Vietnam to test reopening starting with Phu Quoc Island

Vietnam was one of the earliest countries to lockdown due to Covid-19, a strategy that had done it well until a massive outbreak in April, just like Thailand. And now, also like Thailand, they are looking to relaunch their tourism industry after close to two years of closures. Vietnam is now looking to reopen in late November, starting with the popular resort island of Phu Quoc.

The island aims to reopen to inoculated foreign tourists starting November 20 with charter flights bringing fully vaccinated international travelers to the tropical paradise. Phu Quoc is known for beautiful white sand beaches and clear blue waters on the coast with jungles and mountains inland.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Vietnamese government was angling to turn the island in the Gulf of Thailand about 10 km off the coast of Cambodia into a beach-going tourist hot spot along the lines of Bali and Phuket. Phu Quoc had already been drawing massive crowds with figures from 2019 reporting US $18 billion generated by approximately 670,000 international travellers.

Like Thailand’s reopening, Vietnamese authorities hope to attract travellers from countries that are low risk for Covid-19 infections, citing parts of Europe, the Middle East, Northeast and Southeast Asia, North America, and Australia as their target market.

The reopening was originally planned for October, then postponed due to low local vaccination rates, with only about 20% of Vietnam’s 100 million people having received the full inoculation. But the Vietnam economy is suffering after closed borders and some of the strictest lockdowns in the world, with almost no commercial flights being allowed to land in Vietnam since the beginning months of last year.

So Vietnam is dipping its toe in the water with Phu Quoc, hoping to bring in a few vaccinated tourists next month and, if successful, slowly trickle in another 5,000 foreigners on charter flights between December and the end of March.

Vietnamese authorities hope that the experimental reopening of Phu Quoc Island will pave the way to reopening other popular tourist destinations like Ha Long Bay and Hoi An in the near future, but no timeline or details have been set yet.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World / The Thaiger

VISA AGENT

#Vietnam - New helicopter allows aerial enjoyment of Ha Long Bay

A helicopter tour launched by a Vietnamese firm adds an extra dimension to the enjoyment of Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay.

Starting May 10, visitors have been invited to book the Ha Long Heli Tours through Fastsky, the country’s first helicopter ride-sharing service run by ride-hailing firm FastGo.

The tour, provided by the Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company, uses two U.S.-made Bell-505 helicopters with five seats each.

The journey will start from the Tuan Chau heliport and go over famous Ha Long Bay attractions including the Thien Cung Cave and Ti Top Island, as well as Bai Tu Long, a lesser-known neighbor of Ha Long Bay.

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The trips, which start at $125 for a 12-minute journey, aim to tap the growing number of tourists to Vietnam, mainly from China, the world's second biggest economy, the company stated.

China has been Vietnam's main source of tourists in recent years, accounting for one third of all foreign visitors. More than four million Chinese visitors arrived in Vietnam last year, up 48.6 percent year-on-year.

Chinese visitors have also been encouraged by a new policy that allows groups to visit the border province of Quang Ninh in northern Vietnam, home to the popular Ha Long Bay, for up to three days without a visa.

The Vietnamese government has also allowed Chinese nationals to apply for 30-day single-entry electronic visas for holidays and business trips.

Visitors have two other options - 25-minute and 40-minute journeys, costing VND4 million ($172) to VND7 million ($301).

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Around four hours drive to the east of Hanoi, Ha Long Bay was recognized as world heritage site in 1994 by UNESCO, and voted among the world’s seven new natural wonders by Swiss organization New Open World in 2011.

Recent events that have heightened the bay’s attraction include the filming of "Kong: Skull Island", a Hollywood blockbuster, in 2017; and the launch of Vietnam's first private airport Van Don International Airport late last year, providing foreign tourists with easier access.

Improved infrastructure makes the UNESCO-listed bay increasingly accessible.

However, the tourism boom has also left the once-pristine bay under mounting pressure, threatened by overcrowding and trash pollution that have sparked great concern among environmentalists and heritage experts.

U.K. travel site Rough Guides recently included Ha Long Bay in the top ten UNESCO heritage sites in Asia.

In 2015 the bay was hailed by U.S. travel guide site Smarter Travel as one of the best ecological spots in the world. U.S. news site Business Insider has described an overnight Ha Long cruise trip a "must-try" travel experience in Asia.

Source - VN Expess

#Vietnam - Ha Long Bay footage on American channel wows viewers

 A short video-clip on Ha Long Bay aired by ABC News drew admiring comments and ‘likes’ from viewers.

The video of limestone karst mountains rising spectacularly from turquoise waters in the northern province of Quang Ninh was broadcast by the American channel Tuesday.

The footage was filmed by reporter David Muir, who commented: "And looking out the window, the incredible sight. The limestone formations as far as we could see. And from the ground, the tour boats dwarfed by those formations."

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Viewers were impressed too. As of Friday, the video had been watched by 4,000 people.

"Thank you for sharing the beauty of Vietnam," said Victoria Heim.

"My wife and I had our second honeymoon there. The place looks so beautiful from September to November. We booked a luxury tour boat and spent 3 days there," said Frank.

"Looks just beautiful, UNESCO heritage sites are always worth the time to visit," wrote Stella Bar.

Ha Long Bay has been one of Vietnam's biggest tourism magnets for some time now. U.S. travel guide site Smarter Travel has described it as one of the best ecological spots in the world, while Business Insider has advised that an overnight Ha Long cruise trip is a "must-try" travel experience in Asia.

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The bay was a shooting site for Hollywood blockbuster "Kong: Skull Island" which hit local theaters in 2017.

Americans are among the top foreign visitors to Vietnam, with 687,226 arrivals last year, an 11 percent year-on-year increase.

Thanks to simplified visa requirements, Vietnam has emerged among the fastest-growing international travel destinations for Americans, who are big spenders in the country, shelling out on average $3,233 per trip, according to a survey released last year by travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth.

Source - VN Express