Due to covid-19, every country is suffering a lot. This deadly pandemic has affected many nations. Vietnam is also among such countries that have managed to control this epidemic.

Economy is dwindling but as Vietnam is one of the countries that was affected very early and due to taking precautionary measures, the impacts were contained and lockdowns were minor compared to other more developed countries.

One first wave and one second one

During the first wave of coronavirus, many people got infected. In February 2020, the first covid case was reported in Vietnam. From then the Vietnamese government tried their best to contain this virus. People also followed the advice of WHO and pandemic stopped.

After one to two months, things started to go back to normal. All businesses were allowed. People were very happy that they defeated the pandemic. Vietnam is among those blessed countries that were corona free for months. For about 90 days, not a single covid case was reported. Everything was returned to normal but only for a few months.

After all these felicitous moments, Vietnam was hit by a second wave of corona. That second wave was really very tough and hard. Pandemic spread like fire in the jungle. In less than one week, more than one thousand people got infected. This time, lockdown was enforced on a serious note in specific locations around Danang. After severe and tough lockdown, within days, the Vietnamese government contained this pandemic one more time.

Within days, things went to normal. Gradually, everything was returning towards previous normal days. The International Monetary Fund has revised upward its forecast for Vietnam’s 2020 GDP growth to 2.4 percent which is optimistic for the expected growth of the upcoming year.

What is living in Vietnam today ?

Nowadays, everything is getting back normal. Businesses are opened and people are working following sops. People are turning back to normal days.

If you are planning to move to Vietnam then you need to prepare specific paperwork with the help of a lawyer in Vietnam to support your case and prepare all the dossier. As Vietnam’s application to get a business visa goes through different applications from the People’s Committee to the immigration department, you will need to prepare your application and be eligible to get access to Vietnam nowadays.

Visa situation now: how it works ?

Guillaume from movetoasia.com has uploaded a video that has each and every detail about the visa process and other credentials that are required to go to Vietnam. You can also find updated resources on his page about Vietnam.

It has covered health insurance requirements, visa process and current eligibility (for international experts and investors), and updated situations in Vietnam and quarantine procedures to enter in Vietnam. By following this procedure, a number of foreigners made their way to Vietnam in this pandemic year.

How to come to Vietnam ?

As Guillaume detailed in his video, there are right now two ways to enter in Vietnam and prepare a long term staying there:

1. Start a business in Vietnam : It is the best and most attractive if you are a business owner, an investor or want to do business in Vietnam. Nowadays, Vietnam is trying its best to attract investors by providing ease of incorporating companies. Our suggestion is to work closely with lawyers who are used to dealing with foreigners during this time, knowing the updated regulations and willing to provide you support from A to Z.
2. Be hired as a foreign expert : Find a job and present your skills in relevant industries. Nowadays, Vietnam requires experts as many skilled people left them during the pandemic era. Some companies are willing to pay extra, cover your visa and travel expenses.

Vietnam’s economy is healing nowadays. Authorities have made possible this by containing corona virus via cemented efforts.

Now, Vietnam is focusing on rebuilding its economy. This is the best time If you have been looking for a chance to move to Vietnam. Set up a business plan and execute it or find a job that requires a skilled person. In addition, Guillaume has helped a number of business men, experts in the last months; try to reach him at contact@movetoasia.com and ask for tailored advice.

Foreign passengers holding ‘vaccine passports’ should still undergo 14-day quarantine in the absence of information on the potential risk of infection following two-dose inoculation, health experts said.

Tran Dac Phu, senior advisor at the Public Health Emergency Operations Center under the Health Ministry, said the world has a tradition of certifying travel for those who have been fully vaccinated against a number of diseases such as cholera, lymphadenitis and yellow fever,  Vietnam Insider citing a report from VNExpress.

However, Covid-19 is a new infectious disease, requiring newly developed vaccines. Despite various mass inoculation campaigns, the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines remains open to verification, Phu said.

“Different vaccines will have different protective effects and it remains unknown how long antibodies against the novel coronavirus would exist in the body of a person already vaccinated,” he said.

When the strain of the virus changes, the Covid-19 vaccine might no longer work, he said.

Phu’s comments came as countries like China and Israel started issuing digital health certificates for travelers who had been vaccinated against Covid-19, also dubbed “vaccine passports.”

The U.S. and Britain are among countries currently considering issuing similar permits, while the European Union is also working on its own vaccine “green pass,” allowing those who have had the jab to travel more freely within the region this summer.

Phu said Vietnam is yet to introduce policies regarding vaccination certificates and that anyone entering the country still have to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Echoing Phu, Truong Huu Khanh, head of the infectious and neurological diseases department at Ho Chi Minh City’s Children’s Hospital No.1, said there is no vaccine that guarantees 100 percent immunity.

Evidence of their effect only appears after many inoculations, with the number in Vietnam still low, meaning there is no herd immunity in the country of 98 million people as yet, Khanh added.

As of Thursday, 955 medical staff and frontline workers in the Covid-19 fight have received the first dose of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, with some having developed minor complications.

Khanh advised those holding a vaccine passport and entering the country to be screened and quarantined for 14 days.

An anonymous expert at the Health Ministry said global studies showed Covid-19 inoculation only helps reduce symptoms, and have not proved to reduce the risk of infection, as with the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines.

“Covid-19 vaccines are being rapidly produced, meaning those already vaccinated with two doses still need to be closely monitored,” he said.

On Wednesday, Calvin Q Trinh, a Vietnamese national in the U.S., landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC on a repatriation flight along with nearly 300 other Vietnamese. Prior to returning to Vietnam, he had received two Covid-19 vaccine shots provided by Moderna in the U.S., evidenced by a “Covid-19 Vaccination Record Card” in his passport.

However, he is still being quarantined for 14 days as per Health Ministry protocol.

Vietnam closed its borders in March last year and banned entry of foreign nationals except for those with diplomatic or official passports or are high-skilled workers.

Earlier, experts proposed Vietnam’s tourism industry to prepare to welcome vaccinated foreign visitors back to the country from the third quarter in a similar vein to regional peers. But officials said they would need more time as the opening of international markets could meet with difficulties and public opposition for fears of further Covid-19 outbreaks, according to VNExpress.

@ Vietnam Insider