Aviation agency wants resumption of commercial services to Japan, South Korea this month

Dinh Viet Thang, head of the administration, said following discussions with aviation authorities in the two countries the proposal has been made to the Ministry of Transport for four round trips a week to each country.

The countries will have an equal share of bilateral flights.

Thang said the ministry would work with the health and defense ministries to discuss quarantine capacity and costs and pandemic control regulations for foreign passengers.

Quarantine costs are being collected from people arriving from abroad starting September 1.

After relevant agencies come to a decision, the ministry would allow airlines to begin ticket sales.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc last Saturday ordered the transport ministry to speed up resumption of aviation services to South Korea and Japan.

Both countries are Vietnam's biggest foreign investors and also send the largest number of tourists to the Vietnam.

With border closures and suspension of flights, the number of foreign tourists arriving in Vietnam was only 3.8 million in the first eight months of this year, down by two thirds year-on-year.

The transport ministry had suggested resuming flights to some Asian destinations such as Guangzhou, Phnom Penh, Seoul, Tokyo, Taiwan, and Vientiane in July, but the renewed spread of Covid-19 in late July put paid to the plans.

The Vietnam Aviation Business Association last month called on the government to resume flights to countries that have contained the pandemic, and allow foreign tourists entry if they meet pandemic prevention requirements since Vietnamese airlines were suffering heavy losses without international flights.

Vietnam has had 1,044 Covid-19 cases, 301 of them still active, and 34 deaths. There have been no new cases in the last two days.