back to vietnam on a commercial flight recently (last 2 weeks)

I’ve just returned to Vietnam a week ago and I am on my 8th and final day of quarantine in a hotel.
You will need the following to get back in:

1) Proof of double vaccination
2) RT-PCR test certificate with 48 hours of departure
3) Confirmed 8 day quarantine hotel booking
4) Confirmed booking of transportation from airport to hotel
5) Letter from Immigration dept
6) Approval Letter from Peoples Committee
7) Proof of health insurance
8) Health declaration registration on Vietnamese health dept. website and copy of QR code.

There is a list of government approved quarantine hotels for you to choose from.
My hotel in D1 is costing VND1.8m a night inc 3 meals a day.
You will also have to have PCR tests on day 1 and day 7 which you have to pay for
Good luck
Gogo

thanks so much for your advice.
the letter from the immigration dept. Is that vietnam immigration? i am in australia , how do i go about getting it. i rang the vietnam embassy and they weren't much help.
can you choose the hotel when you get to the airport or do you need to confirm booking prior to departure?

Greetings
I am curious what  sort of visa did you have for entry.

i am dual citizen , so travelled on a vietnamese passport.

Yes, the letter is issued from the Vietnam immigration dept and I had my company apply for that through a Vietnam based travel agency on my behalf. I think the application has to come from a Vietnamese based entity or travel agency.
You also have to book the hotel and airport  transport in advance of your trip and the airline will check for that when you check in at your embarkation point.
Gogo

ok. i understand. thanks again.

Gogo888 wrote:

I’ve just returned to Vietnam a week ago and I am on my 8th and final day of quarantine in a hotel.
You will need the following to get back in:

1) Proof of double vaccination

Is that absolutely true?

I'm under the impression that, within current restrictions, the government of Vietnam is accepting people vaccinated with World Health Organization approved vaccines.

That would include the Johnson & Johnson Janssen vaccine, which is a single shot.

You may be correct but I would make sure you confirm that with your airline before travel and the online health declaration will also ask for that proof of vaccination and will issue the QR code if acceptable.
I was double vaccinated in UK and had An NHS issued certificate as proof
Some additional information that was not applicable to me but may be applicable for those who will receive visa upon arrival in SGN:

* complete online visa application form and print out hard copy for your journey.
*Prepare 2 passport photos
*Prepare cash for visa issuance fee of $155 or VND3.7m

Also make sure to adhere to exit requirements for departing country or any transit countries on your journey.
Gogo

bizdeals wrote:

to call to advise them of my arrival on the 12th december.

You even don't have the approval of the immigration department, so you can't have any idea when you will be allowed to arrive.
It takes most of time 8 weeks to get the approval.

bizdeals wrote:

i am dual citizen , so travelled on a vietnamese passport.

Why would you need a Vietnamese visa if your returning to Vietnam and entering with your Vietnam passport?

Rick

Very specifically and simply, the quarantine cost depends only on your particular hotel choice. There is a list. You choose from the list (different hotels, different rooms, different prices). You can contact them, attempt to negotiate a lower price. Therefore, the answer to your question is that the cost of quarantine is  equal to the hotel cost. Upon my return in January, my cost includes room, 3 meals a day, pick up from airport and delivery to hotel and delivery from hotel to your next destination following quarantine completion, cost of 2 tests and other amenities offered by hotel. Different hotels may offer different amenities; so costs vary depending on the particular hotel that you choose. Your travel agent in Vietnam will present you with a list of hotels (various districts) to choose from.

Visas are now limited to 3 months only and the service cost is between $800 and $1000 for "skilled workers"

sorry, i should have been clearer. I am travelling on vietnamese passport and am i citizen of vietnam.
To my understanding, Vietnam allows its citizens to return. But mostly they have been returned by chartered flights from overseas > i am returning on a cathay pacific flight from melbourne to saigon via hongkong.
I called the vietnam embassy in australia and asked them what procedures i needed to follow and they said it is outside their jurisdiction and to contact the 'local authoritities' which i take to mean the peoples committee of hcmc.
But i think at a minimum, i will need the :
1. pcr test 72 hours prior to departure
2. proof of double vacination
3. health declaration (downloaded from the cathay pacific website)
4. travel/health insurance
I bought the ticket online and am not going through a travel agent, I am not an expat and not an expert and have not been sponsored by a company so i am not 100% sure if the rules for those categories of travellers apply to me.

