Khanh Hoa welcomes first international tourists with vaccine passports

The Vietnamese diaspora were among 293 passengers on a Bamboo Airways flight, the rest of them being repatriates.

The tourists were taken separately through immigration procedures and health screening and then to an isolated resort in the beach town of Nha Trang.

During their seven days at the resort, they will not make contact with society outside; and there will be no overlap with domestic tourism activities. They will stick to an itinerary prepared by a travel company.

A 41-year-old tourist said he was glad to be able to travel to Vietnam post-Covid-19. He also said that he enjoyed the warm welcome the tourists were accorded. Another said the nice weather comforted him and he also appreciated the disease prevention measures taken at the airport.

Nguyen Thi Le Thanh, director of the Khanh Hoa tourism department, said they have chosen appropriate facilities and trained employees so tourists could enjoy their trip while still preventing infections.

In the last quarter of 2021, Khanh Hoa aims to receive over 163,000 visitors, including 2,600 foreigners, and generate around VND476 billion ($20.9 billion) in revenue.

Besides Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam and Kien Giang’s Phu Quoc Island have also begun to receive international tourists coming via the vaccine passport program. Da Nang and Quang Ninh are also ready to receive international guests this year.