Foreign tourists visiting the Temple of Emperor Đinh Tiên Hoàng in the northern province of Ninh Bình before borders were closed. — (Photo: VNA/VNS)

The document comes on the cusp Vietnam's highly anticipated resumption of inbound and outbound tourism activities on Tuesday, after a pilot vaccine passport programme began in late 2021.

Based on the consensus of ministries and agencies, and in line with the instructions issued by Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam, the submitted plan proposes Việt Nam welcome foreign tourists through international border gates by air, road, railway and sea with pre-pandemic visa and entry requirement.

This would mean unilateral visa exemptions for arrivals from 13 countries and territories – Belarus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

With regards to COVID-19 protocols, tourists over 12 years old coming to Việt Nam would need certificates proving their status as fully vaccinated, which were approved or recognised by Vietnamese authorities, with the last dose administered no between 14 days and six months before the date of departure. They could also present certificates proving they have recovered from COVID-19 in the six months, issued by the countries where the treatment was conducted.

Proof of negative test result for SARS-CoV-2 (by RT-PCR/RT-LAMP method) within 72 hours before departure (except for children under two years old) would also be required for passengers entering via air.