reader Posted October 22, 2021 Posted October 22, 2021 From Vietnam News HCM CITY — Kiên Giang Province People’s Committee on October 21 issued a pilot plan to welcome international tourists using "vaccine passports" to Phú Quốc Island beginning November 20. The plan aims to gradually restore the international tourism market, ensure security in tourism activities, and contribute to socio-economic development targets set for 2021. The People’s Committee of Kiên Giang Province requests all international tourists to have a vaccine passport and strictly comply with epidemic prevention measures in Việt Nam. At least 90 per cent of the population and workers in Phú Quốc have to be fully vaccinated in order to be ready to welcome international guests in the future. The pilot plan will be implemented in two phases within the course of six months. Specifically, from November 20, a number of charter flights will go to Phú Quốc for authorities to test the process of picking up and serving guests. Based on the experience, authorities will then evaluate the plan’s feasibility, make adjustments if necessary, and follow the official roadmap from December 20 onwards. During the first phase from December 20 to March 20, Phú Quốc will welcome 3,000 to 5,000 tourists per month via charter flights and allocate private experiences within limited locations and areas for guests. The second phase, which starts from March 20, 2022 to June 20, 2022, involves evaluation of the first phase and a scale of 5,000 to 10,000 guests per month if all requirements are met. With regards to the target audience, international tourists will be allowed to visit from countries and territories with high safety in COVID-19 epidemic prevention. They will enter Phú Quốc International Airport via charter flights with a certificate of full vaccination against COVID-19 or a proof of COVID-19 recovery recognised by relevant authorities in Việt Nam. Injection of the second shot must have been done at least 14 days before and no more than 12 months from the day of arrival. Visitors who have recovered from COVID-19 have to submit proof that their discharge from the hospital to the date they enter Phú Quốc has not exceeded six months. In addition, an English certificate of negative COVID-19 test results via the RT-PCR method within 72 hours before departure must be prepared by visitors. Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Đoàn Văn Việt said the ministry had proposed a roadmap to resume international tourism activities in three stages, with the first stage starting from November 2021, during which Phú Quốc in the southern province of Kiên Giang; Cam Ranh in the central province of Khánh Hòa, Quảng Nam Province and Đà Nẵng City are open to foreign visitors going on package tours and travelling on charter or commercial flights. In the second stage from January 2022, the sector will serve more foreign travellers and connect with destinations via charter and regular flights. In the third stage from the second quarter of next year, international tourism activities will be fully re-opened on the condition of ensuring adherence to pandemic prevention and control regulations. https://vietnamnews.vn/society/1063879/phu-quoc-to-welcome-international-tourists-with-vaccine-passports-in-november.html =================================== Aviation authority wants regular int'l flights to resume right in fourth quarter HÀ NỘI — The Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam (CAAV) has proposed the Ministry of Transport permit airlines to resume international air routes right in the fourth quarter of this year. Under the proposal, the resumption will start with flights for Vietnamese citizens using a combo of airline ticket, COVID-19 testing fee, food and stay at a hotel for quarantine. Passengers will spend seven days in paid quarantine areas if all the passengers on their flight are fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19. Passengers from other flights will undergo 14-day quarantine. The first international air routes for reopening this year include those to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan (China), Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, France, Germany, Russia and Australia. International airports including Vân Đồn (in Quảng Ninh Province), Đà Nẵng (in Đà Nẵng City) and Cam Ranh (in Khánh Hoà Province) will receive the international flights. Other international airports could still be open but permissions from local authorities are pending. Municipal and provincial people’s committees will decide the frequencies of the international flights. At this time, Việt Nam only allows international flights that carry foreign tourists to specific locations including Phú Quốc Island, Khánh Hòa and Quảng Ninh. Once the CAAV’s proposal is approved, in the first month of implementation, there will be one flight a day. In the following month, it’s expected to increase to two flights daily. The CAAV also proposed that in the second phase of international air route reopening, regular international flights are only for fully vaccinated passengers or those who have recovered from COVID-19. Passengers will not have to obtain any documents to enter Việt Nam but meet requirements on immigration and health control. In this phase, Việt Nam will reopen air routes to China, Hong Kong (China), Japan, South Korea, Taiwan (China), Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, France, Germany, Russia, Australia and other markets that are not recommended for limited travel by the national steering committee of COVID-19 prevention and control. It’s expected there will be four flights weekly on each route. Passengers are only allowed to check-in at their departure airports when it is confirmed that they have paid the cost of a 7-day quarantine at a designated hotel-charged quarantine facility in a locality of Việt Nam including ground transportation to the hotel. Depending on the results, the CAAV will propose adding new markets and increasing the frequency to match herd immunity and market demand. In the third phase expected to start from April 2022, regular passenger flights to Việt Nam will be deployed depending on the progress of vaccination in the country and assessment of herd immunity after mass vaccination. Post-entry quarantine is not required when applying the “vaccine passport” mechanism. https://vietnamnews.vn/society/1063818/aviation-authority-wants-regular-intl-flights-to-resume-right-in-fourth-quarter.html Quote
PeterRS Posted October 22, 2021 Posted October 22, 2021 I had never heard of Phú Quốc until late 2018 when I was planning a trip to Vietnam for February 2019. I wanted the trip to end somewhere on a beach. Fortunately I had loads of points in the Marriott Hotel programme and I noticed that the island has a Bili Bensley designed Marriott Resort which had opened the previous year. So I got rid of many of them for a 5-night stay. I absolutely loved the hotel and the beach. It's certainly not cheap but the facilities were wonderful and the mostly young staff fantastic. I thoroughly recommend it for anyone wishing to splurge. I would prefer to return to a good hotel on Phú Quốc before Phuket now. Bangkok Airways used to have a daily flight from BKK. Once tourism is up and running again, the authorities may also restart the hydrofoil from Ho Chi Minh. The Marriott is close to the south east end of the island. Further up the same beach are a couple of other hotels which might be worth checking. There are also loads of other hotels on other beaches. tm_nyc and Ruthrieston 2 Quote
Guest Posted October 22, 2021 Posted October 22, 2021 Photo 1: Promotional picture from a website. Showing a waterfall allegedly on Phu Quoc Photo 2: One of my own photos, showing the Kuang Si waterfalls in 2009. These are in Laos, near Luang Prabang. Thankfully when PeterRS posts photos of Phu Quoc, we can also be sure they are on Phu Quoc. Quote
Members tm_nyc Posted October 22, 2021 Members Posted October 22, 2021 I visited Phu Quoc in 2014 & I do recall visiting a waterfall that was a big local tourist attraction. However, it was in the winter & there was no rain so there was not much to see. Funny that they would 'borrow' a photo from a site in Laos! Quote
