Vietnam to resume commercial flights to China after months of suspension

The government in Hanoi has agreed to resume commercial flights to and from China after months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the Transport Ministry said on Monday that the frequency and timing of flights was still being discussed.

There have been 372 infections and no deaths from Covid-19 in Vietnam since the outbreak began, and no community infections of the virus for nearly three months, Reuters reported. This has allowed the Southeast Asian nation to start resuming economic activity sooner than many other countries.

Vietnam suspended all commercial flights to and from China and stopped issuing visas for Chinese tourists in February, after the first cases were detected in the country. A visa suspension for Chinese tourists is still in place.

Domestic tourism in Vietnam has boomed in the absence of foreign arrivals. Chinese tourists accounted for a third of the 18 million foreigners who visited Vietnam last year. It is not yet clear if passengers from China will be subject to the centralized 14-day quarantine program currently in place for visitors to the country.