I called the cathay pacific number in saigon and was told I might 'not be able to enter vietnam at all' and they will confirm 5 days prior to departure.......I doubt that because vietnam is now allowing international tourist to arrive in Decemeber and I am a citizen returning in december...so i don't know how they can refuse me entry....

I miss Vietnam, but wont be returning until all this covid nonsense comes to an end.

LONE wolf45 wrote:

I miss Vietnam, but wont be returning until all this covid nonsense comes to an end.

Not sure anywhere is going to be completely safe from covid. New strain, big surges everywhere

Jlgarbutt wrote:

LONE wolf45 wrote:

I miss Vietnam, but wont be returning until all this covid nonsense comes to an end.

Not sure anywhere is going to be completely safe from covid. New strain, big surges everywhere

Covid is here to stay. Must learn to love with it everyday. That’s reality.

pogiwayne wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

LONE wolf45 wrote:

I miss Vietnam, but wont be returning until all this covid nonsense comes to an end.

Not sure anywhere is going to be completely safe from covid. New strain, big surges everywhere

Covid is here to stay. Must learn to love with it everyday. That’s reality.

I'm hoping that's live and not love..😉

Jlgarbutt wrote:

pogiwayne wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Not sure anywhere is going to be completely safe from covid. New strain, big surges everywhere

Covid is here to stay. Must learn to love with it everyday. That’s reality.

I'm hoping that's live and not love..😉

Yes, lol

pogiwayne wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

pogiwayne wrote:

Covid is here to stay. Must learn to love with it everyday. That’s reality.

I'm hoping that's live and not love..😉

Yes, lol

Easy typo to make..😁

Jlgarbutt wrote:

pogiwayne wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Not sure anywhere is going to be completely safe from covid. New strain, big surges everywhere

Covid is here to stay. Must learn to love with it everyday. That’s reality.

I'm hoping that's live and not love..😉

I was hoping it was correct - More fun

Vietnam has a consulate in Sydney their phone number is *** . They're very helpful and courteous . You should phone them and ask them about everything .

Tediuki wrote:

Vietnam has a consulate in Sydney their phone number is *** . They're very helpful and courteous . You should phone them and ask them about everything .

The telephone number of the Vietnamese consulate is hardly personal information.  If you want it just look for the consulate on Google maps.  I thought this forum was moderated by people and not algorithms, but maybe not.

Security gone mad 😡 again 👍

The Contact info:
Name    Vietnam consulate in Sydney, Australia
Address    Suite 205, Level 2 Edgecliff Centre 203- 233 New South Head Road Edgecliff – NSW 2027
Phone    (02) 932 72 539 / (02) 932 71 912
Fax    (02) 932 81 653
Email    vnconsul@iinet.net.au
Website    http://vnconsulate-sydney.mofa.gov.vn

THIGV wrote:

Tediuki wrote:

Vietnam has a consulate in Sydney their phone number is *** . They're very helpful and courteous . You should phone them and ask them about everything .

The telephone number of the Vietnamese consulate is hardly personal information.  If you want it just look for the consulate on Google maps.  I thought this forum was moderated by people and not algorithms, but maybe not.

Probably just a simple error. I also saw the number but I checked it out before touching it. As it was a public number for a government organization, I ignored it.
However, I know the teams are exceptionally busy with a massive set of spam attacks at the moment so that's very likely  where the problem is. I banned well over 20 yesterday alone and that's just part time between real work so you can imagine the scale of the problem.

It looks like with the omicron , Vietnam won't be resuming commercial flights like i was expecting in December. I now plan on booking a flight to cambodia (no quarantine)  and arriving on the land border with vietnam . Does anyone know if i can still get in with a vietnamese passport via cambodia?

bizdeals wrote:

It looks like with the omicron , Vietnam won't be resuming commercial flights like i was expecting in December. I now plan on booking a flight to cambodia (no quarantine)  and arriving on the land border with vietnam . Does anyone know if i can still get in with a vietnamese passport via cambodia?

