The travel pass could take the form of a quick response code
Vietnam’s Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) has proposed piloting a type of travel pass for people who have been fully vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19, as well as those who have tested negative for the coronavirus to travel countrywide.
Hoang Nhan Chinh, secretariat director of the TAB, has brought forward the proposal on behalf of the board’s research team, which studied the use of COVID-19 safety certificates by countries and organizations around the world.
The plan is expected to help the central government, provincial and municipal authorities, enterprises, and people confidently resume business and travel in order to ensure both economic development and COVID-19 prevention and control missions.
Experts in the team suggested issuing a travel certificate tentatively named Vietnam Green Travel Pass, which will allow its holders to travel between provinces and cities in the country.
The application of the travel pass is expected to include, but is not limited to, participation in domestic events and having meals at restaurants.
The experts plan to introduce the travel pass on a smartphone application that allows quick access and real-time extraction of user information.
The travel pass can be in the form of a quick response code on a mobile phone or printed on paper to ensure that the information is accurate and cannot be forged.
People who have been fully vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19, as well as those who have tested negative for the coronavirus within the previous 72 hours would be eligible to be granted the green pass.
While designing the travel pass for domestic use only in the near future, the TAB experts suggest the government negotiate bilaterally or multilaterally with other countries and territories to sign agreements allowing Vietnamese citizens to use the Vietnam Green Travel Pass for overseas travel once the country resumes international tourism activities.
Vietnam sealed its borders in March last year but still grants entry to diplomats, foreign experts, students, and Vietnamese repatriates, with all arrivals from outside the country required to undergo different forms of quarantine to stem the spread of COVID-19.
