Quang Binh, Vung Tau welcome first domestic tourists in new normalcy period

Six tourists from Ho Chi Minh City arrived in the central Quang Binh Province, home to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and the world’s largest cave Son Doong, on a commercial flight Friday night.

They registered a three-day-two-night tour package with major tour operator Oxalis, which earlier got the greenlight from provincial authorities to welcome fully vaccinated domestic tourists from now until June next year.

The group of tourists would stay at Chay Lap Farmstay & Resort and explore Tu Lan Cave, a pristine tourist destination in Quang Binh.

To join the tour package, tourist must be fully vaccinated with the second dose administered at least 14 days before arrival or furnish a certificate showing they had contracted and recovered from Covid. They also need to show a negative Covid certificate using the PCR method within 72 hours before departure.

Upon arrival, tourists are exempt from quarantine and testing regulations.

After a long time of lockdown measures and tourism closure, the southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau, home to Vung Tau beach town, welcomed back 80 first domestic visitors from HCMC who registered tour packages to visit the Grand Ho Tram Strip tourism complex and Binh Chau Hot Spring Resort in Xuyen Moc District.

All tourists have been fully immunized and furnished a negative Covid certificate before departure.

Tran Thi Thu Hien, deputy director of the province’s Department of Tourism, said the return of domestic tourists marked the revival of the industry in the new-normal period.

With the pandemic situation under control, some tourism hotspots in Vietnam have eased social distancing restrictions and resumed tourism activities since early October.

Vietnam is planning to switch from seeking zero Covid cases to responding safely to the disease so socio-economic activities could resume after months of lockdown.