Qatar Airways flies into Vietnam 6 days every week from Australia.

bizdeals wrote:

...I am travelling on vietnamese passport and am i citizen of vietnam.

bizdeals wrote:

...I now plan on booking a flight to cambodia (no quarantine)  and arriving on the land border with vietnam . Does anyone know if i can still get in with a vietnamese passport via cambodia?

Since you aren't an expat and you are a Vietnamese citizen, it would seem that contacting your country's embassy directly would be a much better source of information than getting dubious anonymous replies on an expat forum.

Finally made it back to Vietnam after 3 years. Caught a Jetstar flight from Melbourne to Phnom Penh and bus to Lao cal in tay ninh province . Quarantining now at an army base but did have a choice to go to hotel. Wish I did. Feels good to be back. Merry Christmas

Jlgarbutt wrote:

LONE wolf45 wrote:

I miss Vietnam, but wont be returning until all this covid nonsense comes to an end.

Not sure anywhere is going to be completely safe from covid. New strain, big surges everywhere

It’s a pandemic so you’re correct but availability and quality of medical care(including the availability of monoclonal antibody treatment) do significantly alter the outcome.

CHN90 wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

LONE wolf45 wrote:

I miss Vietnam, but wont be returning until all this covid nonsense comes to an end.

Not sure anywhere is going to be completely safe from covid. New strain, big surges everywhere

It’s a pandemic so you’re correct but availability and quality of medical care(including the availability of monoclonal antibody treatment) do significantly alter the outcome.

Although obviously not everyone in the country has access, there is clearly top notch medical care available in Vietnam.   What I would highlight with respect to Omicron are two issues that are quite negative for Vietnam: 

One is that the Astra-Zenica vaccine seems to have very low efficacy against Omicron and the Russian and Chinese ones have almost none at all.  I sincerely feel that it is past time for Pfizer and Moderna to release the patents for their products which are highly effective if given 3 doses.  If so, they could very likely be made in Vietnam.

Second is that monoclonal antibodies derived from people who had previous strains of the virus don't seem to be working well against Omicron.

Despite those two negatives, for now Vietnam is probably as good a place as any to avoid the virus.

THIGV wrote:

CHN90 wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Not sure anywhere is going to be completely safe from covid. New strain, big surges everywhere

It’s a pandemic so you’re correct but availability and quality of medical care(including the availability of monoclonal antibody treatment) do significantly alter the outcome.

Although obviously not everyone in the country has access, there is clearly top notch medical care available in Vietnam.   What I would highlight with respect to Omicron are two issues that are quite negative for Vietnam: 

One is that the Astra-Zenica vaccine seems to have very low efficacy against Omicron and the Russian and Chinese ones have almost none at all.  I sincerely feel that it is past time for Pfizer and Moderna to release the patents for their products which are highly effective if given 3 doses.  If so, they could very likely be made in Vietnam.

Second is that monoclonal antibodies derived from people who had previous strains of the virus don't seem to be working well against Omicron.

Despite those two negatives, for now Vietnam is probably as good a place as any to avoid the virus.

Please submit where you got your latest pearls of wisdom from in respect of the Astra vaccine & Omicron variant & interesting to see & hear that Omicron is now rampant in the USA & Astra has not even been approved for use there.
Also as of interest in particular the section about Vietnam having Top Notch medical care for those that can afford it. My experience on the subject of medical care & the wealthy here is they go to Singapore, or Bangkok where the medical treatment & facilities are far more advanced than in Vietnam.

goodolboy wrote:

THIGV wrote:

CHN90 wrote:

It’s a pandemic so you’re correct but availability and quality of medical care(including the availability of monoclonal antibody treatment) do significantly alter the outcome.

Although obviously not everyone in the country has access, there is clearly top notch medical care available in Vietnam.   What I would highlight with respect to Omicron are two issues that are quite negative for Vietnam: 

One is that the Astra-Zenica vaccine seems to have very low efficacy against Omicron and the Russian and Chinese ones have almost none at all.  I sincerely feel that it is past time for Pfizer and Moderna to release the patents for their products which are highly effective if given 3 doses.  If so, they could very likely be made in Vietnam.

Second is that monoclonal antibodies derived from people who had previous strains of the virus don't seem to be working well against Omicron.

