World Cup qualifiers: One-day quarantine for Vietnam after Saudi Arabia game

Vietnam will begin their campaign for the final World Cup qualification round by playing away against Saudi Arabia on Sept. 2. Right after, the team will fly back to Vietnam to prepare for their clash with Australia on Sept. 7.

According to current regulations, international arrivals in Vietnam will be quarantined for 14 days. However, all related ministries and departments have made an exception for coach Park Hang-seo and players to fit the schedule of World Cup qualifiers. When the team arrive at the airport, they will be tested right away. While awaiting results, the team would stay in quarantine for a day. If all members test negative for Covid-19, the team would continue training as normal.

All team members have been vaccinated for Covid-19 twice.

After a meeting with Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Health and Hanoi authorities Wednesday afternoon, Vietnam Football Federation (VFF)’s request to exempt away teams from quarantine was approved. Therefore, Vietnam will get to play their home games at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi instead of centralized venues.

Vietnam will play five home World Cup qualifiers against Australia on Sept. 7, Japan on Nov. 11, Saudi Arabia on Nov. 16, China on Feb. 1, and Oman on March 24.