A look at how foreign arrivals are quarantined in a Vietnam hotel

On Friday, Hoan Kiem District's Medical Center received a group of 20 South Korean experts visiting Vietnam for work purposes. After landing at Noi Bai International Airport, a bus transferred them to a hotel on Hang Bong Street where they had voluntarily signed up to be quarantined for 14 days as per health ministry protocol.
Vietnam also provides quarantine at military-run centralized facilities for VND120,000 ($5) a day.

When exiting the plane, the experts have their body temperatures checked and are required to wear protective clothing during the journey to the hotel.
Before boarding, all passengers are required to show a certificate confirming they have tested negative for novel coronavirus using the RT-PCR method within three to five days. In addition to documents like passports and entry visas, they are also required to make online declarations within 12 hours before departure and sign a commitment to pay treatment costs in case they are confirmed infected with Covid-19 in Vietnam.

Medical staff of Hoan Kiem District spray and disinfect all luggage of the South Korean experts to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Passengers' passports are sterilized with ultraviolet light.

Medical staff and a hotel manager jointly check the list and passports to receive the quarantined. Hotels serving as paid quarantine facilities are not allowed to accept guests not on the registration list.

The South Korean experts are required to keep a distance of at least two meters from those around them.

Hotel staff guide guests to use a private elevator, no more than two people per time. To serve quarantined foreign experts, hotel staff must attend a district medical center training course. Each room will provide essential items at three times the quantity of normal rate, keep all windows open and limit the use of air conditioning.
Guests will receive clean clothing at their door at fixed times of the day. Clothing to be laundered are places in a sealed bag and left in the hallway for staff to collect. These procedures help to limit close contact between quarantined guests and hotel staff to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Each room is equipped with a thermometer and hand sanitizer so that guests can self-monitor their body temperature and notify the hotel receptionist or medical staff as soon as they show symptoms of fever, coughing, a sore throat and difficulty breathing.
Food is served according to the hotel's menu at a fixed time of the day. Hotel staff do not serve food as requested by quarantined passengers.

Phan Huy Tuan, 28, a hotel employee on Hang Bong Street, has volunteered to serve quarantined passengers since mid-October. During this time, he has not been allowed to go home.
"During work, we do not have direct contact with quarantined passengers and we all wear protective clothing," Tuan said, adding he is being paid double his normal allowance.

At the hotel lobby, local police and medical staff are on duty 24/24 to ensure security and provide troubleshooting services. During the 14 days, quarantined guests have their samples tested twice and are not allowed to leave the hotel.

Outsiders are banned from entering hotels serving as paid quarantine facilities. Quarantine costs at four-star hotels in Hanoi range from VND2.5-3 million ($107.86-129.43 ) a day.
Authorities in Hanoi are stepping up inspection of hotels that offer paid quarantine services after two employees of Muong Thanh Grand Center were isolated for 14 days following close contact with an Israeli man confirmed positive for coronavirus on November 14. The two employees tested negative but still have to complete quarantine period.
Vietnam has now registered 1,213 Covid-19 patients, with 105 active cases. The country has gone more than two months without community transmission of the disease.