No centralized quarantine for vaccinated travelers: Deputy PM

The Ministry of Health needs to issue new guidelines on quarantine to reflect this change no later than Dec. 15, Dam said at a meeting Wednesday. This would remove the current need for arrivals to be quarantined in designated facilities.

Only those who are not vaccinated need to be kept in centralized facilities and be inoculated there, he said.

Vietnam is now in different circumstances than before, Dam said, noting that despite the rising number of cases the country has been able to contain the disease and vaccination speed was rising.

In the latest wave that hit Vietnam in late April, more than 1.35 million cases have been reported and 1.03 million of them have recovered. So far 55.5 million people have been fully vaccinated.

Dam said the Transport Ministry and aviation authorities need to work on expedited resumption of international flights.

An official of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said at the meeting that they have connected with the "vaccine passport" system of other countries to ensure that all those who book tickets for Vietnam are fully vaccinated.

Those who are not vaccinated can only purchase tickets after they have registered to stay at a quarantine facility in Vietnam.

But several ministers expressed concerns about the ability of the country to contain the pandemic, especially as the Omicron variant is spreading.

The health ministry has since August required fully vaccinated passengers who are negative after a PCR test to be quarantined in a designated facility for seven days and to self-monitor their health for the next seven days.

The same regulation applies to those who have recovered from the disease for six months or less.

Vietnam has welcomed over 200,000 foreign experts and high-skilled labors since the beginning of the pandemic.