.
Economists have also advised the country to control inflation carefully, particularly as strengthening domestic demand amid rising energy prices around the world may create upward pressure on prices.
They also emphasised the necessity of accelerating the disbursement of capital investments, which can support aggregate demand, noting that increased social assistance will be able to support private demand.
Moreover, the authorities should continue paying close attention to the health of the financial sector moving forward.
Vietnamese university bags two second prizes in int’l tourism contest
Vietnam’s Hoa Sen University has claimed two second prizes at the 2021 MICE Destination Marketing Contest, intended for students majoring in tourism from around the world, reported VNA.
A design by Hoa Sen Dragons (Photo: nhandan.com)
The contest was organised by the Taiwan (China) External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) in both online and offline formats.
It saw the participation of 17 teams from Taiwan, mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam in three rounds, consisting of Marketing and Proposal-Planning requiring proposals written in English in a length of more than 10 A4 pages, Virtual Exhibition and Booth Design, and English Tour Guide presentation.
Vietnam’s Hoa Sen Dragons team, a group of four students and a lecturer majoring in tourism service and travel management, came second in the Best Exhibitions & Visual Design and Best Tour Guide categories for their project named Ascending Dragon – Intriguing Nuances, marking the university’s highest awards over five years of participating in the contest.
The team impressively introduced Vietnam’s cultural and historical values and vivid local life to international friends, in the virtual presentation on the iconic destination of Hanoi.
Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) is a type of tourism service that is planned in advance and designed for large groups of people for particular purposes. Exploiting the MICE market is one of the goals of Vietnam's tourism development strategy./.