Vietnamplus

The Huu Nghi (Friendship) international border gate in the northern province of Lang Son has resumed full import-export and travel activities with China from January 8.

Myanmar has issued new health guidelines for incoming travellers through airports, which will take effect from August 1, according to the country's Ministry of Health (MOH).

Thailand will remove its Test & Go travel scheme for foreign arrivals and RT-PCR testing upon arrival from the end of this month as vaccinated travellers will only need to take self-antigen tests during their stay from May 1 as part of a further easing of entry rules to boost the economy and tourism.

International tourists who have recovered from COVID-19 will not have to take COVID-19 PCR test before entering Laos, according to Laos’ Ministry of Health.

The Indonesian government has decided to reopen more international airports and seaports, apart from easing entry restrictions.

The Thai Tourism and Sports Ministry is considering the replacement of mandatory PCR testing for foreign tourists with COVID rapid antigen tests certified by a competent authority from May 1.

The Philippines will resume pre-pandemic entry regulations for fully vaccinated foreign nationals from visa-required countries from on April 1, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Kristian Ablan said on March 25.

Singapore and Indonesia have decided to ease more COVID-19 safety measures as part of recent moves to safely live with the coronavirus disease.

To facilitate foreigners’ entry, the Lao Government has enabled foreigners to register for a QR code (Vaccine ID) online in order to certify their vaccination status and RT-PCR test result.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s upcoming visit to Cambodia from December 21-22 affords both sides a chance to discuss major orientations and measures to further boost bilateral ties in the new period.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has ordered to cut the COVID-19 RT-PCR test prices to a range between 450,000 rupiah (some 31.24 USD) and 550,000 rupiah from the previous maximum of 900,000 rupiah set by the Health Ministry.

The capital city of Hanoi is racing against time to conduct mass COVID-19 testing for high-risk people in an effort to soon stamp out the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and return to the “new normal.”

The capital city of Hanoi is racing against time to conduct mass COVID-19 testing for high-risk people in an effort to soon stamp out the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and return to the “new normal.”

According to the General Department of Preventive Medicine, since the COVID-19 began in late January to 3:00 PM on August 24, 2020, Vietnam has conducted 1,009,145 RealTime RT-PCR tests. On August 24 alone, the number reaches 11,698.

The capital city of Ha Noi continues conducting the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for people returning from the central city of Da Nang.

Singaporean scientists have developed an improved COVID-19 test kit that can deliver results more quickly, halving the processing time from about four hours to less than two, according to The Straits Times.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on June 18 that Japan is in talks to make exceptions to its entry ban on Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam, as it seeks to ease travel restrictions imposed to stem the spread of COVID-19.

The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control has asked cities and provinces nationwide to invest wisely in testing systems to avoid unnecessary waste in the current pandemic situation.

Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Vu Trung, Deputy Director of the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, has written an article for VietnamPlus to explain the differences between the two types of tests for the novel coronavirus, as Vietnam has entered the third phase of COVID-19 response with a higher risk of community infections.