Despite those two negatives, for now Vietnam is probably as good a place as any to avoid the virus.

Please submit where you got your latest pearls of wisdom from in respect of the Astra vaccine & Omicron variant & interesting to see & hear that Omicron is now rampant in the USA & Astra has not even been approved for use there.
Also as of interest in particular the section about Vietnam having Top Notch medical care for those that can afford it. My experience on the subject of medical care & the wealthy here is they go to Singapore, or Bangkok where the medical treatment & facilities are far more advanced than in Vietnam.

Yes it is depressing how, in the midst of a global pandemic, some people are still willing to peddle   long discredited’, disinformation. One example of the problem concerns the AstraZeneca vaccination . A f’ive second Google search throws up serious peer reviewed articles showing the efficacy of its product, Vaxzevria offers a good level of protection against COVID-19 which is a critical need in the current pandemic. The main trials showed that the vaccine has around 60% efficacy. Most side effects are mild to moderate in severity and are gone within a few days. As a result, just before Christmas ,
The European Medicines Agency re-iterated its  decision that Vaxzevria’s benefits are greater than its risks and it can be authorised for use in the EU.

Uness you can post an official link (WHO etc..) regarding Vaccinations, don't bother posting. There is one country on the site that is banned altogether from posting anything about vaccinations due to the rubbish they were posting.

SimCityAT wrote:

Uness you can post an official link (WHO etc..) regarding Vaccinations, don't bother posting. There is one country on the site that is banned altogether from posting anything about vaccinations due to the rubbish they were posting.

Quite so.

I spent a little time looking at the contents of some posts in order to see just how valid the information in them was.
A big problem is sensationalism from many members of the fourth estate - Basically, they make stuff up so it sounds like the world is doomed.
In the real world there simply isn't enough data as yet. It does look like the Chinese vaccines are less effective against the big O - but NOT useless.

Well I just came from Cambodia and they were primarily using the Chinese vaccines 80% plus double dose and the last day I was there last week they had 30 cases and no deaths.... Vietnam went a different route....

Fred wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

Uness you can post an official link (WHO etc..) regarding Vaccinations, don't bother posting. There is one country on the site that is banned altogether from posting anything about vaccinations due to the rubbish they were posting.

Quite so.

I spent a little time looking at the contents of some posts in order to see just how valid the information in them was.
A big problem is sensationalism from many members of the fourth estate - Basically, they make stuff up so it sounds like the world is doomed.
In the real world there simply isn't enough data as yet. It does look like the Chinese vaccines are less effective against the big O - but NOT useless.

Ironic that you would call out the media for "sensational", and then you refer to the Omicron Variant as "the big O".

All of the mainstream news sources in the USA have finally acknowledged that in spite of it spreading rapidly, it's proving to be significantly less severe than Delta.

Fred wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

Uness you can post an official link (WHO etc..) regarding Vaccinations, don't bother posting. There is one country on the site that is banned altogether from posting anything about vaccinations due to the rubbish they were posting.

Quite so.

I spent a little time looking at the contents of some posts in order to see just how valid the information in them was.
A big problem is sensationalism from many members of the fourth estate - Basically, they make stuff up so it sounds like the world is doomed.
In the real world there simply isn't enough data as yet. It does look like the Chinese vaccines are less effective against the big O - but NOT useless.

Yes, the world is not doomed since if that’s the case then the virus is not doing a very good job of propagating it’s species. It’s still a obligate parasite. Vaccine from any manufacturer will offer protection with varying efficacy, as well as prior exposure. Most people don’t realize that it’s not the virus which causes the death but it’s your own immune response (so called cytokine storm) that mainly responsible for your death. It’s quite interesting in observing this virus mutation in a biological standpoint. The delta variant is less transmissible but causes more death, an evolution dead end for the virus. The omicron variant is much more infectious but causes less severe symptoms. Since prior exposure would offer some protection then it seems that omicron will eventually replace the more deadly delta.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Ironic that you would call out the media for "sensational", and then you refer to the Omicron Variant as "the big O".

It's because I can't spell Omecron.

Fred wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Ironic that you would call out the media for "sensational", and then you refer to the Omicron Variant as "the big O".

It's because I can't spell Omecron.

Last year the big C (Corona or covid)... This year the big O 😂