Vietnam Races Ahead of Other Southeast Asian Countries in Tourism Reopening

With just 270 cases and zero coronavirus deaths, Vietnam has emerged as the first Southeast Asian country to pull its tourism sector out the pits, ahead of major Southeast Asia nations such as Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines that are still under various degrees of lockdown. Domestic flights are now back in operation, as are bus and train services, restaurants, and retail outlets, as Vietnam charged on with reopening since April 23. Vietnam Airlines is understood to be in discussions with the government to resume some international flights in June. Efforts to create reciprocal travel bubbles with China and South Korea are in the works. If successful, this will give Vietnam a headway over Thailand, for whom the two markets are also key. Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board, a non-profit comprising industry leaders and stakeholders, has asked the government to hold “early bilateral negotiations with source markets that have contained community transition,