Vietnam Airlines has successfully applied the Travel Pass for a number of outbound flights to Europe and international inbound flights. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam can reopen domestic aviation and tourism activities by applying electronic health certifications (Travel Pass), especially when the number of people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 has been on the rise, experts and business leaders have suggested.
Key to reopening borders
Currently, the “COVID-19 vaccine passport” has been applied in many countries across the world, including Israel, the UK, Russia, Australia, China, and EU countries. In reality, the model has helped resume trade exchange and promote economic recovery, and set up a new normal situation.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Pass is a mobile app that allows travellers to store and manage certifications for COVID-19 tests or vaccinations. The app has been available in iOS and Android stores.
The information provided through the IATA Travel Pass can be used by governments requiring testing or vaccination proof as a condition of international travel during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a secure means to manage health requirements and much more efficient than paper processes.
The app consists of four modules – a global registry of health requirements, a global registry of testing centres, a lab app to securely share test and vaccination certificates with passengers, and a contactless travel app that enables passengers to create a digital passport and manage their travel documentation digitally.
At all times, travellers remain in control of their data with their privacy protected as the IATA Travel Pass does not store any data centrally.
Before making a flight, passengers download the IATA Travel Pass application, fill in information, and take a COVID-19 test at designated facilities. They will receive an “OK to Travel” if their travel health credentials meet the destination’s requirements.
It has so far received positive feedback from governments of 70 countries and applied by more than 20 airlines, including Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Etihad, Emirates, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic, and Ethiopian.
Since June 2021, the IATA and the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines have partnered in piloting the IATA Travel Pass. So far, two flights from Vietnam to Japan and Europe, and one flight from Japan to Vietnam have been conducted with the pilot application of the model.
On September 4, a Vietnam Airlines flight carrying 297 Vietnamese citizens back from Japan arrived at Van Don International Airport in northern Quang Ninh province, becoming the first to enjoy the new seven-day quarantine pilot programme.
All passengers have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with the second dose administered at least 14 days but no more than 12 months prior to the entry date, as well as proof of negative COVID-19 tests (RT-PCR method) validated by authorities in the host country 72 hours before departure.
After arriving at the airport, passengers were transported to Novotel Ha Long in Quang Ninh province for concentrated quarantine for seven days (down by 14 days compared to the mandatory 21 days that Vietnam imposed on all foreign arrivals since May due to the Delta variant).
Pham Ngoc Sau, Director of the Van Don International Airport, said the reception of the arrivals followed anti-pandemic measures that the airport has been rigorously applying.
All passengers will need to undergo body temperature checks, submit health declaration forms (online or paper), and complete immigration and customs procedures at a separate zone. They are also required to wear face masks and keep a safe distance at all times. All luggage, carry-on or checked, has to be sterilized, he added.
According to Vu Nguyen Khoi, Director of the Digital Marketing Department of Vietnam Airlines, the pilot application of the IATA Travel Pass has seen positive results without any problems.
Truong Phuong Thanh, Deputy General Director of Bamboo Airways, said that the “vaccine passport” is an ideal and practical solution to resume tourism and people-to-people exchange activities among countries and territories.
Hope for early application in Vietnam
While waiting for the reopening of international aviation and tourism activities, many experts and businesses suggested that Vietnam can immediately reopen its domestic aviation and tourism sectors, especially when the number of people getting two COVID-9 vaccine shots has been on the rise. Travel Pass has become a global trend, and Vietnam should not stand apart, they stressed.
The Vietnam Airlines representative held that the Travel Pass can be used for passengers crossing the borders, which requires the mutual recognition among countries as well as a comprehensive system connection as well as coherence in language, data and information security regulations.
Currently, Vietnam has yet to issue any legal regulations related to the implementation of the Travel Pass, according to the representative.
The Travel Pass has become a global trend, and Vietnam should not stand apart. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
In order to reach the target of welcoming international visitors holding “vaccine passports” from October 2021 or the fourth quarter of 2021 at the latest, Vietnam Airlines has asked authorised agencies to prioritise the vaccination in Phu Quoc island to ensure at least 70 percent of local residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Besides, the airlines proposed the issuance of guidelines for “vaccine passport” users as well as quarantine activities for foreign tourists in Phu Quoc and other destinations, along with mechanisms to allow domestic travelers who are injected with two vaccine shots to enter Phu Quoc in the piloting period.
Vo Huy Cuong, Vice Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, stressed the need for the formation of a specialized agency to take responsible for the implementation of the “vaccine passport” scheme.
From now to September 30, if the number of community infections is reduced, social distancing measures are removed and the ratio of vaccination is higher, Vietnam can generally resume regular domestic flights, Cuong said, expressing his hope that after the “vaccine passport’ is applied, international travelling activities may be allowed again./.
