Vietnamese Island Reopens to Tourism

The delta variant might be surging worldwide, the experts might be urging more caution than ever, and the statistics to prove the increase in COVID-19 cases are out there.

But more and more tourist destinations, while taking precautions, are opening up.

The latest is the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc.

The popular beach destination will reopen to foreign tourists next month, according to CNN, as Vietnam looks at ways to bolster an economy that, like many nations, has suffered from lockdowns and restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The island off the coast of Cambodia is expected to open for a trial period of six months, the government said in a statement issued earlier this week.

Vietnam has faced a surge in infections driven by the Delta variant over the last three months, but it nonetheless will reopen Phu Quoc.

“The prolonged pandemic has seriously hurt the tourism industry,” Vietnam’s tourism and culture minister Nguyen Van Hung said.

Fully vaccinated tourists with a negative coronavirus test will be eligible to visit Phu Quoc, the statement said, adding they could fly to the island on chartered or commercial flights.

Foreign arrivals to Vietnam slumped from 18 million in 2019, when tourism revenue was $31 billion, or nearly 12% of its gross domestic product, to 3.8 million last year.

Vietnam will fully vaccinate all residents on Phu Quoc before opening, the tourism ministry said,