Vietnam reopening tourist destinations to vaccinated travelers in December

Vietnam announced on Wednesday that some of its tourist destinations would be reopened to travelers starting in December if they come from pre-approved “low-risk” countries and are vaccinated, Reuters reported.

Among the sites and areas that would be reopened to tourists would be the coastal town of Nha Trang, the city of Dalat, and the UNESCO World Heritage sites Hoi An and Halong Bay.

“We are moving step by step, cautiously but flexibly to adapt to real situations of the pandemic,” Vietnam’s government said in a statement on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

In September, Vietnam announced that Phu Quoc island would again be available as a destination for tourists who are fully vaccinated to visit beginning in November. 

Tourists are expected to be welcomed back throughout the country around June, according to Reuters.

More vaccinated tourists will also be welcomed in Thailand, which signaled that starting in November, additional sites and areas would allow international guests for visits, per the wire service. 

Meanwhile in Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that the country would soon be allowing its citizens to travel out of the country once states reach a vaccination threshold of at least 80 percent of people aged 16 years and older.

The move by Australia is expected to start in November, though different parts of the country will reopen at different times. It is unclear when vaccinated travelers will be allowed to reenter Australia.

Coronavirus cases in Vietnam appear to be trending downward, with the country seeing over 5,300 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday compared to the country’s COVID-19 peak of over 17,000 in late August, according to data from the World Health Organization.

Still, Vietnam’s vaccination rate is low, with 12 percent of its country fully vaccinated so far, per data from Johns Hopkins University.