Vietnam Airlines to reopen regular flights to 15 int'l destinations from Jan

The government has approved for resumption of international flights on nine routes from January 1 and six extra ones from January 26.

Vietnam Airlines has announced it will start flying right from those dates.

On January 1 it is set to start flying to Bangkok (Thailand), Beijing/Guangzhou (China), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), San Francisco or Los Angeles (the U.S.), Seoul (South Korea), Singapore, Taipei (Taiwan), Tokyo (Japan), and Vientiane (Laos).

It is waiting for approval from aviation authorities to start ticket sales.

On January 16 it plans to add Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Russia to its itinerary.

Flights would be added on routes connecting Vietnam with Frankfurt (Germany), Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Moscow (Russia), Paris (France) and Sydney (Australia).

Under guidelines issued by the health ministry last week, fully vaccinated people and those who have recovered from Covid-19 will only need to self-isolate for three days instead of having to spend a week at centralized quarantine facilities.

All arrivals, except children below two, must have tested negative for the novel coronavirus using the PCR method within 72 hours before departure.

Vietnam closed its borders and grounded international flights in March 2020, allowing in only citizens, foreign experts, investors, and highly-skilled workers coming in on special flights.