Vietnam working with foreign authorities to restore air links

She made the statement at the ministry’s regular press conference on July 16 in answering questions regarding the resumption of overseas flights in the context of COVID-19 being largely controlled in Vietnam.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she said, has informed a number of foreign agencies in Vietnam about plans to resume flights to Seoul (Republic of Korea), Tokyo (Japan), Taiwan (China), Guangzhou (China), Vientiane (Laos), and Phnom Penh (Cambodia) from mid-July, on the basis of ensuring compliance with prevention measures to ensure the coronavirus does not spread in the community.

The Ministry of Transport is also holding discussions with relevant agencies in these countries and territories to reach consensus on flight and route specifics, Hang added.

In the immediate future, Vietnam will prioritise people currently allowed to enter the country, including Vietnamese citizens, foreign experts, investors, business managers, and skilled workers, those entering for diplomatic and official purposes, and a number of other special cases, she said.

People who enter Vietnam must comply with medical quarantine rules and undergo appropriate quarantine measures in line with regulations.

Vietnam is committed to together with New Zealand soon lift bilateral relations to a new height, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said. She revealed that Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will hold an online talk with his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern on July 22, during which they will discuss how to foster the comprehensive and practical bilateral partnership in multiple respects, such as politics, trade and investment, security and defence, education, agriculture, people-to-people exchanges, and COVID-19 response.

The talks aim to take bilateral relations to a new level in line with the Joint Statement on Advancing the Comprehensive Partnership towards Strategic Partnership, released during the visit to New Zealand by PM Phuc in 2018, Hang added.

The two sides will also exchange views on several regional and international issues of mutual concern. Vietnam and New Zealand are celebrating 45 years of diplomatic ties this year, she said.

Bilateral ties have grown strongly over the past 45 years and the upgrade of ties to a Comprehensive Partnership in 2009 marked a milestone for the two countries in developing more comprehensive, practical, and effective cooperation in various fields.